Red Under Ebony Paint Finish

[Garethw]

Hi guys me again! I have a 2000 CS SG In Ebony and I was wondering if it was common practice for Gibson to spray over an existing colour as where there are areas of slight damage you can see red paint exposed underneath also the tuners alignment isn't great, is that a common thing on these models? thanks

 

[DrBGood]

A Custom Shop guitar with tuners installed like that ?

 

[Garethw]

A Custom Shop guitar with tuners installed like that ?

That's what I am beginning to think....https://solidguitar.fandom.com/wiki/SG_Special#Historic_1961_Les_Paul_/_SG_Special_Reissue_(2000_-_2013)

It is apparently a limited run in Ebony from 2000

 

[Col Mustard]

If I were you I would go to the best luthier you can find or afford and
get a professional opinion about whether this guitar is a fake or not.

Find someone who appraises guitars professionally and pay their fee
and get your questions answered. Make contact with Gibson, give them the
serial number and let them tell you what the guitar looked like when it was made
(if it's genuine).

There are lots of fake Gibsons out there, and they keep getting better.
I'm NOT saying that this guitar is a fake.
But when you have one that doesn't look like it should, you have to wonder.
And I don't like to wonder. I like to know.
If I want a mystery, I'll read Sherlock Holmes.

I'd find out the answers to your questions before the window for returning it
closes.

We can help, but an expert needs to examine this closely, which we can't do.
Good luck. I hope it's just oddments on your instrument.

But to answer your question: No, it's not a common thing on any Gibson model.

 

[Col Mustard]

I thought of one more thing: There might be some superstar who
bought a used red SG when he was getting started, and then had his
SG painted black and used that guitar to go on and do great things.
That's the only reason I can think of for Gibson CS to spray one color over another...
if they were making a replica of some SG that was famous once.

I don't know if this is true. But it's a good story ain't it?
Much more fun than complaining that you bought a 22 year old used guitar
and found a chip in the finish. Because I believe that if you buy a guitar
that was made in 2000 and you look at it with a magnifying glass
you're going to find a few dings.

 

[pancake81]

Can we see more pics of the guitar please

 

[Garethw]

If I were you I would go to the best luthier you can find or afford and
get a professional opinion about whether this guitar is a fake or not.

Find someone who appraises guitars professionally and pay their fee
and get your questions answered. Make contact with Gibson, give them the
serial number and let them tell you what the guitar looked like when it was made
(if it's genuine).

There are lots of fake Gibsons out there, and they keep getting better.
I'm NOT saying that this guitar is a fake.
But when you have one that doesn't look like it should, you have to wonder.
And I don't like to wonder. I like to know.
If I want a mystery, I'll read Sherlock Holmes.

I'd find out the answers to your questions before the window for returning it
closes.

We can help, but an expert needs to examine this closely, which we can't do.
Good luck. I hope it's just oddments on your instrument.

But to answer your question: No, it's not a common thing on any Gibson model.

Hi mate thanks for that all good points and sound advice. I have taken it to a good local guitar guy and his thoughts on it are that if it is a fake it's good as the real thing. With regards to the paint I'm going to contact Gibson as you suggested and hopefully they can shine some light on the colour I took the worst tuner off today and it would seem as if the tuner perhaps was moved at some point. Thanks again for everyone's help.

 

[Snake Plissken]

Could just be a refinished guitar. Previous owner could have just had it painted. Could have even had a broken headstock and then been completely refinished (which could explain the moved tuner as well).

Fender had been known in the past to paint over an already painted guitar at the factory, but never heard of Gibson doing it.

 

[DrBGood]

T

Could just be a refinished guitar. Previous owner could have just had it painted. Could have even had a broken headstock and then been completely refinished (which could explain the moved tuner as well).

Fender had been known in the past to paint over an already painted guitar at the factory, but never heard of Gibson doing it.

There is a popular belief that most opaque color Les Pauls and SGs are botched stain jobs that wouldn't sell.

 

[Snake Plissken]

T

There is a popular belief that most opaque color Les Pauls and SGs are botched stain jobs that wouldn't sell.

They could also be hiding grossly mismatched grain patterns/ugly wood, etc.

 

[Go Nigel Go]

It definitely makes sense to use the "pretty wood" for transparent finishes, and save the "ugly wood" for the painted instruments. Functionally wood can be "poorly matched" or "uninteresting grain" and still play just fine. Many people like solid colors, and many people like black SGs, so a re-spray would not surprise me. Makes sense for someone to customize an instrument if they had something special in mind. I would hope that nobody would paint over a pretty piece of wood, but it has for sure happened in the past, and if someone owns the guitar and wants to do it, it's not really my place to get too worked up over it. Of course if asked I might have an opinion...

 

[Garethw]

I might of cracked the paint situation. This is a Les Paul Special SL made in the same factory as the SG. Check out the paint colour under the damage.....

 

[Garethw]

I might of cracked the paint situation. This is a Les Paul Special SL made in the same factory as the SG. Check out the paint colour under the damage.....

Made in 1998

 

[lcw]

Could it just be some unusually red mahogany poking through?