Lets try this again

[eeh1]

Does anyone know when a vintage guitar is refinished, if it still sounds good. Providing it was done right.

[drathbun]

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.

[Hoss]

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.

[grampa]

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.

[maninblack]

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.