Spray paint removal from a 90's Epiphone Les Paul Special DC

[npierson]

I had been looking for a Les Paul Special and stumbled over this heavily gigged upgraded 1994 Epiphone Les Paul Special DC with a very not-good black paint job and broken switch. It was low-priced for a good reason.

Lucky me, so far, it looks like it was the worst spray paint job of all time; no prep was done. I have been rubbing it with a cloth and acetone, and it has been coming off quickly (so far), revealing an original glossy classic cherry transparent finish.

Wish me luck that all the paint comes off this easily.

 

[Kostas Kritsilas]

Is it your intent to get it back to the factory original finish/get all the spray paint off? That would be a great deal of work, but your guitar, do as you please. I personally would do exactly that.

 

[BGood]

100% worth it. Take your time, toothbrush for tight spots. Do it an a very well ventilated place, or better a good gas mask, acetone is nasty for your lungs.

Once all black paint removed, a good rub with car polishing compound will bring back its glory days.

 

[Equalphone]

How much did you pay? Those are hard to find.

 

[soulman969]

That was a lucky find. Double cuts are rare birds. Send some good luck my way that I should ever find one like it. I'd be a buyer as well.

And......welcome to our forum and thanks for sharing your experience and the photos. In the end the work it takes will be well worth it.

 

[npierson]

Is it your intent to get it back to the factory original finish/get all the spray paint off? That would be a great deal of work, but your guitar, do as you please. I personally would do exactly that.

Glad to hear that feedback! You are correct; I am bringing it back to the original finish. I first assumed it would need an entirely new refinish, assuming they had at least sanded it before spraying, but I am relieved to find the original finish is there.

 

[npierson]

That was a lucky find. Double cuts are rare birds. Send some good luck my way that I should ever find one like it. I'd be a buyer as well.

And......welcome to our forum and thanks for sharing your experience and the photos. In the end the work it takes will be well worth it.

Thank you! I was so excited to find a DC . I always wanted a Les Paul Special with P-90s, but the ideal find was a double cut. These 90's Korean Epiphones are nice. The previous owner was a gigging musician and put great locking tuners on it, upgraded the pickups.... and also committed spray paint crimes on it.

Very happy to find the original finish is salvageable.

 

[npierson]

How much did you pay? Those are hard to find.

I thought initially I had paid too much. I was looking for a double cut and did not want to pay for a Gibson. I saw this on Reverb and grabbed it for $500 ($40 shipping). The seller was very honest and reimbursed me for some switch damage it got during shipment. I did go through buyer's remorse looking at this black, gunked-up, damaged guitar. The seller said with some elbow grease, I could restore it, and he was right. I am feeling like a winner now.

 

[BGood]

What are the P90s in it now ?

 

[Johnathon Jones]

100% worth it. Take your time, toothbrush for tight spots. Do it an a very well ventilated place, or better a good gas mask, acetone is nasty for your lungs.

Once all black paint removed, a good rub with car polishing compound will bring back its glory days.

That thing’s glory days passed it by in the wink of an eye…

 

[Kostas Kritsilas]

That thing’s glory days passed it by in the wink of an eye…

Maybe, maybe not. It is hard to say without being there, but these guitars usually have some sort of a poly-(ester, urethane) finish. The spray paint, if it is the typical enamel or acrylic, really doesn't bite into cured poly finishes, and just using a number of commonly available chemicals (OP said he used acetone), the black spray paint will come off fairly easily. I think the rest of the black paint used on this guitar will as well. It is hard to get anything to stick to cured poly finishes, which is why finish repairs are so hard to hide on poly guitars. What is underneath may not be in great shape, or it may be just like a new guitar. Nobody will know until all the black paint comes off.

The other additions are improvements to me; locking tuners, and different pickups. Locking tuners are definitely an improvement, and the different pickups may be an improvement or not (that is in the ear of the beholder). Being this was a touring musician's guitar, it is doubtful that he used substantially worse pickups, but was probably trying to get a particular sound. This may or may not work well for the current owner; if it does work well, it is an added bonus, if not, then time to experiment with pickups.

 

[npierson]

ANway, yes

That thing’s glory days passed it by in the wink of an eye…

Much like my past full head of hair.

 

[BlueSquirrel]

I had been looking for a Les Paul Special and stumbled over this heavily gigged upgraded 1994 Epiphone Les Paul Special DC with a very not-good black paint job and broken switch. It was low-priced for a good reason.

Lucky me, so far, it looks like it was the worst spray paint job of all time; no prep was done. I have been rubbing it with a cloth and acetone, and it has been coming off quickly (so far), revealing an original glossy classic cherry transparent finish.

Wish me luck that all the paint comes off this easily.



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Lovely project! The frets seem to be in good shape for a touring guitar.

 

[npierson]

What are the P90s in it now ?

This is still not 100% clear to me, they are hand-wound with no logo on them. They are a bit oit, which I like,

 

[npierson]

Lovely project! The frets seem to be in good shape for a touring guitar.

Maybe, maybe not. It is hard to say without being there, but these guitars usually have some sort of a poly-(ester, urethane) finish. The spray paint, if it is the typical enamel or acrylic, really doesn't bite into cured poly finishes, and just using a number of commonly available chemicals (OP said he used acetone), the black spray paint will come off fairly easily. I think the rest of the black paint used on this guitar will as well. It is hard to get anything to stick to cured poly finishes, which is why finish repairs are so hard to hide on poly guitars. What is underneath may not be in great shape, or it may be just like a new guitar. Nobody will know until all the black paint comes off.

The other additions are improvements to me; locking tuners, and different pickups. Locking tuners are definitely an improvement, and the different pickups may be an improvement or not (that is in the ear of the beholder). Being this was a touring musician's guitar, it is doubtful that he used substantially worse pickups, but was probably trying to get a particular sound. This may or may not work well for the current owner; if it does work well, it is an added bonus, if not, then time to experiment with pickups.

Yes, nicely installed Grover tuners and some boutique p-90s. So far, this project proves that spray paint over a poly finish is not too challenging to take off. Rubbing it with a rag and acetone has been doing the trick; it has been time-consuming, but the revealed original finish will probably look close to the original after a cleaning. Maybe some light polishing needs to be done.

It has revealed the. damage around the switch being smashed a few times in its 30-year life.

 

[BGood]

Yes, nicely installed Grover tuners and some boutique p-90s. So far, this project proves that spray paint over a poly finish is not too challenging to take off. Rubbing it with a rag and acetone has been doing the trick; it has been time-consuming, but the revealed original finish will probably look close to the original after a cleaning. Maybe some light polishing needs to be done.

It has revealed the. damage around the switch being smashed a few times in its 30-year life.

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Very cool looking up to now !

P90s could be of the China Boutique kind. Expensive Boutique tend to leave their mark on the pickup. Doesn't really matter, as long as they sound good. I have yet to hear a bad sounding P90.

 

[OldGuitarPlayer]

Nice find and it's looking good!

 

[soulman969]

That thing’s glory days passed it by in the wink of an eye…

But all the better. Try to find one now. It's a classic blast from the past.

 

[soulman969]

Yes, nicely installed Grover tuners and some boutique p-90s. So far, this project proves that spray paint over a poly finish is not too challenging to take off. Rubbing it with a rag and acetone has been doing the trick; it has been time-consuming, but the revealed original finish will probably look close to the original after a cleaning. Maybe some light polishing needs to be done.

It has revealed the. damage around the switch being smashed a few times in its 30-year life.

View attachment 24133View attachment 24134

It's beginning to take shape. Great job on the paint removal so far. I guess the trick part in all the nooks and crannies will take longer.

 

[soulman969]

Very cool looking up to now !

P90s could be of the China Boutique kind. Expensive Boutique tend to leave their mark on the pickup. Doesn't really matter, as long as they sound good. I have yet to hear a bad sounding P90.

True dat. It's mostly variations on a theme. Some are "seasoned" a little differently than other but still sound like a P90 should sound.