Jump to content
Gibson Brands Forums

Ever wanna pimp a beater out?


splake

Recommended Posts

I read a few days ago that Donovan, Lennon and Harrison where talking and I am sure burning the end off a few, and Donovan convinced the boys to sand all the finish off of their guitars convincing them it would sound better with no finish. They all did and everyone agreed. I am not sure if it was one of Lennons 160e's, (as its common knowlege everyone knows he did a few finish changes on the 160E) or if Donovan strpped his J 45. So I got to thinking, I took my beater couch guitar Fender 110.00 special and took a took my hand sander to it. Maybe it is just me, but I think they were right. Then again, I am a hack.. So what do I know. Then I was thinking of pimping one out. You know, taking a $100 guitar and putting imported tuners on it, stickers or paint, etc etc. Really pimp it out. Make it mine. Like putting curb scrapers, a hood scoop and a spoiler on a Ford Fiesta. Just wondering if anyone had the same inclination. I am going to create a beast!

 

Would be great to have a contest Just a thought.....Over ver the next month or so , this fender is going to be Super fly. BTW, its a lot of friggin work getting the finish off a guitar.

 

IMG_0824_zpsfkfatj86.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Never really considered it but I can see where it might be fun.

 

I am not sure about that Donovan story though. Lennon first commissioned "The Fool" to do a psychedelic paint job on his '64 J-160E and later had that professionally stripped off, refinished and a pickguard reinstalled.

 

I do not know if Donovan ever stripped the finish off a J-45. He did put a star decal over part of the Gibson logo though. I am guessing this might have been done to obscure the logo for some televised performance.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hah - here's my entry. A $99 Great Divide, no doubt laminate throughout and had a rather thick Poly coating on it. I used scratch remover car past org of thing, and rubbed out probably 2 pounds of finish. Installed a bone nut, bone saddle, a Pic Guard and my skier sticker. i drag this everywhere, and have even left it in sub-freezing cold over night, and then set it in front of a hot fire - just to see if there'd be any reaction by the finish. There was none. The guitar is close to needing a neck reset - and when that day comes it'll be time to find a nee beater.

SFGuitar.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I never "pimped" one out, but...... I did put WAY too much time, effort, and new parts into a 50's Silvertone archtop that sold new for $36.

 

Although still not worth more than $50 or $100, it was a fun project, and turned out to be a REALLY COOL guitar.

 

5517693543_3900ed78ba_o.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good topic - I did this once by hand and the thing (a splendid sounding street-guitar) changed identity in more ways than one.

The sound became rougher and lost the conventional voice coming from a copy D-28.

 

Have to say the top was partly dyed with furniture-brown as I wanted the bastard all dark.

Partly simply because I'd only managed to sand of so and so much of the top-laqcuer and couldn't see which zones were clear and which weren't.

 

With the original volume intact, the guitar became a monster and I still own it. In fact it was taken from the case last week and I look at it as I write. . .

 

Very curious about your experience.

 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

 

 

Regarding Lennon, Harrison and Donovan, Zomb has it spot on. Don to my knowledge never did anything to his cherry top other than removing the p-guard. Happened during or after the India trip in '68. Before take off, he had swapped tuners.

Could you please give the source to your information about the trio touching this particular theme. .

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Rats, I gave my beater Samick dread to a friend [mellow]

 

 

Though I also overdid the card on the old L-0 which was someone's experimental beater including home style inlays....

 

 

I have read that sanding too much off the top is not so good for the structure, unless you have a 70s or 80s brick...

 

 

 

 

BluesKing777.

 

 

 

PS> My first guitar got the purple speckle spray can after JL's Fool, lucky I didn't have a car!!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Regarding Lennon, Harrison and Donovan, Zomb has it spot on. Don to my knowledge never did anything to his cherry top other than removing the p-guard. Happened during or after the India trip in '68. Before take off, he had swapped tuners.

Could you please give the source to your information about the trio touching this particular theme. .

 

 

 

Here is the link, I read it in Guitar Affic. Magazine last month. It was concerning their casinos the link below talks about Lennon and harrison stripping the finish off their casinos at Donovans advice.

My link

Link to comment
Share on other sites

.

For some reason this reminded me of Keith's Penny guitar post from a couple years ago, although definitely NOT a beater -

 

Let me introduce to you "Penny". I don't normally name guitars, but this one is kind of obvious. It has been floating around our store for a while. We started by calling it "the one with the pennies", then "the penny guitar" and finally just "Penny".

 

She is a 1932 L-00 12-fret in black with a white guard and black tuners.... pretty much the cheapest version of the cheapest guitar that they made during the depression. I love her though! She is SO lightly built and SO resonant. She has obviously had some bad repairs, and needs a few more fixes. I AM going to leave the pennies on the bridge though. I will get the bridge properly attached, but I am going to cut the screws short so they don't go all the way through. (there are also pennies and nuts on the inside... with one being ON the brace!). The pennies will still be attached, but provide no structural support. I have been wanting this thing for years and I finally worked it out so I could bring her home!

 

 

Penny2.jpg

 

.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I never "pimped" one out, but...... I did put WAY too much time, effort, and new parts into a 50's Silvertone archtop that sold new for $36.

 

Although still not worth more than $50 or $100, it was a fun project, and turned out to be a REALLY COOL guitar.

 

5517693543_3900ed78ba_o.jpg

 

 

But how does it sound...and feel?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i have an Epiphone Hummingbird Pro that i basically bought for the onboard pickup.

i've grown to love the neck and it works for me on stage.

however, i have been considering going over the whole thing with 0000 scotchpad or steel

wool to get rid of the poly feel of the finish...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I bought an IB'64 Texan in 2010, I had a friend who was in lutherie/repair school "relic" it, kind of as a school project. The thread is here:

http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/63347-relic-ing-an-epiphone-ib64-texan/page__p__858080__hl__dhanners623__fromsearch__1#entry858080

 

As I recall, dealing with that poly finish was a hell of a lot of work for him.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1429031918[/url]' post='1649655']

When I bought an IB'64 Texan in 2010, I had a friend who was in lutherie/repair school "relic" it, kind of as a school project. The thread is here:

http://forum.gibson....__1#entry858080

 

As I recall, dealing with that poly finish was a hell of a lot of work for him.

 

Given your profession, and your pleasure with the sound of your guitar post-work, I'd say that is high praise. I won't be doing that with my Gibsons, but I'm tempted to ask BK if I can borrow his CEO7 for a few weeks...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Given your profession, and your pleasure with the sound of your guitar post-work, I'd say that is high praise. I won't be doing that with my Gibsons, but I'm tempted to ask BK if I can borrow his CEO7 for a few weeks...

 

 

 

Nope [-X

 

 

You can't borrow the CEO7, Sal.

 

 

Though I often imagine what it would be like when broken in, but then my mind starts to think..."I'll buy one that is broken in", - like this '46 Martin 0-18 with a face like an old school desk:

 

 

http://www.steveswanguitars.com/items/vintage-martin-other-size/1946-martin-o-18/

 

 

My old Gibson L-0 needs a little old companion....

 

 

BluesKing777.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...