Sand down finish on J-45 standard?

[robroy]

The finish on my 2019 J-45 standard is heavier than I would like. I have read some reports of thinning the nitro down a little with light sanding but I’m unsure if this process is complicated or advisable.  I would appreciate hearing from someone with actual experience.  

I’m also thinking about swapping out the Grover Rotomatic tuners for some lighter-weight more vintage looking ones that don’t require much drilling to install. Recommendations appreciated. 

And finally, my awesome guitar has one of those thick pick-guards that I would like to replace for a thinner, vintage look. Again, recommendations greatly appreciated. 

cheers.   

Edited May 15, 2021 by robroy

[Leonard McCoy]

That's just crazy talk.

[jedzep]

The sanding part of your story will lead you to a hair-pulling period of dismay and regret.  Tuner and p'guard swapping is done all the time, but you won't notice a difference in the weight of your 'awesome' guitar.

Holter Pickguards can copy yours, and there are tuners (what's on your J45 now), that are perhaps lighter in weight, but in general terms 'awesomeness' should be left alone.

[E-minor7]

We had a poster who did this a couple of years ago - he de facto destroyed his guitar. 

Remember the nitrocellulose still evaporates and will continue to do a looong time ahead. If however you still wanna do what you intend, then buff away with a soft cloth.                                                                                   Anything stronger, even fine wet-sanding, would be hazardous.

                                                                                                                                                                    Write again and tell what happens - a little drama is welcome

 

 

P.S. I washed my 1984 D-35 in whisky and fine-matt-sanded the top-back'n'sides approx 5 years ago. The first was wild - the latter didn't hurt the relatively old squire.                                                                                                         Had it out of the case several days last week - after waking it up it has in fact never sounded better. 

[QuestionMark]

2 hours ago, E-minor7 said:

 

                                                              

                                                                                                                                                            

P.S. I washed my 1984 D-35 in whisky and fine-matt-sanded the top-back'n'sides approx 5 years ago. The first was wild - the latter didn't hurt the relatively old squire.                                                                                                         Had it out of the case several days last week - after waking it up it has in fact never sounded better. 

Oy.  Whisky...I suspect it had to wake up first because it was hungover from a five year lost-weekend.  Plus, as alcohol would dry out the wood, it probably also had the dry-heaves during its long lost weekend.   I assume you’re kidding about its whisky rubdown and leaving the guitar on a fine sandy beach on a yoga matt, err, I mean fine matt-sanding it. 😊

 

QM aka “Jazzman” Jeff

[J185cat]

Would this not negate the warranty assuming you are the original owner?  That nitro will continue to shrink as stated above.

[jvi]

if your guitar is awesome,  as you said, dont touch it !! Awesome is hard to improve.

[Sgt. Pepper]

Sand away its your axe. Just post pics when your done so we can all point and laugh.

Seriously don't sand your guitar. 

[dhanners623]

Sanding a nitro finish is both complicated AND inadvisable. There’s nothing to be gained from it. It’s a fast way to screw up a perfectly good guitar. All things considered, a nitro finish isn’t that thick.

Retro-style tuners are an easy fix, though, but you will need some conversion bushings because Grover holes are bigger than the retro-style ones. StewMac sells them.

You can plug the tuner holes and re-drill them, but that’s an operation the conversion bushings are designed to avoid.

[E-minor7]

2 hours ago, QuestionMark said:

Oy.  Whisky...I suspect it had to wake up first because it was hungover from a five year lost-weekend.  Plus, as alcohol would dry out the wood, it probably also had the dry-heaves during its long lost weekend.   I assume you’re kidding about its whisky rubdown and leaving the guitar on a fine sandy beach on a yoga matt, err, I mean fine matt-sanding it. 😊

 

Haha he, , , NO, I'm a rock musician ! 😎 , , , , and the Mart actually got sticky here and there.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    No doubt the booze created a slightly psychedelic reaction with the early-80s nitro, , , and a few layers of kitchen-stove grease and nicotine.                                                                                                                                                                The sponge-sanding was necessary - and 37 year old dread has never been better.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

                                                                     But it needs a better photo. 

 

 

[robroy]

Thanks for your input Em7. I bet that D35 sounds awesome.

I like vintage Gibsons. I have a ‘47 lg-2 and a 47 es-125 and I have a new J-45 Vintage that’s supposed to arrive on Monday.

It will have all the attributes I’m looking for in a j45  but I will never get rid of my standard. I like the vintage feel so I would like to give the standard more of that.

maybe wet sanding with very fine paper?     cheers

[E-minor7]

40 minutes ago, robroy said:

Thanks for your input Em7. I bet that D35 sounds awesome.

I like vintage Gibsons. I have a ‘47 lg-2 and a 47 es-125 and I have a new J-45 Vintage that’s supposed to arrive on Monday.

It will have all the attributes I’m looking for in a j45  but I will never get rid of my standard. I like the vintage feel so I would like to give the standard more of that.

maybe wet sanding with very fine paper?     cheers

Again - advice to go almost impossibly careful. I bought a 9-step grey scale of fine papers a couple of years ago. The 3 finest are like reindeer skin. Use them here and there - wet or dry. 
But the 35 job was done with the 'raw' side of a 2-side kitchen sponge. Some after-buffing was added. 

 

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

 

https://www.stewmac.com/video-and-ideas/online-resources/learn-about-instrument-finishing-and-finish-repair/micro-finishing-papers-i-5561.html

[jedzep]

Hey, RRoy, since you're lousy with bursts, maybe just pull the guard and bridge, and sand it into blond. Then you'll have a very lightweight top J50. My '36 L00 got the full treatment and it sounds like a completely different guitar than my '35 L00, in a good way.

[ksdaddy]

I read the original post when it first showed up. I fought the urge to reply, as I wasn't sure if it was meant as a joke.

Reminds me of a minister I had a passing acquaintance with over several decades. He was of the belief that the top of a guitar should be allowed to breathe. So he stripped the finish off the top of every guitar he owned. In the early 90s my father bought a 1940s Kay jumbo from him, with the top stripped. I didn't think much of it until we decided to pay him a visit and I saw a D-35 in the corner with the top stripped. Looking around, every guitar had received the same...."liberation" from it's tone dampening finish.

Then I froze... and suddenly remembered my father having bought a circa 1952 SJ-200 from him in 1969..... for fifty bucks!  It had a natural top with sunburst back and sides. Always puzzled me. Dad painted the top red and sold it (that also puzzled me).  I then knew the truth. My time machine is broken, lest I go back and keep these transgressions from happening.

He passed away several years ago. He won't destroy any more guitars.

It's your guitar, you can do with it what you like. I will echo what has already been said here and sum it up by saying.... you'll be sorry.

[jedzep]

Yes, and in light of KSs comment, I wasn't the original desecrator of the '36 L00, but I ran with it.

Edited May 21, 2021 by jedzep

[robroy]

thanks dhanner for input on swapping tuners. I will probably look into that as well as replacing the thick pickguard. 

To all else please rest assured I am not going to mess with the finish. I will spend any time wasted with that playing this wonderful J45. cheers

[kidblast]

for sure, that's a nice looking guitar,  I wouldn't touch it either. 

 

[cunningham26]

it's funny as a cyclist to see a thread like this where weight weenies are posting about how their tuners just feel like they're weighing them DOWN! Good on Martin for creating this idea that the lightest possible guitars are always the best sounding bar none.  id say if it sounds amazing, keep that finish thicc and don't impose impossible standards onto your guitars!