13yguitarman Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 Ive always wondered what an epiphone les paul looks like stripped down of paint. My question is does the veneer stay on or is that what the color is is a veneer and what does the wood look like without the veneer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L_Mo Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 If you've ever seen unfinished furniture it looks like that. A veneer is still wood, so when you strip it down it'll just look like a slightly nicer piece of wood. Here's an example: http://www.projectguitar.com/tut/prveneer.htm It's not a les paul obviously, but it will be the same idea. The grain will be different if the wood is difference, of course. BTW that projectguitar website has other useful tutorials. It's a good site to check out for mods and general guitarbuilding info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
13yguitarman Posted April 8, 2008 Author Share Posted April 8, 2008 thanx i just never understood the whole veneer thing. so epiphone does paint them. some guys on a different forum told me the venner is actually already colored over so they just spray a clear coat over it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyelcrrt1281733995 Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 They can do that with some of the natural finishes, 13ygm -- but you have to have a pretty piece of veneer to start with, and then sometimes tint or stain it to bring out or hide particular characteristics of the wood. Finally, finish with clear coats of something to protect all that luscious wood underneath. OK, a little way underneath the paint, because a little way under THAT may be wood of an entirely different type, color, gain, and even several pieces of them. Because veneer is basically a thinly sliced section of wood, it is much more cost effective to build the guitar body any which way and then cover it with a pretty veneer. Thing is, modern tech can cut that veneer really, REALLY thin. Others on the forum here have reported it is possible to HAND SAND through the veneer into the wood below. And that can be...disheartening...to someone thinking he was going to liberate a nice piece of wood from the clutches of an evil paint job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biff Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 Digging through Google's cache I found this about a refinished Dot from the old forum, author was someone called "string". And here's a couple of pictures of her this evening after some scraping and sanding. The lighter spots are where the wood is bare. I tried to keep it even everywhere and when the wood started to come through in spots I'd move to another area. I figured it would be best to get it almost stripped on the whole guitar before taking it right to the wood totally on any one area. Once I have the front completely done, I'll rework the back and neck/headstock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glenn1281733995 Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 Ahhh, I know that guitar Biff. Belongs to 6string. I'm almost certain that he finished the guitar in cherry nitro. Came up nice from memory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 13Y, Veneer is a thin slice of expensive wood that is is about 1/16" thick. It's glued using a wood glue to another type of wood to provide a nice grain to an otherwise plain wood. The veneer literally becomes one with the wood. A glued joint is stronger than the wood itself. Since the veneer is thin, you have to carefully sand the finish or you can sand through the veneer into the other wood if you sand too aggressively. There's nothing wrong with veneer. The 1/4" cap (think thick veneer) on a Gibson is more expensive than the thin veneer on an Epi, but the looks are the same. Painted guitars don't have it, since the paint is the finish. The joint on both guitars is hidden by the binding, if binding is installed. The back of an Epi LP is also a veneer. The body is 3 pieces of wood on both Gibson and Epi. You can see the joints on the edge where the strap connects on the bottom of the guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biff Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 The back of an Epi LP is also a veneer. The body is 3 pieces of wood on both Gibson and Epi. You can see the joints on the edge where the strap connects on the bottom of the guitar. Two piece backs on Gibson Classics from 2005-, on Standards from 2006/2007- .. The specs seem to change all the time - when buying Gibsons or Epiphones, be careful out there :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesstringer Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 The venner is wood. It will be a light color of wood with more grain showing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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