Repairing a PMC Jem77 finish. - Help very much needed.

[Ortem]

The strap came loose from the top peg, sending my Purple multi colour Jem 77 onto the metal cover and switch of a fuzz box.

The paint seemed to almost come off in layers. The top laquer being one, the swirly finish another, along with some specks and dust which seemed pointless to keep.
The damaged area covers about a square inch and is located just in front of the handle where your index finger knuckle would point if holding it by the monkey grip.
It's left a kind of ding with the surrounding area of clear coat slightly cracked and loose and risen slightly from the paint.

Would this be very difficult for a refinisher to fix? I kept the bits of shrapnel as I thought they might come in handy to either reattach somehow or match the colour.

Apart from this, my guitar's hardly been out the case and is completely mint...It was/is an 18th birthday gift, and has remained kind of special to me over these past 7 years.

Any advice on what to do (apart from getting strap locks) would be really appreciated.

Rob.

p.s. My guitar resides in London England where I bought it, but I'm currantly living in Los Angeles. Would I have more luck finding someone in the states to do this that in england?
I'm thinking LA would be THE place to find someone but I have to balance up the price, in regards to shipping it here...blah

Thanks again.

[kirk]

I can't give you advice on finish repairs, but as far as the strap buttons go, try putting a tooth-pick in the hole where the strap buttons go. *Then drive the screw back in. *

The added wood from the tooth-pick will provide a more stable strap button, preventing the screw from pulling out again.

[Ortem]

Thanks for the reply, kirk.

The screw didn't pull off, the strap just unhooked itself.
Perhaps when I was messing with effects and stopped over, etc...

I don't think I'd like to tackle the repair myself...I really want it back as good as new, and I'm not the one to get it that way.

I nticed the guy who paints them has a web site, though obviously, doubt he has time to fix one.

Is there anywhere in LA or London who could repair the finish well?

Rob.

[jemsite]

Sorry to hear Ortem. One problem with "repairs" is that often the repair can look worse than the original damage. In the case of the PMC you'd have to fill-in (or simulate) the finish then clearcoat over it. Not easy to do. You could check with a local repair shop that can handle Ibanez type finishes, with a thick clear coat. I would probably wait a few weeks to think about it, and decide if you want to fix it or leave it alone. Once you get used to the "chip" perhaps you will want to leave it alone? One thing i'd do imediately is get straplocks such as DiMarzio. Good luck... glen

[Vaibanez]

Rob....give Darren @ ATD a shout. He will be more than accomodating repairing the damage. And, you would be getting the guy that actually did the finish in the first place. That would be my first choice and would only consider my second if Darren said he absolutly would not do it (highly doubt that!!!!).

My second choice would be GMW Guitars. Contact Lee Garver. He will answer all your questions and is a great guy to talk to. They are located in California.

J>
(added link to Darren's site)

(Edited by Kevan at 11:01 am on Dec. 27, 2000)

[Ortem]

You really have to understand that this isn't just a dent. Like I said, the finish came off in layers and the clear coat is hanging off like an airbubble around the initial ding.
The damage below the multi colour is white and stands out a mile and just isn't something I want to get used to or try to ignore...Plus it looks like if I don't get something done about it, that ai bubbling might even get worse and perhaps even moisture could creep under the top coat. Ignoring it would mean I'd have to stick something over it to stop the damaged paint from flaking any further.

I've never seen any paint job crack like this...

Thanks for that info Jimm. I'll bookmark the site and find out what can be done.

Rob.

[jemsite]

I have the same "chips" on my GMC & that is why it's going to be a daily player in 2K1. I have seen many chips on multicolors and overall the clearcoat is pretty strong so that it won't "expand" or get worse. The white is the primer over the body so you've chipped off the clearcoat, paint and some of the white undercoat in that order.

A pro will probably hand paint in the "missing swirl" and then clearcoat/fill the chip. The problem will be creating the seamless transition with the clearcoat. Still it can look good and much better than the huge chip, if done properly and carefully.

If you are adamant about a "fix" I concur to email the experts (ie. Darren/ATD, etc.) even if you need to have a local repair shop do it. Include the URL to this forum topic if you email ATD since he is a forum member. Good luck... glen

[ripl3y]

You could contact 2 stores in the London area.

1 being Chandler Guitars www.chandlerguitars.co.uk they don't mention repairs on their website but I know for a fact that they do them and they are a highly respected company also.

and www.nightingaleguitars.com of Denmark Street do offer repair services.

Hope this helped.

Steve