Remove finish

johank · #1 08-15-2002, 04:52 PM

My RG-570 has a rather ugly finish, which is pretty full of dings and scratches. Can I remove the finish, and have a wooden finish?
It looks pretty cool on some of Paul Gilberts guitars, and the Bad Horsie Jem, but perhaps it is a different wood?

EKG · #2 08-15-2002, 05:10 PM

Sure. You can sand it down to a natural finish. There are others methods to remove the finish. I think it is basswood. Some bodies, since they are going to be painted, have impurities or streaks in them. Adds character if you ask me. Go for it!

rty13ibz98 · #3 08-15-2002, 05:47 PM

but basswood is such an ugly wood by itself. like just white and plain, not like ash or mahogany. you might want to stain it or something to make it look more "woody". i am thinking of trying bome burnt finishes out on a few scrap bodies to see how they turn out.

rich

johank · #4 08-15-2002, 06:10 PM

Anyone who knows where to find pictures of Basswood?

EKG · #5 08-15-2002, 06:20 PM

Check Warmoth

EKG · #6 08-15-2002, 07:44 PM

Here is one I did

sniperfrommars1 · #7 08-16-2002, 06:59 AM

Well arent paul gilberts guitars basswood anyways?

Gresh · #8 08-16-2002, 10:23 AM

I am in the process of stripping a 7620 body. I am about 85% done and it is taking forever. You cannot believe how much paint is on these bodies. If I ever do another one, I will try heat gun or chemical stripping first. Sanding is quite time consuming.

If you do elect to sand it, buy some power tools. You'll need a smallish palm sander...not orbital or belt unless you really know what you're doing. ANd one more tool I highly recommend is the Dremel Contour Sander, best $60 I ever spent. You can do flat areas with the dremel but the head doesn't really have enough travel to take off a lot of paint quickly. It is great for the inside horns and all around the edges as well as for the finish flatsanding of the top and back.

As far as the aesthetic appeal of basswood, it definitely needs some tint to it, it has virtually no grain and is very white...which means it would stain beautifully. Or if you like the bare look, just use tung oil on it and hand rub it into the wood. Would probably look pretty cool, especially with some nice classy cream colored pups

EKG · #9 08-16-2002, 12:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sniperfrommars1

Well arent paul gilberts guitars basswood anyways?

The PGM800 is Light Ash and the PGM10TH is mahogany with a maple top.

See here

johank · #10 08-16-2002, 01:43 PM

I looked at Eddie Kolzar's homepage. It looks pretty cool, but I didn't think basswood would be that white!
What have you done with wood after you removed the finish?

Gresh · #11 08-16-2002, 03:27 PM

Eddie builds bodies from scratch. And you're right, basswood is extremely pale. I have waffled back and forth on this forever but I am pretty well fixed on putting a veneer top on my 7 string body. Now I need to decide on what type of figured wood. First I was going to do quilt, then flame, but now I am kind of leaning on either flamed maple or lacewood. I can't seem to find a good source for this where I will be getting bookmatched halves at a thickness that will allow flexibility to bend over the armrest contour. I have found some nice lacewood that is .022 thick, but that may be too thin.

I should start a new thread so I will...