Kingfish Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 Howdy all, I've been going back & forth over my next guitar, considering a used Epi Joe Pass and more recently a new ES175 reissue. Thing is, the 175 only comes in the Vintage Sunburst finish which I'm not a big fan of. I emailed Gibson to ask if there might be other color choices but the response I got was nyet. I then emailed a few guitar shops about the cost to refinish the guitar in a gloss black, and they said it's a lot of work to get the factory (urethane?) finish off and they wouldn't be interested in doing the job. So now I'm wondering if Epi would sell an unfinished guitar that I could have painted by a luthier. I know it sounds like a hassle, but I just don't dig that old burst finish. Anybody have any experience with refinishing their axes? Will Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pumpkinhead Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 Will, I'm pretty sure that comes under the "not an economic upgrade" category. That's not to say that you can't do it, just that it will end up costing a ludicrous amount of money. What about a new Epiphone Swingster? They come in black and are reasonably close. Epiphone Emperor Swingster Failing that, a couple of other manufacturers make large-bodied hollowbodies in that finish at a similar price point. I won't mention them here as I'm not sure if I can. That said, I'd definitely be checking out the Swingster myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianh Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 A professional refinish on a $500 guitar would cost you $500 again which is halfway to a decent used Gibson ES-175. Ibanez makes a drop-dead gorgeous violin burst ES-175 copy (AK95) that I daresay is nicer than the Epi version: If you must have black, there's always the Dean Palomino although it has 3 P90s: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingfish Posted August 11, 2011 Author Share Posted August 11, 2011 Thanks all. I know it's not a cheap proposition, just been chewing on the idea for a while. I have considered Ibanez's AG and AGR series, but not sure how they measure up to the Epi ES175. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lefty Bill Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 Howdy all, I've been going back & forth over my next guitar, considering a used Epi Joe Pass and more recently a new ES175 reissue. Thing is, the 175 only comes in the Vintage Sunburst finish which I'm not a big fan of. I emailed Gibson to ask if there might be other color choices but the response I got was nyet. I then emailed a few guitar shops about the cost to refinish the guitar in a gloss black, and they said it's a lot of work to get the factory (urethane?) finish off and they wouldn't be interested in doing the job. So now I'm wondering if Epi would sell an unfinished guitar that I could have painted by a luthier. I know it sounds like a hassle, but I just don't dig that old burst finish. Anybody have any experience with refinishing their axes? Will If you're capable of taking the guitar apart, then putting it back together, the refinishing process is less complicated. There are tips in the DIY section for removing existing wood finishes.. a heat gun and scraper is one method I saw, although paint stripper products may be a lot easier (assuming it wouldn't attack the body glues/adhesives). An area the size of a guitar body isn't huge, especially if only the top would be refinished. An experienced furniture refinishing shop may be able to do a good job. Just because it's a guitar doesn't definitely require a luthier to perform the work, and actually, many good luthiers may not be so good with refinishing products, or have a proper shop setup for spraying. There are some production guitar color combinations that look terrible, IMO, and the burst pattern ending at the neck pickup looks too much like a toy to me. I seriously doubt that any of the finishing products or burst patterns are applied by an actual person, as automated spraying has been around for a very long time. Regards, Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianh Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 If you're capable of taking the guitar apart, then putting it back together, the refinishing process is less complicated. There are tips in the DIY section for removing existing wood finishes.. a heat gun and scraper is one method I saw, although paint stripper products may be a lot easier (assuming it wouldn't attack the body glues/adhesives). I have a sunburst ES-175 and I'm not in love with the finish on that guitar either, but I can tell you that the thick poly ain't gonna come off with no stripper, nosirree. Standard paint stripper is formulated for latex paint, and it does a fine job on that but poly is tough as nails and will laugh at you. You're gonna need a heat gun,scraper and a lot of time, and there is a high risk that you''ll loosen the bracing and potentially melt the binding in the process. We did have a member a while back who stripped a red Dot or Casino (can't remember which) and his final results were not 100% satisfactory by his own estimate. If you could find a beater Epi 175 somewhere for $150, it might be worth a try just for schites and grins, but it would be a fool's errand to try and strip a brand new $500 poly-coated giut. BTW, the reviews on the Ibanez copies are generally very good to excellent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingfish Posted August 12, 2011 Author Share Posted August 12, 2011 I've been looking into the Dean Palomino Trifecta; if I go that route I'd remove the center p/u and replace the selector. I like their gloss natural/antique and black finishes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinTheHood Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 Ibanez makes a drop-dead gorgeous violin burst ES-175 copy (AK95) that I daresay is nicer than the Epi version: Man, Ibanez has really been outpacing Epiphone on its Fit & Finishes lately. That violin burst is nothing short or gorgeous. Why doesnt Epiphone do a violin burst? That is the BEST looking type of burst IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrw1960 Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 I've been looking into the Dean Palomino Trifecta; if I go that route I'd remove the center p/u and replace the selector. I like their gloss natural/antique and black finishes. Just curious. Why would you want to spend the money for a Trifecta and remove the Center PUP? I bet that guit sounds awesome with the trio of humbuckers. I have the Dean Palomino Natural as in my avatar,Those 3 P90s put out some serious mojo with the 5 way switch.As I said,Just curious. Anyway, welcome to the forum and Good Luck in your quest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red 333 Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 Man, Ibanez has really been outpacing Epiphone on its Fit & Finishes lately. That violin burst is nothing short or gorgeous. Why doesnt Epiphone do a violin burst? That is the BEST looking type of burst IMO. Because the Gibson ES-175 has always come with the Gibson-style sunburst. The Ibanez violin burst is quite nice, but it's not the type of burst historically associated with an ES-175 or other type of Gibson archtop. Purists would be SHOCKED (and outraged if Epiphone strayed too far from the template. By the way, the ES-175 is featured in this month's Vintage Guitar magazine (Oct 2011, Vol. 25 No. 11). It was reviewed very favorably. They wrote: "There are plenty of affordable hollowbodies on the market, but Epiphone's...is almost a slam dunk." They wrote that "versatility is not a problem for this Epiphone," citing both its "sumptuously warm, and wood tone," and its "fat, commanding rock tones." While they did note a sloppy glue joint on the cutaway binding, they also praised the "stunning" finish. They concluded the review with, "The ES-175 Reissue is a classy, stylish guitar that says 'vintage jazzbox' on the outside, but with its fast neck and punchy pickups, rock players will dig it, too." Red 333 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinTheHood Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 Because the Gibson ES-335 has always come with the Gibson-style sunburst. The Ibanez violin burst is quite nice, but it's not the type of burst historically associated with an ES-175 or other type of Gibson archtop. Purists would be SHOCKED (and outraged if Epiphone strayed too far from the template. The blueburst isnt a traditional or historic burst either, but they put it on a bunch of guitars. I think the violin burst as a color option would be awesome. I know it would set my GAS into overdrive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red 333 Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 I think the violin burst as a color option would be awesome. I know it would set my GAS into overdrive. But it would set purists into a hissy fit! Red 333 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 But it would set purists into a hissy fit! Red 333 I am not so sure. From a "purest" perspective, the poly used for the EPI's are not considered to be the same as the Gibby finish. Gibby=nitro, Epi=poly. If we were going to complain, we would already be complaining about that. In particular, when it comes to sunburst Gibby finishes (especially with the red in it) there is no way to replicate that soft, dark, brownish hue that Gibby's have. I think for the most part, we don't EXPECT an EPI to be like that, or de-value them because of it. For the most part, GIBBY enthusiast accept that EPI's are not meant to be up to Gibson regarding certain area's, and accept an EPI with a poly finish. EPI enthusiest generally look for things that are a little different, a little cooler. For an EPI enthusiest, I think they accept that for the cost they are not requiring a guitar to be of the quality standards of a Gibby (and some argue it doesn't matter), but one thing that does NOT cost extra is "coolness", or something of fashion. In short, I think the "purist" that would not accept a different finish other than traditional may exist in the Gibson camp, but not the EPI camp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianh Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 Here's that thread on sanding the finish off a casino: http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/50284-i-want-to-sand-my-casino/page__p__680991__hl__%2Bheat+%2Bgun+%2Bscraper__fromsearch__1#entry680991 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingfish Posted August 14, 2011 Author Share Posted August 14, 2011 Just curious. Why would you want to spend the money for a Trifecta and remove the Center PUP? I bet that guit sounds awesome with the trio of humbuckers. I have the Dean Palomino Natural as in my avatar,Those 3 P90s put out some serious mojo with the 5 way switch.As I said,Just curious. Anyway, welcome to the forum and Good Luck in your quest. It may sound goofy, but I never liked the look of hollowbodies with 3 pups. (Or LPs for that matter) What I had in mind was a Byrdland Florentine or Howard Roberts but for a *lot* less dough. The Trifecta comes with Dean's DMZ humbuckers which have the look & sound of the PAF from the Byrdland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzwart Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 The Godin Kingpin II might be worth a look, too Mmmmmhmmmmm!! I love Godin guitars. They're beautiful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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