Cowboy Removal

I love my Gretsch Americana Sundown Serenade. It's a great travel guitar because it's small, sounds ok, and is very playable.

The only thing I don't like about it is the cowboys. They're just kind of silly, and bring my overall enjoyment of the guitar down.

Is it possible to remove the cowboy decorations without making a hideous mess of the guitar that I'll regret?

I was thinking of using a fine sandpaper and sanding the entire top evenly. It looks like they are painted on on top of the sunburst, so I'm hoping I could get them off and still have a nice brown finish.

Anybody wanna talk me out of this?

I love my Gretsch Americana Sundown Serenade. It's a great travel guitar because it's small, sounds ok, and is very playable.

The only thing I don't like about it is the cowboys. They're just kind of silly, and bring my overall enjoyment of the guitar down.

Is it possible to remove the cowboy decorations without making a hideous mess of the guitar that I'll regret?

I was thinking of using a fine sandpaper and sanding the entire top evenly. It looks like they are painted on on top of the sunburst, so I'm hoping I could get them off and still have a nice brown finish.

Anybody wanna talk me out of this?

The Gretsch I have, the greenish cowboy one; the scene is painted on underneath the clear coat.

Does that mean sanding it should work?

Will I need to put a new clear coat on afterwards, or can I leave it rough?

How might this affect the sound and structural integrity of the guitar?

Thanks!

-1 on sanding through the clear coat and sanding off the cowboy. Sell that guitar to someone who wants it and buy one without a cowboy on it. :)

-1 on sanding through the clear coat and sanding off the cowboy. Sell that guitar to someone who wants it and buy one without a cowboy on it. :)

To collectors or players who love the coolness of the cowboy decoration, [which, to me, is the most important part of that guitar, visually], I don't think it would be worth squat if it were removed. Though I may be wrong.

scuff it and paint it flat black.

scuff it and paint it flat black.

I think this is the best option.

Some of those are highly collectible. It might go for $60 or $70.

:wink:

its yer guitar, do whatever the hell ya want to it!

cover the cowboy with a Metallica sticker? :wink:

There are a lot of cowboys on this model. At least a full rattle can.

Use shelving contact paper. The vinyl type will do a great job. I used some on the pickguard of this squier. The good thing is that it's really easy to remove (which the buyer of the squier did)

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r127/Jackffr1846/squier004.jpg

I'm not sure you'd wanna stick vinyl shelf paper to an acoustic guitar top, not even the Americana. I've got one, and the cowboy decoration is what makes it cool. Otherwise, it's just a small cheap acoustic guitar.

http://www.tdpri.com/telephoto/data/500/medium/AmericanaSundown.jpg

I think it's pretty cool, reminds of my favorite pajamas when I was little.

I wanted to have one but was disapointed because they're a Limited run and not quite cheap, anymore.

http://www.ebay.de/itm/LOT-OF-4-NEW-GRETSCH-AMERICANA-SERIES-ACOUSTIC-COWBOY-PARLOR-GUITARS-/390407868197?pt=Guitar&hash=item5ae61f4f25 (http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?type=3&campid=5335828755&toolid=10001&mpre=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.de%2Fitm%2FLOT-OF-4-NEW-GRETSCH-AMERICANA-SERIES-ACOUSTIC-COWBOY-PARLOR-GUITARS-%2F390407868197%3Fpt%3DGuitar%26hash%3Ditem5ae61f4 f25)

I've got all but the sweethearts model.. I love the guitars and dig the graphics...

but, I'm not very cool and I don't worry too much about what someone might think....

and I'm ugly, so... misery loves company!

I wanted to have one but was disapointed because they're a Limited run and not quite cheap, anymore.

http://www.ebay.de/itm/LOT-OF-4-NEW-GRETSCH-AMERICANA-SERIES-ACOUSTIC-COWBOY-PARLOR-GUITARS-/390407868197?pt=Guitar&hash=item5ae61f4f25 (http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?type=3&campid=5335828755&toolid=10001&mpre=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.de%2Fitm%2FLOT-OF-4-NEW-GRETSCH-AMERICANA-SERIES-ACOUSTIC-COWBOY-PARLOR-GUITARS-%2F390407868197%3Fpt%3DGuitar%26hash%3Ditem5ae61f4 f25)

Yikes, I bought mine for 49.99$ with free shipping. I have seen them as low as 39.99$ which just blows my mind, because they sound impressive for an inexpensive guitar.

Whatcha' got 'gainst cowboys...? Oh, I see a young fella from Brooklyn... Never Mind:razz:

Cowboy removal is easy if you have the proper tools. :grin:

Zip on over to Bayonne, NJ and get a Henry (http://www.henryrepeating.com/rifle-big-boy.cfm).

If they made that Henry rifle in .41 mag to match my Ruger flatop I'd find one.

Cowboy ~removal~ I don't theeen so senor. Vaquero power:)

-1 on sanding through the clear coat and sanding off the cowboy. Sell that guitar to someone who wants it and buy one without a cowboy on it. :)

If you can find me a guitar that sounds and plays this good for the price, I'll do just that.

I wanted to have one but was disapointed because they're a Limited run and not quite cheap, anymore.

http://www.ebay.de/itm/LOT-OF-4-NEW-GRETSCH-AMERICANA-SERIES-ACOUSTIC-COWBOY-PARLOR-GUITARS-/390407868197?pt=Guitar&hash=item5ae61f4f25 (http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?type=3&campid=5335828755&toolid=10001&mpre=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.de%2Fitm%2FLOT-OF-4-NEW-GRETSCH-AMERICANA-SERIES-ACOUSTIC-COWBOY-PARLOR-GUITARS-%2F390407868197%3Fpt%3DGuitar%26hash%3Ditem5ae61f4 f25)

Yeah, guitars are expensive in Germany. A quick search of completed listings on the US eBay suggests that the going price is about half that here the continental 50. I don't know any other guitar this good for $100.

I personally paid $30, which might have something to do with my willingness to alter it.

I think it's funny that on a forum of guys who make all kinds of crazy changes to very expensive guitars, people seem down on the idea of making a change to a relatively cheap one.

Don't worry, I actually have two of these. When I feel like a cowboy guitar, I'll still have one around. But when I don't, I have the option.

The cowboys are kind of like tattoos. I'm not a tattoo guy- there's just no image that I could see myself always having on me, and I feel the same way about the guitar. I want versatility. I don't want it always to be "the cowboy guitar." It's just a great guitar, period, and I want to let it be free to be that.

Now the next question is: Can I enlarge the soundhole to fit a soundhole pickup in it?

Can I enlarge the soundhole to fit a soundhole pickup in it?

Sure. Clarence White's (now Tony Rice's) legendary D-28 had an enlarged soundhole.

But "Can" and "How do I" are two different things. If you want to know "how", I defer to those with more advanced woodworking skills than my rudimentary ones. But I'll take a shot - assuming the braces do not touch the soundhole, trace out the diameter of the larger hole (again making sure you are not touching any braces) and go to town with a coping saw. Then smooth with a sanding block that you have curved on one side to match the hole radius, and dab some shellac or brushing lacquer on the edge to seal it.

Or just cut notches to fit the pickup's ends. Or FAR better, why not just install a cheap under-saddle pickup and an endpin jack? Then the top is undamaged. Those are very easy to install and will sound FAR more like an acoustic guitar than a pickup will.

As far as your finishing question - I agree with those who suggested NOT to refinish it. Anything you do will be uglier than the graphics (sorry guys, but I hate litho-top guitars. Unless they have a crank on the side and play the Mickey Mouse Club theme song. :mrgreen: ) . You can't cleanly remove the graphics - they usually apply those with a specialized heated system and the paint/ink is infused into the wood in most cases - even the ones that look stenciled. It's the only way to get high production numbers.

Yeah, painting it flat black would work - but it'd also load more finish on a marginally-responsive top as it is.

My vote - leave it alone and live with it - or sell it and buy a used Seagull. If you can get $150-200 for the thing you'll only spend another $100 or so for a FAR better instrument. Or if you really want a smaller guitar there are tones of little ones nowadays if you just do a little searching.

Refinishing it would not be worth the effort, especially considering the likely crappy results.

The "TONE" of that guitar is in the voicing of the cowboys. Without their serenades, the tone becomes ugly and weak..

Thanks for the advice, Silverface! Having skimmed your post about your Mustang, I'm inclined to take anything you say about finishes very seriously: The cowboys stay.

I do prefer a smaller guitar for traveling, and I have done a LOT of research on the options over the years. The first one I bought was a rosewood Larrivee Parlor, which I bought new from GC in 2000 for $380. It was going to be my travel guitar, but there turned out to be a hitch: it's just too damn nice! I can't leave it in a hot trunk, or take it for a weekend trip to my friend's place on an island that's only accessible by a small motor boat.

When I'm traveling, I don't need a guitar that has a gorgeous tone like my Larrivee. I need a guitar that plays well, stays reasonably in tune, sounds good enough that I enjoy playing it, and can stand up to a little abuse, or be replaced cheaply if something bad should befall it. The Americana fits the bill perfectly. A Seagull would be a $100 too nice to work.

I do want to stick a pickup in it, though, so thanks for your thoughts on that. I'm going to start another thread on that now!

How about a pickup like what I have in my Guild? I've had it for almost 20 years and am very pleased with how it sounds.
http://barcusberry.com/product.cfm?ProductID=15

Keep the Cowboys.
http://i41.tinypic.com/spfyc6.jpg

I just got our my Lawrence soundhole pickup, to see how much I'd need to enlarge the soundhole, and..... it fits!

I know I tried in the past, but I guess I gave up too easily then.

It's a tight fit- it stays in without the metal piece engaged, and the volume knob is barely clearing the edge of the hole- but it fits!

I was right, the sound of this cheap acoustic with a magnetic pickup is great! Now I have a travel guitar that I can take to the island, leave in a trunk, play an open mic with, bring to an electric jam, or even play a gig with..... if I'm cool enough to play a gig with a cowboy guitar!:mrgreen:

You should keep the cowboys

If I saw you playing that cowboy guitar in a club or on a big stage, I would think you were really cool. Who else does that? It's unique and fun,,,,, And it's COOL!...... And with a pickup running through an amp???? Way cool, Mister T.

No, don't sand it!!! those cowboys are so stinking funky, it hurts!!
That is exactly the kind of guitar you use to blow away people..
Take it and slam down some hot lead licks on!

In the interest of science, I brought my Lawrence equipped Sundown Serenade to practice last night. I used to play my Larrivee Parlor with this pickup, run through a silvertone with a fuzz for leads, and I still love the tones I recorded that way. So I knew it was possible. But it's still hard to believe how good it sounded and how much fun it was to play.

The only problem was when I accidentally knocked the pickup into the soundhole, but I covered by clicking on my fuzz and having a feedback orgy while I got it back into place.:twisted:

http://jjcale.org/harmony1.jpg

you can be funkay, like JJ!

Sure. Clarence White's (now Tony Rice's) legendary D-28 had an enlarged soundhole.

But "Can" and "How do I" are two different things. If you want to know "how", I defer to those with more advanced woodworking skills than my rudimentary ones.

I've worked on that guitar. The soundhole enlargment was done with a pocketknife. Not so advanced, but it worked.

Sure, it's fine to go after a D-28 with a pocket knife, but this is a Gretsch Americana we're talking about!