Les Paul Refinish Job

Mickster

Well-known member
I have a 1976 Les Paul Custom blonde I bought new. It's no classic but I do love the way it plays and sounds. Over the years the finish has gone from crystal clear to a nasty yellow. It was a great looking blonde at one time but time has really not served her well. Know what I'm saying? I'm toying with the idea of refinishing it but I have no idea if it's a good idea.........or how much it should cost.......or whatever. Any advice???
 
I have a 1976 Les Paul Custom blonde I bought new. It's no classic but I do love the way it plays and sounds. Over the years the finish has gone from crystal clear to a nasty yellow. It was a great looking blonde at one time but time has really not served her well. Know what I'm saying? I'm toying with the idea of refinishing it but I have no idea if it's a good idea.........or how much it should cost.......or whatever. Any advice???

I would not refinish if the integrity of the existing finish is good. Some guy out there is just hoping that a yellowed blond LP will be available. Sell it and buy another in the color you like. Refinished guitars are almost always priced lower than a stock finished counterpart, even if it is in worse condition.
 
Dont do it.
1) it will devalue the instrument. 70s lps are considered vintage now and worth much more than it cost new.

2) It WILL change the tone

3) Even if refinished in real nitrocellulose lacquer, it will take some time to cure and the neck will feel sticky for a while.

4) The "nasty yellow" is a result of the finish ambering. The new finish will do the same over time.

The natural ageing is desirable to many, and some pay big bucks to try to replicate that look on new guitars.

5) a good refin will cost between 1,000 and 1, 500 depending on locale.
A good finish guy will also be busy, and you may be without the guitar for 6 months or more.

If not local to you, youll have to ship with an approximate cost of a hundred bucks each way



So, short answer. Dont do it.

:-)
 
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Thanks guys.........I appreciate your thoughts........and I see the light..............just not the light colored finish that used to look so gorgeous. Guess I'll leave my LP the way it is. Why take any chances.
 
Yes, pics please. An aged 70s Custom would be very desirable right now. A bad original finish is always better than a pretty new finish. A cruddy barn-find 70 Cuda still wearing it's rotted Plum Crazy Purple is way more valuable than a 70 Cuda with a fresh paint job.

It is your guitar though, do whatever you want with it. But if it's potential value is anywhere on your radar, LEAVE IT ALONE!
 
Yes, pics please. An aged 70s Custom would be very desirable right now. A bad original finish is always better than a pretty new finish. A cruddy barn-find 70 Cuda still wearing it's rotted Plum Crazy Purple is way more valuable than a 70 Cuda with a fresh paint job.

It is your guitar though, do whatever you want with it. But if it's potential value is anywhere on your radar, LEAVE IT ALONE!

Just looked and don't have one on this PC. I'll find one or take one and post it.
 
It will probably cost $1000-$1500 and it will probably knock about $1000-$1500 off of the value of the guitar. That's a potential $3000 loss.
 
A couple of you asked for a pic of my 1976 LP Custom. It's just short of 40 years old. Bought it new at GC in Los Angeles. To be honest.........I can't remember how much I paid for it but I do remember thinking I couldn't really afford it. It's held up really well. Needs a fret job and I think one pot is going south. You can see how the finish has aged. It was a really light blonde at first......but now I think I like it as it is.

IMG_1258.JPG
 
Are you kidding me? That is gorgeous! Glad you've seen the light.

That aging is sought after on a vintage instrument. It's like the old Fenders in Olympic White that turn a rich cream color with age. Many consider it more beautiful than the original shade.

I get it; tastes differ. If you really don't like it, consider selling the guitar. It's worth more in its current condition than it would be refinished. Use the money to buy an instrument in a color you like. Somebody will cherish that Custom.
 
I love the late 70s Silverburst Customs that have now turned green. They're so awesome. It would be a crime against humanity to refinish one of those.

At one time this was silver.
wIMG_5665.jpg
 
Are you kidding me? That is gorgeous! Glad you've seen the light.

That aging is sought after on a vintage instrument. It's like the old Fenders in Olympic White that turn a rich cream color with age. Many consider it more beautiful than the original shade.

I get it; tastes differ. If you really don't like it, consider selling the guitar. It's worth more in its current condition than it would be refinished. Use the money to buy an instrument in a color you like. Somebody will cherish that Custom.

I get it. And to be honest.......I was never thinking of it in terms of it's value because I would never consider selling it. It was my first "real" electric guitar and comes with tons of memories. I've been trying to recall what I paid for it and somehow I think it was about $600 in '76. I can still remember looking at it in the store and it stood out like crazy to me. I hadn't seen a blonde LPC in person until that day and I think that's what sold me. The finish seemed to stay very clear until about 10 years ago when it suddenly began to darken. Ok..........so I lost my mind for a moment. Thanks for bringing me back to sanity guys!!!
 
I refinished my 1966 strat. It was sunburst...just like almost every other late 60s strat I had ever seen. I got it in 1976 and it wasn't collectable at all at the time. It was a $150 post CBS 10 year old strat. They were a dime a dozen back then. I have had it 39 years and it's been refinished many of the colors under the rainbow. Finally I painted it with the period correct white primer and lake placid blue nitro lacquer paint and clear.
Did refinishing it devalue it, in terms of resale....yes.
Does it matter to me....no

Its not for sale while I'm alive and have 2 nickels to rub together.
 
A while back I got the bug to do a cherry sunburst finish (clownburst) on a less paul. I used to have a cherry burst custom that I loved the color of. I tried to find a refinished one or dinged one. I found a badly dinged one and fixed the ding.
lol
I expected your LP to be that gawd awful banana yellow color. It's a killer finish as is IMO.
That being said....
A brand spanking new cherry burst finish would be awsome.
If you're not going to sell it paint it whatever color that turns you on.
they sky is the limit!
 
Cherry sunburst =/= clownburst, necessarily, as I'm sure you know. Apparently, some time in the late 1970s, a roving band of clowns invaded the finishing department at Gibson. Their handiwork has become legendary.
 
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