# Gibson Les Paul Refinish - Black Top



## Gimper (Jan 14, 2016)

I got bored during a rainy day yesterday, so I decided to try a little project... 

Started with this...


Did some sanding on the back, sides, and neck with 120 grit, and used a straight razor scraping in the tight spots...



Applied 3 coats of Satin Clear Polyurethane, sanding with 220 grit in between each coat...



I'm very happy with how it turned out.


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## vokey design (Oct 24, 2006)

Looks great!


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## Guest (Sep 18, 2016)

Nice chunk off wood.
It's a shame how some guitars are painted to hide that sort of beauty.
Will you do the back of the headstock too?


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

On the edges, was that binding underneath the paint or the seam between the cap and the body? I looks cool regardless.


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## Scotty (Jan 30, 2013)

I'm really surprised that there was binding underneath, but man does that look sharp now!


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## davetcan (Feb 27, 2006)

As good as that now looks I likely would have been far too tempted to clean off the top once I got started


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## Gimper (Jan 14, 2016)

laristotle said:


> Will you do the back of the headstock too?


Yes, I likely will. I tried to keep the back of the headstock with a clean look for now, but once I'm ready to change strings, I'll probably finish it off. I did not remove any of the hardware (except for the cable plug) during this process.



JBFairthorne said:


> On the edges, was that binding underneath the paint or the seam between the cap and the body? I looks cool regardless.





Scotty said:


> I'm really surprised that there was binding underneath, but man does that look sharp now!


It's not binding. That is the colour of the maple top. The colour contrast between the maple top versus mahogany body looks very cool.


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## vokey design (Oct 24, 2006)

Gibson should steal this finish from you and offer it as a standard finish... just awesome.


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## Gimper (Jan 14, 2016)

davetcan said:


> As good as that now looks I likely would have been far too tempted to clean off the top once I got started


I thought about that, and I still might go that route in the future. But... I did not remove any hardware during this little experiment, so doing the top would have been a bunch more effort than what I was prepared for at this point.

And... this Soultool guitar was my inspiration, so I think I got fairly close.


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## Scotty (Jan 30, 2013)

Way cool, I could swear that was ivory binding, even at 300% zoom.

I like the inspiration, are you going to do a pearloid (??) pickguard?


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## Guest (Sep 18, 2016)

vokey design said:


> Gibson should steal this finish from you and offer it as a standard finish... just awesome.


Sell them patent. lol.


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## Gimper (Jan 14, 2016)




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## GUInessTARS (Dec 28, 2007)

Well done sir. That turned out well.
Curious as to how long it took, just so I could multiply it by five to estimate how long it would take me.


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## Guest (Sep 19, 2016)

Just don't use a belt sander to do it. lol.
I once got a good deal on one because that's what the seller did. Idiot.


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## Gimper (Jan 14, 2016)

GUInessTARS said:


> Well done sir. That turned out well.
> Curious as to how long it took, just so I could multiply it by five to estimate how long it would take me.


I've never done anything like this before, but I'm guessing it took about 3hrs of sanding and scraping with the razor. Applying the poly only takes about 10min each time... with a couple hours drying in between light sanding and the next coat (3 times). It was a good rainy day project.


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## Jamdog (Mar 9, 2016)

laristotle said:


> Just don't use a belt sander to do it. lol.
> I once got a good deal on one because that's what the seller did. Idiot.


I'd be curious to see pics. 

I also got a great deal on one that hit a grinder, but you saw that thread already...


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

Jamdog said:


> I'd be curious to see pics.
> 
> I also got a great deal on one that hit a grinder, but you saw that thread already...


I got a free acoustic that had the fret end stickout filed down by a drunk guy with a grinder. it's rough...


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## Guitar101 (Jan 19, 2011)

I really like the black top. If you change it, the guitar will look like many others. Right now it's in a class by itself (or maybe a few others).


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## StevieMac (Mar 4, 2006)

Overall, I think the guitar looks MUCH better now and I'd leave the back of the headstock as is...it reminds me of a stinger!


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

I agree with the previous two posts - I like it just like it is. The black top adds something unique, although I would consider removing the paint from the back of the headstock. You did a great job, especially in a short period of time. That would've been my winter project!

edited: Damn, you're making me look at my 2013 SG 50s Prototype with it's ugly black back and neck. And, as they've been saying for years now, "winter's coming". How hard will it be to correct it if I feck it up? I guess I could give it to Mr. Ewart to fix it if/when I screw it up. A $400 repair on a $400 guitar!




laristotle said:


> Just don't use a belt sander to do it. lol.
> I once got a good deal on one because that's what the seller did. Idiot.


Hey, lighten up on me. The angle grinder was broken, what's a guy to do? LOL


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## Gimper (Jan 14, 2016)

Thanks for the compliments everyone! 

I'm a complete novice with this type of thing... but truthfully, it was easier than I expected it to be, and also came out better than I thought it would. So if you're thinking about it... go for it. 

But again, I did not remove hardware... so that made it quicker, and considerably less technical of a process.

PS: Use those sandpaper sponges.


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

High/Deaf said:


> I agree with the previous two posts - I like it just like it is. The black top adds something unique, although I would consider removing the paint from the back of the headstock. You did a great job, especially in a short period of time. That would've been my winter project!
> 
> edited: Damn, you're making me look at my 2013 SG 50s Prototype with it's ugly black back and neck. And, as they've been saying for years now, "winter's coming". How hard will it be to correct it if I feck it up? I guess I could give it to Mr. Ewart to fix it if/when I screw it up. A $400 repair on a $400 guitar!
> 
> ...


This has had me giving my old black on black Yamaha RGX the eyeball. I just can't bond with the total darkness of it anymore.


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## Jamdog (Mar 9, 2016)

cboutilier said:


> This has had me giving my old black on black Yamaha RGX the eyeball. I just can't bond with the total darkness of it anymore.


T'es pas game.


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## carrionrogue (Sep 9, 2016)

nice job! I dont have enough patient for refinishing...
I have a gibson les paul which was originally wine red, but by the time I got it somebody had painted it all black.
red on mahogany looks gorgeous so I couldn't understand the logic. I cant wait until the black starts wearing out and the wine red comes through.


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## Guitar101 (Jan 19, 2011)

carrionrogue said:


> nice job! I dont have enough patient for refinishing...
> I have a gibson les paul which was originally wine red, but by the time I got it somebody had painted it all black.
> red on mahogany looks gorgeous so I couldn't understand the logic. I cant wait until the black starts wearing out and the wine red comes through.


Did you try wiping it off with a little turpentine. If it wasn't painted properly, it may come off with a little rubbing but test on an inconspicuous place first if you try it.


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## carrionrogue (Sep 9, 2016)

Guitar101 said:


> Did you try wiping it off with a little turpentine. If it wasn't painted properly, it may come off with a little rubbing but test on an inconspicuous place first if you try it.


I didn't try that cause I actually like the black finish. I'm gonna let the black wear out on its own. The guitar is from 1995 so I'm sure it'll wear nicely in a few more years. Is it possible that the factory painted over the original paint for some reason? maybe the red clear coat didn't take or something so they decided to black it out?


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## Pedro-x (Mar 7, 2015)

Gimper said:


> PS: Use those sandpaper sponges


No power sander at all ? What grit were the sanding sponges ?
thanks


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## Gimper (Jan 14, 2016)

Pedro-x said:


> No power sander at all ? What grit were the sanding sponges ?
> thanks


No power sander. But if you take a look at my first post, you can see what the back of the guitar originally looked like. The finish was NOT one of those glossy hardened finishes (I don't really know the name of the different finishes). I believe this guitar was relatively easy to sand. The Gibson website claims it had a "_Vintage Gloss nitrocellulose lacquer_". I used 120 grit to take off the paint (about 5 sponges), then 220 grit in between each coat of polyurethane I applied.


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## Gimper (Jan 14, 2016)

Well, well, well... apparently Gibson did have a similar finish on a Limited Edition "Lou Pallo" signature model in 2010. Interesting...

Gibson.com: Gibson Lou Pallo Signature Les Paul


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## gtone (Nov 1, 2009)

I'd never do poly on a guitar - it's a royal bitch to strip/refinish. Love the look of how yours turned out, just pray you don't change your mind down the road.


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## Gimper (Jan 14, 2016)

gtone said:


> I'd never do poly on a guitar - it's a royal bitch to strip/refinish. Love the look of how yours turned out, just pray you don't change your mind down the road.


Thanks for the warning. I've heard chemical paint-or-varnish strippers are very effective for removing polyurethane (acrylic), varnish, or paint and won’t harm wood. Although I don't anticipate doing it again. Refinishing guitars is not a regular occurrence for me.

Anyway, I'm loving the look of it now. It's like a new guitar to me. Obviously tone, feel, setup, etc. are all important... but it's also amazing how the simple "look" of your guitar can effect your desire or inspiration to pick it up and play it regularly (for me anyways).


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## BRONX (Dec 28, 2009)

Ohh man! I absolutely LOVE the look of it with the black top and binding, a very classic and distinguished look! I completely agree to your point on looks, I find the look and "feel" (sometimes coming from the looks) really inspires me! I know after seeing you take what I consider a very lackluster or dull guitar, and have made it something that I could see myself doing one day in the future! Thanks for the inspiration!


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