eeh1 Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 Does anyone know when a vintage guitar is refinished, if it still sounds good. Providing it was done right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drathbun Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 Does anyone know when a vintage guitar is refinished' date=' if it still sounds good. Providing it was done right.[/quote'] I think this is one of those "do bridge pins change the sound of my guitar?" questions. I think the refinish would be negligible if noticeable at all as long as it is the same finish that was on the guitar previously. Now if you put a heavy coat of poly on a vintage guitar that was finished in nitro, there would be quite a difference and the person who did that would, sadly, have to be shot in the interests of world guitar integrity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoss Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 Well, I'll throw in on this one. I've had a refinished vintage guitar- with just the top refinished. (typical). It actually sounded great. Of course, the price drops dramatically for a refi. But my one sounded just fine. Since it was a Gibson, the sound might even have been enhanced by the refinish: the Lacquer was spread pretty thick on a lot of those old gibbys, and taking it all off and putting a very thin coat on the refi surfaced might have improved the sound. You ask if it still 'sounds good'- sound is so subjective, so 'yes and no'! For instance, I just got my old J45 back from some neck work. The fellow who did the work remarked how great it sounded--"not at all like a Gibson". He meant- the bass was very clear rather than the typical thump or 'fat' sound you associate with a J45. He said it sounded more like a D18 with some Gibson sweetness laid over it. Which it does. But if you wanted that thump and fatness, you'd be disappointed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grampa Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 My old Gibson F-25 was refinished by a previous owner with some kind of inferior non-nitro finish. It wasn't well done and doesn't look very good but sounds so great that I have never been tempted to refinish it back to "original". I don't know if the refinish has anything to do with the great sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maninblack Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 I am a firm believer that a guitar with a worn, crazed top will sound louder, open and more resonant than one with a freshly finished top. There are obviously a number of contributing factors, but soundboards have to breathe. I think the difference would be much less with refinished back and sides. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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