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my plan is to buy an epiphone 67 flying v off ebay for cheeeap and strip the paint, sand it down.. and give it a silverburst finish on the front and back of the body and also on the back of the neck.. jus like the very few silverburst v's that were produced by gibson in the late 70s/early 80s (I'm also going to get a gibson truss rod cover to fool people on stage).. but anyways I've been researching the procedure and which method should I use to strip the factory paint off the v? (chemicals, heat, power sander???)

eh.. no replies.. I'm seriously gonna mess up this guitar..ha ha

if youve got a lot of time and patience, sanding by hand with sandpaper will do the job just fine

You can use sandpaper and that will work fine, but if it was me, I'd take it to a furniture restorer and have them chemically remove the old finish. It may cost you about 10 bucks, but it'll do the job.

I don't recall ever seeing a silverburst on anything except Les Paul Customs.

Remember that once you start sanding the Epi, you may be in for a surprise as to what's underneath the poly.

yeah, you just might find yourself in the classic '**** in the poly shell' scenario. They like using poly in cheap guitars, not only because it's cheaper, but it conceals crappy wood.


Originally Posted by The Golden BoyRemember that once you start sanding the Epi, you may be in for a surprise as to what's underneath the poly.

1 Epi's are known for using Mystery woods. You don't have to sand all
the poly off If you don't want to. You can save yourself a lot of time
and headache By sanding the poly smooth with 220 grit. Than prime it
with B.I.N.S by Zinzler (you can get at home depot) Sand the primer
smooth,Now you have a good base coat to work with. It's a lot of work
have fun and take your time doing it. Here's a linkSilverBurst V's


Originally Posted by kmcguitars 1 Epi's are known for using Mystery woods. You don't have to sand all
the poly off If you don't want to. You can save yourself a lot of time
and headache By sanding the poly smooth with 220 grit. Than prime it
with B.I.N.S by Zinzler (you can get at home depot) Sand the primer
smooth,Now you have a good base coat to work with. It's a lot of work
have fun and take your time doing it. Here's a linkSilverBurst V's

Zinsser. I've always thought that silverburst makes guitars look like a fish.


Originally Posted by XeromusZinsser.
Thanks, That is the correct
spelling. So much for trying to sound it out.

Chances are you'll find a three piece body made up of a combination of alder and luan (cheep mahogany).

Sanding: Lots of dust everywhere, big time commitment.

Stripper: Messy, will remove the clear coat and paint coat, but you'll still have to sand away the sealer.

Heat: I haven't tried this, but I intend to on my next project.


Originally Posted by kmcguitars

Here's a linkSilverBurst V's

[Keenau=on/]
Whoa.
[Keenau=off/]

I've never seen one of those. I completely stand corrected.

Seriously, I've never even heard of another LP Standard getting a silverburst. Thank you very much for that link!

thanks for the advice.. I believe silverbursts got their quot;darkquot; tone from the lower grade wood that hides behind the opaque finish anyways... this is an amateur job so there's a corner I might cut.. I'm thinking about getting a bolt-on neck V copy instead of the epi... is it that much harder to refinish a set-neck guitar or should I save myself the trouble and sacrifice tone, sustain, etc.


Originally Posted by theboatcandreamSanding: Lots of dust everywhere, big time commitment.

Several years ago I decided I wanted to sand down an MIJ Tele. A guy who was into refinishing guitars, but made most of his living painting motorcycles, told me to do pretty much what kmcguitars suggested. Unfortunately I knew better. So I sanded down to the wood. It took a lot longer than I thought it would. So 47 coats of paint later I still ended up with a crappy finish that could have easily been avoided by simply sanding out the poly instead of sanding off the poly.

luckily I know a furniture restorer.. so it'll be free.. but I've got a stupid question.. I am an amateur at this afterall.. I know that there's the wood (alder in this case...hopefully) the paint.. then on top of it all the clear coat.. now what do you guys mean poly, primer, etc. (is poly the top coat?.. as opposed to nitro as some guitars have?)


Originally Posted by rainsong86luckily I know a furniture restorer.. so it'll be free.. but I've got a stupid question.. I am an amateur at this afterall.. I know that there's the wood (alder in this case...hopefully) the paint.. then on top of it all the clear coat.. now what do you guys mean poly, primer, etc. (is poly the top coat?.. as opposed to nitro as some guitars have?)
Poly = Polyurethane, used for the clear coat and sealer in epiphone guitars.