Stripping...my guitar

Crash

hey hey.
Have had my epiphone g310(SG copy) for a couple of years and was considering a change from the paint job down to a bare wood finish. just wondering what kind of condition the wood would be in underneath, the best stuff for the job, and that sort. any info would be greatly appreciated.

mirv

Wouldn't risk it. Epiphone uses horrible woods, and the 310s finish is opaque so you've no idea how ugly it might be underneath it all. You'd need some industrial strength epoxy dissolver to get rid of the thick finish and a lot of patience and time.

dabhoys

I'd agree with Mirv on that one there chief. Stripping that thing would break your heart and only leed to alot of grief. Just stick with the colour it won't effect the tone of the guiar...

jasperok

i was lucky, sanded down the horrible black paint to a divine flamed maple, coat in linseed oil and looks the job- tried it with another guitar then to find it was made with god awful sorta 3 layer chip board! bassically if youre un sure of the wood don't risk it

mirv

As a matter of interest, what brand and model was the guitar you found the surprise figured maple? Actually dabh, it would make it sound better if he made it a thin finish. The guitar would resonate better and sound more open - John Lennons Epiphone Casion was stripped and he liked the sound better, but with a G310s woods I wouldn't know if it'd be worth it.

RicardoSmith

Why don't you just buy another quitar?

dabhoys

I'm curious too what guitar did you find a high figured maple on???

Crash

Ricardo: cus i like this one. Was thinking of doing a test patch first, remove the tone knobs and scour out the inside of the groove in back, see what it turns out like. i can tell it'll either turn out absolutely gorgeous or absolutely terrible. Does anyone know what sort of wood is used in that series?

dabhoys

I can assure you that the Korean made Epiphones will use a really crap wood. Its supposed to be mahogany. But I had a custom les paul and I was pretty sure it wasn't mahangony. Its most likely going to be a **** wood. I would seriously recommend you leave it be.

If your epi is Japanese you mite stand some chance of it being ok. But still would advice against it Unless you have some idea of the quality of the wood.

RicardoSmith

Originally posted by crash_000
Ricardo: cus i like this one. Was thinking of doing a test patch first, remove the tone knobs and scour out the inside of the groove in back, see what it turns out like. i can tell it'll either turn out absolutely gorgeous or absolutely terrible. Does anyone know what sort of wood is used in that series?

You run the risk of completely changing the tone of the guitar too.

feylya

Only very very slightly! tbh it's not worth it. Chances are with the Epiphone, it's gonna be 3 or four pieces of unmatched wood that'll look crap unless you put a veneer on it but that would work either if you want a natural finish.

dabhoys

Tis true taking off the paint could change the tone to something you don't like. I know it sounds nuts. But the varnish plays a big part in the resonation of the wood

jasperok

actualy it was me bass guitar, i couldn't believe it, when i bought it it was a mess , no strings electrics hanging out nd a dirty homemade black paintjob, put a bit of wok into it and its lovelynow- i think maybe it is eirher a warick or a tanglewood funkmaster, but who ever had it before metook of any identification it may have had.

RicardoSmith

You also risk changing the profile of the neck and also the feel of it.

Eddie Van Halen apparently butchered a few of his early quitars and if you look at early videos his quitars are a mess, with wiring hanging out since he didn't know how to put it all back. I think his favorite one was one he built himself. Hes used to chop bits off paint them and sand them down. He used to mix bodies and necks from different quitars. Brian May is famous for building his (with his dad I seem to remember) and it just looks weird though its kinda a classic now I guess.

If you want to do it go ahead. But only if you don't mind if you wreck it.

ShriekingSheet

Originally posted by crash_000
hey hey.
Have had my epiphone g310(SG copy) for a couple of years and was considering a change from the paint job down to a bare wood finish. just wondering what kind of condition the wood would be in underneath, the best stuff for the job, and that sort. any info would be greatly appreciated.

DOOOOOOON'T!!!

Its fine the way it is!!!

RichyX

Originally posted by RicardoSmith
Brian May is famous for building his (with his dad I seem to remember) and it just looks weird though its kinda a classic now I guess.

Yeah I've seen the copy that Burns made of it called the Bison. Never expected to see it hanging in a local shop. No price on it mind...

What kinda crappy woods are the Epiphone's made of then? Or is it just the quality of the wood and not the type ye mean?

RicardoSmith

Basically they are made of cheaper wood which generally sounds worse then the more traditonal woods of the more expensive quitars. Some of these cheaper woods do not look the best and so you wouldn't use them for a natural finish.

Kieran Fallon

I would recommend removing the finish from the body, I garuntee you it will sound better, just don`t remove the finish from the neck, you could seriously fu*k it up. You wound have to use a very fine grade sandpaper and then apply some sort of oil to the natural finish, the Korean Epiphones are usually made from alder or maple.

mirv

I wouldnt. They use opaque finishes for a reason on the low end epis - the bodies arent the prettiest bare. They wouldn't use maple on most models anyway, hell look at the LP-100, that doesnt even have a maple top - its just alder. They'd be either alder or mahogany or a combo of both, but the site says alder for the G310.

On the other hand, a raw neck is a modification done to many guitars, contrary to what you said. Zakk Wylde's Sig Les Paul has a raw maple neck as standard, and many a guitar player has stripped a necks finish for a natural and smoother feel. Polyurethane friction on the palm just isnt as nice as a oil/satin/raw feel. But then there's the whole annoyance with nitrocellulose necks, they go all sticky in hot weather and depending on the players body chemistry can be quite tacky too.