• From: BELGIUM
  • Registered: 2007-01-27
  • Posts: 3,403

Topic: CHEAPER GIBSONS

I just am interessed in a few things. You can buy a gibson flying V, faded, for NON gibson prices. But I know one thing, I have a Flying V, diffucult to play when sitting, and a Gibson SG Menace: also for about 700$, and also naked wood, no special treatement with products to make this guitar very beautiful, using a product, one of the main components is "polyurethan", and let it dry. I had the occasion to see this procedure in the Memphis Tenessee Gibson plant, where the hollowbodies are made, like the 335, or 175. It is more difficult than I tought and they use basily the same procedure when they put a color on a car. In a special room, they do it, they refinish the guitar, and it was in my eyes the most crucial treatment to make a beautiful shiny guitar.

I THINK THAT THIS PROCEDURE HAS TO BE VERY EXPENSIVE, resulting in 2 questions.

- Would my flying V and menace should sound better if a professional luthier, works on this guitar, giving her that special treatment.

- Is that procedure SO important, of course, not talking about the wood, that it will give your guitar another sound, or will the sound stay the same?

[color=blue]- GITAARDOCPHIL SAIS: TO CONQUER DEAD, YOU HAVE TO DIE[/color]   AND [color=blue] we are born to die[/color]
- MY GUITAR PLAYS EVERY STYLE = BLUES, ROCK, METAL, so I NEED TO LEARN HOW TO PLAY IT.
[color=blue]Civilization began the first time an angry person cast a word instead of a rock.[/color]

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  • From: Pico Rivera, Calif. U.S.A.
  • Registered: 2006-10-26
  • Posts: 785

Re: CHEAPER GIBSONS

<table border="0" align="center" width="90%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td class="SmallText"><b>gitaardocphil wrote on Sat, 21 April 2007 11&#58;01</b></td></tr><tr><td class="quote">
In a special room, they do it, they refinish the guitar, and it was in my eyes the most crucial treatment to make a beautiful shiny guitar.

I THINK THAT THIS PROCEDURE HAS TO BE VERY EXPENSIVE, resulting in 2 questions.

- Would my flying V and menace should sound better if a professional luthier, works on this guitar, giving her that special treatment.

- Is that procedure SO important, of course, not talking about the wood, that it will give your guitar another sound, or will the sound stay the same?

</td></tr></table> edited by Bootlegger 4-21-07.


I checked the Gibson website for the finish material they use  it was not specified only color choices. The type of finish typically used is nitrocellouse lacquer. As mentioned after a sealer or wash coat (depending on what type of wood) dye before or after the wash coat/sealer. Then thin coats followed by sanding of various grits (grades) of sand paper, for dyeing and sealing, 220 & 320 grit.


For between coats of finish 400 to 2000 grit (grades). The last step three grades of buffing polish coarse, medium & fine.


The "SG" will sound different because it is made out of mahogany which is for a darker tone,the "V" historically is made of korina (African black limba) which has a tonal range between swamp ash and mahogany.  With all that said.


Answer #1. If your confident to do a good job yourself. NO so long as all your grounds are well soldered and you wired it correctly.

Answer #2. Yes, there are all kind of tone shaping electronics, hot wound pickups, vintage pickups, and such that will change the sound.


Bootlegger.