Changed my satin Les Paul Trad Pro V to gloss. Photos and videos included.

[CCK1]

Looks 1000% better. I've never been fond of faded so never owner one. Is it possible to use a random orbital polisher with something like the 100% Brazilian carnauba that I use to hand polish my glossy guitars? Anyone every try that?

I’ve tried that, it will work and take it to an almost gloss finish… for a while. It does revert back to satin though.

 

[Peegoo]

NICE!

 

[Fatlip]

Looks much better. Hate the satin finish.

 

[ReubenPrichard]

Last year, I bought two Trad Pro Vs. The first, a complete Iced Tea burst, with the intention of sanding off the finish and putting clear gloss on the plain maple for a 70s look. But the factory top started growing on me. It's currently stuffed with a JB/Jazz set and Standard 60s electronics.

So I decided to buy another in wine red as I've always liked LPs in that color. But I'm not a fan of satin finishes, so I bought this husk with the intention of changing it to a factory-like deep gloss. After picking out one on Stratosphere, I started asking questions and watching Y'Tube videos.

View attachment 1084930

After buying some materials, I got to work:



This was my first time attempting such a project. I made mistakes:



The part where I sanded through the finish at the binding really worried me. I couldn't find any paint for wine red, nobody even had a paint code. So I punted and tried tried the closest thing I could think of.



After about a can and a half of gloss clear lacquer from Stew Mac, I felt like I finally had enough paint on it to start sanding again. With that done (or so I thought), I moved on to polishing. Still doing everything by hand.



It was at this point that I bought some foam pads and borrowed a DeWalt from work. Finally, finally, the guitar was getting where I wanted.



It's not perfect, and I didn't expect it to be since this was my first attempt. But I'm much happier with how it looks now. There are some sand scratches in there, and some super tiny little pinholes, and yes I've still got to finish sanding/buffing the headstock. But hanging on the wall, lying on the couch, and - if I'm ever in another band - from the stage, it'll look great.

View attachment 1084935

Currently have it filled with Burstbuckers and electronics from a Standard 50s. Will probably change to an EVH Frankenstein and a SD '59. And speed knobs, definitely have to get a set of those.

View attachment 1084936

See how much better it looks glossy? Really lets the detail of that top come through. And you can't even see where I sanded through the finish.

View attachment 1084937

And to finish it off, one of my Rogue stickers, like I do with my modded Teles and Strats. Next time it needs strings, I'll sand and polish that headstock face.

So what do you think?

Get a can of Mohawks lacquer reducer and it will re liquify the surface and all the pits will disappear. And leave a very glossy surface!

 

[ReubenPrichard]

Thanks for your reply. I wouldn't mind the hand polished grain if it looked glossy. In one sense my guitars have become a substitute for artwork in that two are on display in the living room and I rotate them daily. I hand polished them and while some are 40 years old and used they look 'shiny' nice. Next stop in the rotation is the 'music bedroom' where I have my 'big' amp and armless chair and those are the two I play that night. I'm retired five years now and I need structure to maintain some sort of discipline.

 

[ReubenPrichard]

View attachment 1085630

That was machined buffed with four grades of liquid compound then hand buffed briefly. My first build!

 

[dbow]

I did exactly the same thing to the Ice Tea color of that guitar. A couple years ago I got an Les Paul jones and decided I was going to splurge on a "pick your own top" R9 from the Gibson Garage as we were passing through Nashville in a couple of weeks. A few days before we were in Nashville my MF rep told me they had a sale on the Trad Vs for $1600 and I ordered one figuring I would send it back if I got something in Nashville. I ended up with sticker shock at the Garage, I think it was $8700 to build one but found a killer R9 at Carter for $5K and bought it. Fast forward a couple of weeks and I get home and unbox the Trad and it was just too great a guitar for the money not to keep so I ended up with both. I didn't dig the satin so embarked on a 8 week project of spraying it with rattle can nitro. It turned out great but I swear I still get twinges in my elbow when I think of all that sanding and polishing.

 

[Flaneur]

Love Wine Red Gibsons.........

 

[Censport]

I did exactly the same thing to the Ice Tea color of that guitar. A couple years ago I got an Les Paul jones and decided I was going to splurge on a "pick your own top" R9 from the Gibson Garage as we were passing through Nashville in a couple of weeks. A few days before we were in Nashville my MF rep told me they had a sale on the Trad Vs for $1600 and I ordered one figuring I would send it back if I got something in Nashville. I ended up with sticker shock at the Garage, I think it was $8700 to build one but found a killer R9 at Carter for $5K and bought it. Fast forward a couple of weeks and I get home and unbox the Trad and it was just too great a guitar for the money not to keep so I ended up with both. I didn't dig the satin so embarked on a 8 week project of spraying it with rattle can nitro. It turned out great but I swear I still get twinges in my elbow when I think of all that sanding and polishing.

Yeah, my elbow is still sore with me. I'm on the fence about doing the same with my Tea. It has a nick in the top that I would need to address first though.

Sticker shock at the Garage? I got that looking at their T-shirts.

 

[Rockinvet]

Very nice! I have a 335 that could use that. It’s a matte cherry finish. It was partially buffed out by a previous owner. Thanks for posting!

 

[USian Pie]

I think it looks great. It really makes the wood grain jump out.