60's tribute les paul faux binding with lots of pics!

[jake_xms3_punk]

some of you may have seen the thread I started about faux binding and buffing up a gibson les paul tribute. Well I took the plunge and had the guts to take sandpaper to a gibson. its not finished yet but I thought I would show you the results so far.

here is the guitar as I got it.

here she is masked up ready for surgery! as you can see the "binding" is pretty much non existant

I started sanding, this part along with the cutaway was harder to mask off and sand.

I sanded it all up to 400grit

I also angled the sanding block to make it more visable from the top/front of the guitar

Then I thought about the finish, I had a can of nitro but didn't want to spray the whole guitar, so I just sprayed a little bit in the lid and painted it on with a little paintbrush.

right after the first or second coat (still wet)

about 4/5 coats

I took these pics not long after applying the final coat of nitro so it was still a bit tacky and uneven.

I'm just waiting for the nitro to cure now so I can wet sand to smooth it out a bit then maybe buff the whole guitar to a glossy shine.

I know I've just killed the resale value but doing this has made the guitar look a lot better IMO.


Sorry for the crappy and massive phone camera pics. I'll get some better ones whens its all finished (maybe sponge bob will make another cameo appearance! )

 

[AlexR]

Re: 60's tribute les paul faux binding with lots of pics!

Man....that looks GREAT.

I've got the same guitar, now you've got me wanting to do this to mine too....

Am I imagining things, or have you taken a little bit of the stain off the top??
And how long did it take to sand the sides??

 

[jake_xms3_punk]

Re: 60's tribute les paul faux binding with lots of pics!

Man....that looks GREAT.

I've got the same guitar, now you've got me wanting to do this to mine too....

Am I imagining things, or have you taken a little bit of the stain off the top??
And how long did it take to sand the sides??

Thanks! I did take a little bit off the top around the edges to make the "binding" more prominant from the front. I just angled the sanding block more towards the body and with very little pressure went round the whole thing in two or three passes. The finish is always the thinnest around that area so came off easier than the sides.

It didn't take that long at all to sand, the hardest parts were the cuttaway and where the sanding block wouldn't fit so had to do it by hand.

 

[pzaxtl]

Re: 60's tribute les paul faux binding with lots of pics!

Good job! That looks sweet!

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: 60's tribute les paul faux binding with lots of pics!

Good job. I knew you could do it. That binding looks sooo much better now.

I really can't imagine that you hurt the resale value.

And you end up with a great looking guitar and great sounding guitar.

Kudos.

 

[TheLivingDead]

Re: 60's tribute les paul faux binding with lots of pics!

Oh hell yeah that turned out awesome!

Nice job!

 

[DankStar]

Re: 60's tribute les paul faux binding with lots of pics!

Wild idea that turned out great!

 

[jake_xms3_punk]

Re: 60's tribute les paul faux binding with lots of pics!

Thanks guys! It really was a death or glory operation!

 

[WoodGrain67]

Re: 60's tribute les paul faux binding with lots of pics!

Looks great! You sir, are a fearless guitar customizer!

 

[AlexR]

Re: 60's tribute les paul faux binding with lots of pics!



If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

Thanks for the tips/pics. Just spent some time with the paper too.

 

[ExplorersRock]

Re: 60's tribute les paul faux binding with lots of pics!

Now that is a job well done! Very nice good sir. Very clean and a nice classy touch. :fing2:

 

[Agileguy_101]

Re: 60's tribute les paul faux binding with lots of pics!

View attachment 40541

Holy **** that flame is beautiful. Good job on the binding, it makes that top pop that much more.

 

[Mr 9finger]

Re: 60's tribute les paul faux binding with lots of pics!

Looks really good guys. My 60's tribute gold top came with faux binding, but it's not as prominent as it on yours now. Alex...dude the flame on yours is nice. That's the nicest lefty example I've seen.

I think I'm about to grab one of the lefty LPJ models. I really want one of the new 60's tribute SGs, but I gotta wait until my LP studio is paid off.

 

[AlexR]

Re: 60's tribute les paul faux binding with lots of pics!

I've not seen many at all with flame.

I've also polished the top too, which deepens the colour and makes the flame stand out more.

 

[jake_xms3_punk]

Re: 60's tribute les paul faux binding with lots of pics!

View attachment 40541

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

Thanks for the tips/pics. Just spent some time with the paper too.

Dude! That's awesome! that looks great with the flame top!

 

[AlexR]

Re: 60's tribute les paul faux binding with lots of pics!

Thanks for kicking me into action with your two threads.......you've got an assist on this one!!

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: 60's tribute les paul faux binding with lots of pics!

Niiice!!
Looks great...

 

[jake_xms3_punk]

Re: 60's tribute les paul faux binding with lots of pics!

Thanks for kicking me into action with your two threads.......you've got an assist on this one!!

Once you get passed the idea of sanding a gibson it's not too bad is it? Are you going to finish yours? Man I wish my top was half as nice as yours!

 

[Scott Marceau]

Re: 60's tribute les paul faux binding with lots of pics!

That is insane! Have any of you ever modified the fretboard during a refret to add binding??

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: 60's tribute les paul faux binding with lots of pics!

Kudos to both of you. Nice job. Makes me want to pick one up and gloss finish it myself. Makes for a really great looking guitar at a reasonable price.