Official Luthiers Forum!

Just got this guitar for 300 bucks. Paint was coming off all over the place so I chipped the rest off to make it a 2 tone nude. 1st Question: What can I put on it to protect it? Butchers wax? I would like to stain it first a dark red even tho the maple top is 3 piece since it was painted black.
                      2nd Question: The neck binding on the high E string side has a small gap between the fret wire and the binding. When bending the string it sometimes gets stuck in that gap. Is there some kind of a clear epoxy or something that I can fill that gap with. Again it is a little smaller than the .009 gauge high E. Thanks for any replies and your time.
Dave

1. McFadden's lacquer, then buff to a high gloss
2. Start with CA super glue, then epoxy if that doesn't work.
3. Welcome to the OLF, tell us who you are and where you are from. You can see my bio up top or visit my website below.

1) If you've never finished a guitar before, I'd recommend doing some research into surface preparation first. StewMac has a great book on finishing that desctibes all of the steps necessary to get a professional look.
2) The gap at the fret ends may be symptomatic of a severely dried out guitar. You might want to have an experienced luthier look at this first before you start blindly filling with any adhesives.

Sounds like you got a pretty good deal on a nice guitar. Take your time and either do it right or have it done right.

JMHO

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

yeah... if this is really a gibson LP and you got it for $300, I would have it professionally finished if you are not entirely sure how to attack this problem.

You could make this guitar substantially more valuable than $300 with a nice finish and a little repair work.

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

Not to try to drive you away or anything, but..go register at the MIMF (tis free) and read through their library. There's a lot (and I mean A LOT) of information available in their library on refinishing, repairs of all sorts, etc. and whole load on electrics.

Go visit www.reranch.com for a good primer on (re)finishing. Guy who runs it is very friendly and knowledgable to boot.Mattia Valente38425.3200925926

The gap at the fret end may mean that the fret is lifting, in which case it needs to be put back to its right level - filling the gap would just perpetuate the problem.

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Pete
http://www.petewoodmanguitars.com

I was going to say YOU DID WHAT to A LES PAUL?
but if it was black it's only worth a coupla thou, not 30-60 thou.

But I second the motion, if anyone is going to repair any guitar, go to the repair forum on mimf and let those guys talk you out of the crazy idea you came up with. Wish I coulda done that before I started working on my pos Gibson acoustic.

If it is truly a Gibson LP and the finish is flaking off something is wrong with this picture. If the finish is just worn, you might want to know that the guitar is worth more in original condition than it is altered. A proper restoration will add value. But an alteration, no-mater how well done will de-value the guitar significantly. I am talking going from 3k to who knows how low. You got a steel there. Spend the money and get it restored by a pro.

That is what I think too. You got a really good deal on this guitar, I certainly wouldn't learn to finish on that one.

Get one from a yard sale for $20 if you want to practice finishing.

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

Looks like Dave was just passin' through, les paul in tow.

I think he went back to guy he got the LP from to make a deal on the 58 strat he had in the back room

Ok, since this guy is gone, When I was buying my first electric back in '78 or so, the local music shop had a tobacco 'burst for $300. That was back before they started reissuing the things, so it probly was made in the '50s. It had a crack in the headstock, and the shopowner wouldn't go lower, so I bought a MusicMan Sabre. I'm sure the guitar could have been restored to a much more reasonable condition and would be worth considerably more now. Since the Musicman was made by Leo himself, I keep hoping that some of the crazy collectors will discover the brand and go nuts over it, so that my $350 investment catches up to the value of that LP. The Sabre is a really nice guitar though.

My parents bought me a 57 ES-225 in 1976 for $100.

If only we could have known... right?

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com