Refinishing 101

[jingle_jangle]

Note the toes in lower left area. I think he/she just got done dancing on it, judging from the prints...

[deaconblues]

With respect to Paul's comments, I feel I must post a dissenting opinion.

Certainly, there are ways to finish a guitar correctly and professionally. I don't think the *majority* of these people think that they can get a factory finish using spray cans in their backyards. That being said, I admire those who choose to refinish their own guitars. In a way, they're more involved with their instruments than people who pay hundreds of dollars to send them off to a pro. You can learn a whole lot more about guitars and finishes if you dare to experiment and be creative.

Not everyone has a giant spray booth and 5 billion colors to choose from. Many people don't have the money to get the job done by someone who does. And for those people, these instructions would be helpful.

Just my $0.02.

[jingle_jangle]

Dan, are you sure you read my posts completely?

It all comes down to personal experience and the sharing of same. The guy's a beginner, and proud of his efforts. And, considering his experience, choice of materials, and facilities, he's done admirably.

...and

Final buffing and waxing should be done before hardware installation...maybe he was talking about a wipe-down?

Like you say, points for trying.

I think overall my comments, though not enthusiastic, were on the positive side. And I seem to see in your comments a bit of resentment cropping up. I do not have "5 billion colors", but rather a mixing bank of 72 from which to choose.

You will not get any disagreement from me to the fact that, for many people, this is the way to go. However, it's also a fact that:

The down side--he will inspire another couple of hundred of people without his patience, luck, attention to detail and dust-free backyard, to destroy an adequate factory paint job, in order to merely change the color to that metalflake chartreuse they've been having disturbing dreams of. And another batch of bodge jobs will turn up on CL and Ebay. And the dealers will have more fuel for their raging fire that says "any refinish devalues a guitar by 50% or more".

So cut me some slack here, whaddya say?

[deaconblues]

Sorry, Paul, I guess it just came across wrong, no resentment here! I was arguing more against some of the comments making fun of the guy than you and your work (which I've always greatly admired).

[jingle_jangle]

Just trying to keep things straight, Dan. No need to apologize, and my thanks for clarifying the direction of your comments!

[johneek]

Sorry, Paul, I guess it just came across wrong, no resentment here! I was arguing more against some of the comments making fun of the guy ...

Dan...in the spirit of keeping things straight, after reading your comments I went back to my initial post and realized that it might have been interpreted differently than I intended. My attempt to be humorous was not a jab at his efforts to refinish the guitar, which I thought was fine in it's own right, but a light hearted poke at his description of the process, which struck me as a little funny.

I appreciate your willingness to address issues that bother you, and talking through them honestly and respectfully. This is almost always the way to go, and IMO a hallmark of this Forum. It keeps the channels of communication open and keeps our relationships (which is what this is all about anyway) healthy and free of resentment.

[deaconblues]

No harm done, John, it helps to keep the channels of humor open too!

Incidentally, I once did finish a guitar using spray cans...and learned my lesson! But its a lot of fun too...