Step By Step Restoration-1953 Epiphone Century- P2
We want to keep the beautiful
aged appearance, so no
sanding is allowed! 0000 Steel
wool removes speckles and
imperfections.
aged appearance, so no
sanding is allowed! 0000 Steel
wool removes speckles and
imperfections.
The Art of Overspray
The restoration of the Gibson SG illustrates a complete
refinish. Because the original laquer on the guitar body
has aged so beautifully, we will not remove it. Instead, an
overspray will give the yellowed laquer a new glossy
finish and reduce the visibility of scratches. The final
appearance will make the finish look original, but well
maintained. One of the wonderful characteristics of
laquer is that it "melts into" the previous layers.
Therefore, the natural fading, finish checking and
yellowing will be preserved to the new layers of laquer,
but the top layer can be wet sanded and polished...the
best of old and new!
#0000 steel wool can be purchased at a hardware or
auto parts store. Be careful though, some steel wool may
have oils or silicones added which will hinder your
refinishing work. Work very carefully while sanding; just
remove the dirt, imperfections and bumps.
The restoration of the Gibson SG illustrates a complete
refinish. Because the original laquer on the guitar body
has aged so beautifully, we will not remove it. Instead, an
overspray will give the yellowed laquer a new glossy
finish and reduce the visibility of scratches. The final
appearance will make the finish look original, but well
maintained. One of the wonderful characteristics of
laquer is that it "melts into" the previous layers.
Therefore, the natural fading, finish checking and
yellowing will be preserved to the new layers of laquer,
but the top layer can be wet sanded and polished...the
best of old and new!
#0000 steel wool can be purchased at a hardware or
auto parts store. Be careful though, some steel wool may
have oils or silicones added which will hinder your
refinishing work. Work very carefully while sanding; just
remove the dirt, imperfections and bumps.
It took about 2 years of
watching ebay, and finally a
1950's Epiphone Archtop Case
came up for auction! This one
is in good shape too...ready for
the fully restored guitar.
watching ebay, and finally a
1950's Epiphone Archtop Case
came up for auction! This one
is in good shape too...ready for
the fully restored guitar.
More Parts!
Vintage large-body Epiphone archtop guitars are rather
difficult to fit into modern hard cases; the lower bout is
large and the upper bout is small. Since this guitar's case
was lost sometime during the last 50 years, another one
was needed. I searched for over two years to locate the
proper Epiphone hard case from the 1950's! This one
was purchased on ebay and is in very nice condition with
working latches.
Compared to tuners that are available today, those from
the 1950's are rather poor. The Epi Century featured
open-gear tuners that exhibited quite a bit of run-out. At
that time, Epiphone used sealed tuners (of much higher
quality) on the upscale Zephyr and Emperor archtops.
At a guitar show in Spartanburg, SC, I was able to
purchase a complete set of Epi sealed tuners in great
condition. All were missing their tuner buttons. The
seller, having pity on me, tossed in another tuner with one
perfect button attached.
This is a perfect opportunity to make a latex mold and
cast a set of new tuner buttons. Modern resins are the
luthier's friend!
Coming Next: New binding.
Vintage large-body Epiphone archtop guitars are rather
difficult to fit into modern hard cases; the lower bout is
large and the upper bout is small. Since this guitar's case
was lost sometime during the last 50 years, another one
was needed. I searched for over two years to locate the
proper Epiphone hard case from the 1950's! This one
was purchased on ebay and is in very nice condition with
working latches.
Compared to tuners that are available today, those from
the 1950's are rather poor. The Epi Century featured
open-gear tuners that exhibited quite a bit of run-out. At
that time, Epiphone used sealed tuners (of much higher
quality) on the upscale Zephyr and Emperor archtops.
At a guitar show in Spartanburg, SC, I was able to
purchase a complete set of Epi sealed tuners in great
condition. All were missing their tuner buttons. The
seller, having pity on me, tossed in another tuner with one
perfect button attached.
This is a perfect opportunity to make a latex mold and
cast a set of new tuner buttons. Modern resins are the
luthier's friend!
Coming Next: New binding.
The Epi Century used
open-gear tuners. At a recent
guitar show, I purchased an
original set of 1950's sealed
tuners from the higher-end
Zephyr & Emperor. I'll keep the
originals, but install the much
nicer sealed tuners in their
place.
open-gear tuners. At a recent
guitar show, I purchased an
original set of 1950's sealed
tuners from the higher-end
Zephyr & Emperor. I'll keep the
originals, but install the much
nicer sealed tuners in their
place.
50's Epiphone Open Tuners
50's Epiphone Sealed Tuners