GIBSON ES-335 CHERRY RED FINISH SCHEDULE

[Russell Vance]

Hi All,

Been refinishing Les Pauls since I was small, but I've just got in a pair of ES 335 Dot Gibson's with a serious front crack in the maple  and hairline neck/peghead cracks. The schedule for the Cherry Red on maple that Gibson shoots is new to me.  I've had a wander around the web including re-ranch and all the usual suspects and there is a bit out there but I'll cut to the chase and ask if any of our esteemed Frets.net contributors have done this job well and if so whats the gig for the schedule (including full strip to bare maple front veneer process).  We have full nitrocellulose spray/refinish capabilities in shop and 20 years of dying/shading/tinting all manner of Gibsons (except these semi's).       I'll buy the beer for a good scoop on this! 

Regards, 

Rusty.

[Ron Ellison]

Would it be too much to ask for pics? I've nothing to offer for solutions but pictures would be brill.

[Russell Vance]

Thanks all, 

I ended up heat gun stripping the one with the cracks in the front and cooking up a standard Cherry Red Colortone dye with a touch of black.   I may wipe on some water soluble dye to size the bare wood but I have just finished an acoustic spruce front Maton with a very similar "custom" cherry red refinish and its pretty much on the money shot straight up.   

Observations are that the two cherry reds on the bench are not the same by any stretch and I'm going to match up the first ones top with the sides and back rather than think too hard about what Gibsons Cherry Red standard is. Another observation regarding refinishing these things is its always easier to do a full strip and refinish than to match up an area repair - not something the purist/collectors would advocate but a poor spot repair looks a lot more obvious than a refinish and re-age over a complete surface.   I'm over collectors anyway - too many good instruments languishing in closets and under beds rather than out there doing their jobs.

The hairline cracks in the headstock sucked in thin cynoacrylate and it didn't attack the nitro too much - a simple sand and overspray with standard cherry red with a touch of retarder seems to be doing the job here although, as usual the super glue is fighting taking on the nitro finish but we will prevail.   

I'll image the repairs later if anyone is interested.

Rusty.