Go Nigel Go
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The blue sure looks nice glossy, I have never seen one with a satin finish. The white and yellow I could go either way.
Re-finish
- Thread starter laza616
- Start date
Snake Plissken
Active Member
Satin finishes always look cheap to me, like they cut corners and cost by not taking the extra step of buffing out the guitar, but that's just me. If you're going to go through the trouble and cost of refinishing an Epi SG why not just go all the way and do it right and go with a gloss finish?
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I like the feel of satin neck in hand and when its already like worn its pretty fast and comfy
So i am pretty good with faded satin finishes, also open grain pores on mahogany Gibsons looks pretty good , tribute Sg or special faded models are absolutely cool. I wish i got faded instead of standard,its just additnonal bling on the guitar, not affecting tone
DrBGood
Well-Known Member
I don't think there's anything right or wrong in finish taste, to each his own.
Personally I like it, right in between with a slight sheen.
Snake Plissken
Active Member
Exactly. Which is why some (like myself) think one way about it and others think differently.
I have just as much right to say it looks cheap and unfinished as someone else says they love it, and all opinions in between.
living room rocker
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Not sure I'm understanding your term "satin". Is it the same as "worn" used to describe such finishes shown on Sweetwater's website? Is the thick, smooth poly finish common on Epi SG's considered satin or gloss? Can you wax and polish satin? Personally think it's hard to beat the smooth, thick, durable poly finish common on Epi SG's. You can always de-glaze the neck if that feels better to you. Obviously though, the choice is yours. Time to flip a coin?
Col Mustard
Well-Known Member
all this discussion seems crazy to me... sorry.
I like the photos you supplied. It's a lovely Epiphone.
I say leave it as it is, sand it, patch the damaged part and rock.
nitro finish will make no difference...
Spend your money on getting it perfectly set up for your style.
Much more important than a paint job.
If this guitar is your favorite, all the more reason to keep it the same.
Changing the finish seems unnecessary, especially if the damage
is on the back.
Here on ETSG we refer to damage on a prized guitar as
"Tone notches..."
A prized guitar ought to have tone notches... it shows that the guitar
has been played. A guitar that has been played hard has earned its scars.
A guitar that is too pristine is like an illusion.
Just my opinion, humble or not. And good wishes to you
whatever you decide.
I like the photos you supplied. It's a lovely Epiphone.
I say leave it as it is, sand it, patch the damaged part and rock.
nitro finish will make no difference...
Spend your money on getting it perfectly set up for your style.
Much more important than a paint job.
If this guitar is your favorite, all the more reason to keep it the same.
Changing the finish seems unnecessary, especially if the damage
is on the back.
Here on ETSG we refer to damage on a prized guitar as
"Tone notches..."
A prized guitar ought to have tone notches... it shows that the guitar
has been played. A guitar that has been played hard has earned its scars.
A guitar that is too pristine is like an illusion.
Just my opinion, humble or not. And good wishes to you
whatever you decide.
living room rocker
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Agreed, with respect to the OP.
Snake Plissken
Active Member
How much would the refinish cost? Seems like you could buy another EpI SG and have a backup for what they might charge you for a properly done refinish.
Go Nigel Go
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I would agree with Snake above. I would probably just play it as is, since it is really not that badly beat up. I would call it "nicely worn in". The caveat would be if you have something you would really like to do to it, in which case I would say do it and post pictures. 
The fact that you are asking opinions however makes me wonder if you have enough of an idea what you want to justify the cost, but that is entirely your call. A good luthier probably wouldn't hurt the playability on a refinish, but be aware that it could happen... Again, your call.
The fact that you are asking opinions however makes me wonder if you have enough of an idea what you want to justify the cost, but that is entirely your call. A good luthier probably wouldn't hurt the playability on a refinish, but be aware that it could happen... Again, your call.
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Col Mustard
Well-Known Member
direct reply to the OP...
I too have very prized guitars, and I have modified them because I wanted to
fit them out with the best. But in your case, since the damage doesn't affect the tone
of the guitar or its playability (which are its best attributes)
...I suggest you keep it the way it is. Play it. Remove the strings, rub it down with a clean cloth and install new strings. Play it some more. Listen...
>Ask the Luthier if he can do a limited repair to the finish... here in USA we call this
a "Patch." Something that would:
•make you personally feel better,
•not cost too much and
•NOT change the guitar drastically.
A patch would not restore pristine Polyurethane as if nothing had happened.
But if it smoothed over some roughness, maybe that's enough.
I don't think lacquer will add anything or make any difference
except changing the color.
To me, after reading what you write, the most important facts are
how much you like this guitar, even if you have others.
Because of that, I don't think you should make drastic changes.
I think you should pamper this one, give it tender loving care...
get the luthier to set it up perfectly. oil the fretboard, and
a set of new strings.
then play it. I love my Epiphone ES-339
Thanks for suggestions
I still have one month to consider, so i have a lot of thinking about it
It is all set up perfectly, by luthier. The only thing i cam do right now to enhance it is getting a new set of strings as the old ones are starting to be a bit used
Amazing Epi @Col Mustard - lovely with that black hardware and black p90s
I still have one month to consider, so i have a lot of thinking about it
It is all set up perfectly, by luthier. The only thing i cam do right now to enhance it is getting a new set of strings as the old ones are starting to be a bit used
Amazing Epi @Col Mustard - lovely with that black hardware and black p90s
DrBGood
Well-Known Member
Looking back on the back photo of that SG of yours, only the top finish seem affected. Nothing a good polishing can't fix. The poly finish on these is very thick, so no worries of going through it if you do it manually. I would get some 600 grit wet sandpaper and sand the whole back. Then get some polishing compound (car paint stuff) and give it back its youth.
If you never experienced a P90, I say go for it. Out of my 8 guitars, 5 have P90s. The new Epiphone SG Classic and SG Special are beautiful and the Epiphone P90 is amongst the best out there.
Snake Plissken
Active Member
Guitars are meant to be played and scratches, scrapes, dents and dings are the result.
Go get some Meguiar’s Scratch-X 2.0 and get to work. You may even need to break out some fine grit sandpaper and wet sand and then use the Scratch-X. You can’t refinish a guitar every time it gets a small scratch on it. Play the thing and just enjoy it.
Go get some Meguiar’s Scratch-X 2.0 and get to work. You may even need to break out some fine grit sandpaper and wet sand and then use the Scratch-X. You can’t refinish a guitar every time it gets a small scratch on it. Play the thing and just enjoy it.
DrBGood
Well-Known Member
Not funny, it's a sign ! GRAB IT !
You gotta be crazy, you gotta have a real need
You gotta sleep on your toes, and when you're on the street
You gotta be able to pick out the easy meat with your eyes closed
And then moving in silently, down wind and out of sight
You gotta strike when the moment is right without thinking
Fink Ployd
To be honest, at this point i am not sure about anything
Only thing i can tell for certain is that i collected really cool SGs throghout the latest years and none of these SGs are gonne be sold.
Still i want two more SGs and maybe i will be forced to sell some of my SGs
The truth is that i probably dont really need to refinish this guitar
But i want Gibson SG faded and some SG with p90s or getting gibson p94 pickups for some of my current SGs - also an option
But still i would like to have some TV yellow or pelham blue or white SG.
Only thing i can tell for certain is that i collected really cool SGs throghout the latest years and none of these SGs are gonne be sold.
Still i want two more SGs and maybe i will be forced to sell some of my SGs
The truth is that i probably dont really need to refinish this guitar
But i want Gibson SG faded and some SG with p90s or getting gibson p94 pickups for some of my current SGs - also an option
But still i would like to have some TV yellow or pelham blue or white SG.
