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Lightly sanded a J-45 and....


Dallon426

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Looks good from here! I am glad it turned out well for you. What is your saddle material? Horn? And if you will, how does it differ from Tusq or bone?

 

 

It is Tusq actually

 

GT PT 9200 C0 - BLACK TUSQ XL SS Acoustic Saddle

 

Sound fine to my EARS!

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It looks like you did a nice uniform job of dulling the finish, but personally, I've never been a fan of a satin or flat sunburst finish.

 

I have an ES-330 VOS in natural finish, and to my eyes, the VOS finish works perfectly in giving a natural finish the slightly aged look of a closet queen from the '50s or '60s. At the time of purchase, I had a sunburst VOS next to it, and it just kind of looked flat & lifeless by comparison - dare I say almost cheap, as in, why in the heck didn't they finish it properly!

 

Regardless, it does look like you achieved your goal, and after a significant leap of faith, it's great that you are pleased with the results.

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This type of finish does have the potential to look pretty nice, very similar to the way the finish is on the J45 Vintage model. I think it would look better though if the OP spent a little more time getting out more of the scratches from sanding before applying the wax. To my eye it kind of looks like you took a Scotch-Bite pad to the guitar then just waxed over the scratches. Wonder if you could have obtained a finer finish with some super fine wet sanding or super fine steel wool, then lightly hand-buffed it just to get out this scratches, then applied the wax.

 

Also would help to better see the guitar if you posted some pics taking better pictures, like more "head-on" pictures looking directly at the front and back of the guitar instead of these vague, off-angle shots that make it difficult to really see what you did with the finish.

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This type of finish does have the potential to look pretty nice, very similar to the way the finish is on the J45 Vintage model. I think it would look better though if the OP spent a little more time getting out more of the scratches from sanding before applying the wax. To my eye it kind of looks like you took a Scotch-Bite pad to the guitar then just waxed over the scratches. Wonder if you could have obtained a finer finish with some super fine wet sanding or super fine steel wool, then lightly hand-buffed it just to get out this scratches, then applied the wax.

 

Also would help to better see the guitar if you posted some pics taking better pictures, like more "head-on" pictures looking directly at the front and back of the guitar instead of these vague, off-angle shots that make it difficult to really see what you did with the finish.

 

 

Read the Martin forum post.

It's not hard to remove the wax and buff it better.

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It's his let him do as he wishes. Good luck reselling it for a decent price.

 

 

Although I'm not a fan of this and wouldn't do it to my own J45 (or any other guitar I own) and prefer to spend my time playing my guitars and complaining on Internet forums, I do respect the fact that it's his guitar to do whatever he wants to it.

 

As far as reselling it for decent price, who said he's selling the guitar?! I think there are more people on Internet forums that are more concerned and put more effort into worrying about what the resale value of their guitars are more than they actually spend playing them. The way I see it is yes, IF he ends up selling it down the line eh will most likely take a hit on resale. However, if he enjoyed the guitar while he owned it and it brought him joy and pleasure and he made good music with I during that time, that may in itself be worth the hit he takes. Also, by sort of personalizing the guitar and making into what he thinks is closer to his ideal guitar, he may be less inclined to sell it and it may become a keeper. Also, some people get joy and pleasure out of tinkering and modding as much or sometimes more than playing, and resale value is of little importance to them, and it's more about the experience.

 

There's more to owning guitars than their prospected resale value down the line, but if resale value is one of your major concerns, who am I to judge? As you yourself did say, "it's his to let him do as he wishes", and I extend the same sentiment to you regarding focusing more on resale value than other aspects of guitar ownership.

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I wonder if Gibson would do a relic finish if one were to send them their guitar? Not that I would do it. Just wondering.

That’s a good question. Doubtful if they would do it to an instrument after the sale, but it would be a good option for them to offer a relic’ed guitar in their lineup, especially considering some of the more bizarre paint colors that they have made available on flat tops in the hopes of selling a few more guitars. Also- accidents happen to guitars even before they leave Bozeman, and handling mishaps certainly occur in certain retail places. It would also allow them to use wood selections that would not normally be used for tops. However, keep in mind that a passable relic treatment is fairly labor-intensive, and it would probably be surprising (and ironic) how much such a guitar would cost.

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That’s a good question. Doubtful if they would do it to an instrument after the sale, but it would be a good option for them to offer a relic’ed guitar in their lineup, especially considering some of the more bizarre paint colors that they have made available on flat tops in the hopes of selling a few more guitars. Also- accidents happen to guitars even before they leave Bozeman, and handling mishaps certainly occur in certain retail places. It would also allow them to use wood selections that would not normally be used for tops. However, keep in mind that a passable relic treatment is fairly labor-intensive, and it would probably be surprising (and ironic) how much such a guitar would cost.

 

There used to be a guitar repair shop in Nashville (since out of business, it appears) that would relic Gibsons. Did some for some big names. Cost was anywhere from $300 to $750 or so, depending on the level of distress you wanted.

 

My only problem with sanding the guitar in the manner discussed here is that the strumming arm will always be re-polishing the corner of the upper bout. And the fretting hand will always be re-polishing the neck. The finish remains on the guitar; the top layers of it have just been dulled. Unless you remove the finish, any continual motion like playing the guitar will just polish the finish layers that remain.

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Wonder if you could reveal some of these names.

Just common curiosity.

~ smile.gif

 

It was DMS Guitars in Nashville, run by a luthier named David Simmonds. It doesn't appear it is still in business.

 

I think one of the guitars he relic'd was a Southern Jumbo for Aaron Lewis. I remember at the time (back in 2010) I saw the photos of the guitar on Simmonds' website and could also find photos of Lewis playing an SJ with the very same wear patterns.

 

Here's what's left of the website's "Relic Gallery" from the Wayback Machine:

https://web.archive.org/web/20090419082028/http://dmsguitar.com:80/relic_gallery.php

 

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As I recall, the list prices on those went up radically when you went from un-distressed, to distressed, to distressed and signed.

 

In fairness, the distressed versions were attempting to replicate the particular level and patterns of very pronounced wear on Aaron's guitar.

 

Someone here had one, maybe EuroAussie.

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It was DMS Guitars in Nashville, run by a luthier named David Simmonds. It doesn't appear it is still in business.

 

I think one of the guitars he relic'd was a Southern Jumbo for Aaron Lewis. I remember at the time (back in 2010) I saw the photos of the guitar on Simmonds' website and could also find photos of Lewis playing an SJ with the very same wear patterns.

 

Here's what's left of the website's "Relic Gallery" from the Wayback Machine:

https://web.archive....lic_gallery.php

 

 

Aha, I thought A. Lewis' SJ was real and that Gibson offered 2 versions when they introduced his signature model. A relic'd copy and a clean one.

Might have this wrong - are you saying the original 1951'er was relic'd ?

 

And yes, Nick - EA had, might still have, a clean Aaron, but he removed the tr-cover and played it as a straight slope Southern Jumbo from then on.

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Aha, I thought A. Lewis' SJ was real and that Gibson offered 2 versions when they introduced his signature model. A relic'd copy and a clean one.

Might have this wrong - are you saying the original 1951'er was relic'd ?

 

And yes, Nick - EA had, might still have, a clean Aaron, but he removed the tr-cover and played it as a straight slope Southern Jumbo from then on.

 

I seem to want to recall that Lewis' original SJ was real, but he sought one that looked like it so he could take the new one on the road and leave the vintage one at home. I could be wrong, though.

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I seem to want to recall that Lewis' original SJ was real, but he sought one that looked like it so he could take the new one on the road and leave the vintage one at home. I could be wrong, though.

I see.

Short of long is that there is an crucial difference between small modifications like matt-sanding or new p-guard and all-over relic-jobs.

Each to his own and if people want the realest of real faked, then ok. .

 

Hep for our none-gloss Texans insp. by 64ers.

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Excerpt from the link I bothered to post yesterday: “Both guitars are replicas of Lewis’ prized 1951 acoustic and one has been aged and distressed to recreate the rugged look that occurred naturally as Lewis put his Southern Jumbo through the paces on-stage and in the studio.”

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