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

[BGood]

I guess the trick part in all the nooks and crannies will take longer.

 

[BGood]

I had a '95 ten years ago. I really wanted it to be would be my Holy Grail, but I didn't bond with it. I didn't have good enough amps to make it sound like it should have. Maybe today I would ?

 

[soulman969]

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Yeah but cheapskate that I am I'd use an old one I'd already used to clean something else.

 

[BlueSquirrel]

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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That's amazing!

 

[BlueSquirrel]

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.

Or could they be original Epiphone's by any chance?
The ones on the LP Special I
don't carry any brand, yet they sound great.

What does the back of the pickups look like?

 

[BGood]

Or could they be original Epiphone's by any chance?
The ones on the LP Special I
don't carry any brand, yet they sound great.

What does the back of the pickups look like?

Yes they could well be. P90 from the 90's though, probably nothing showing.

 

[WoundUp]

You can also use paint thinner/reducer to remove spray paint without affecting the finish underneath.

 

[BlueSquirrel]

That's a good tip! I had no idea.

 

[Roscoe]

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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I

 

[Roscoe]

You can also use paint thinner/reducer to remove spray paint without affecting the finish underneath.

I know this may not set well with others, but you might consider taking it down to bare wood and start over. You can then do any type of finish you want.

 

[npierson]

I know this may not set well with others, but you might consider taking it down to bare wood and start over. You can then do any type of finish you want.

If I was confident in my refinishing skills, maybe, but the original semi-transparent cherry is in great shape and looks good.

 

[Caddy]

Hard for me believe that anyone would have sprayed black over that finish. Not thinking well, I guess!

 

[Kostas Kritsilas]

You will never know why people refinish the guitar. In some cases, they want it to be a different colour. In other cases, they don't like the gloss, or they do want the gloss and have a satin/aged finish guitar that they want to be glossy. In this case, it seems to be a fast and furious spray paint job, and the previous owner either wanted the guitar to be black in colour, or perhaps the band he was with was into black for some reason. Only known to him why the spray paint job. I wouldn't have done it, but I am not him.