How easy is it to add a paper-thin figured veneer on an arch-topped guitar?

[KeeperOS]

A few months back I traded one of my Chicago Custom Shop Mercury Washies for a late '90s ESP Horizon bolt-on but the finish was pretty banged up so I took it to a local tech I trust who in turn would contact one of the finishers he uses and would get back to me with a quote.

However in the meantime I've been thinking that, if the finish cannot be repaired and will need to be stripped bare and redone, why not take this chance to make it look better:



The guitar has an arched body with no top and faux natural binding.
According to ESP's catalogs, trans guitars used Ash for the body while opaque ones Alder.

How easy (or not) will it be for said professional to add a paper-thin figured veneer on top of the guitar and dye the top instead of refinishing it jet black again? (The sides and back can stay as they are).
Will the arched top and the inner horn cutouts still allow for proper application?
The dye I am wanting on using will be trans black, similar to the bellow Schecter:

I am asking here before I make the same question to my tech so as to know what can be done, how and how much more it should cost.

I'll appreciate any and all input!

 

[dystrust]

Re: How easy is it to add a paper-thin figured veneer on an arch-topped guitar?

With the guitar top being arched, it'll be difficult and extremely expensive if it's possible at all. Generally speaking, laminated tops don't like to bend which is why lam top Strats tend to have a shallower forearm contour. With the carved top on that horizon, your best options are to do some sort of photo flame, or rout the guitar off flat and add a new carved top of figured maple.

Sorry to rain on the parade, but I just don't see a lam top working over the guitar's existing top.

 

[Mr. B]

Re: How easy is it to add a paper-thin figured veneer on an arch-topped guitar?

I might sand it down and give it a good paint job, but veneer isn't worth the trouble IMO.

 

[EDX]

Re: How easy is it to add a paper-thin figured veneer on an arch-topped guitar?

well you could use a fabric print, with a fine enough fabric and the right design printed it would look like nice wood with a rad grain, or you could just make it a crazy graphic guitar, if you wonder how good a fabric print looks as a finish just ask kramersteen

 

[dystrust]

Re: How easy is it to add a paper-thin figured veneer on an arch-topped guitar?

well you could use a fabric print, with a fine enough fabric and the right design printed it would look like nice wood with a rad grain, or you could just make it a crazy graphic guitar, if you wonder how good a fabric print looks as a finish just ask kramersteen

+1

This is essentially what I meant with my photo flame suggestion.

 

[KeeperOS]

Re: How easy is it to add a paper-thin figured veneer on an arch-topped guitar?

I believe you've all misunderstood, I never said a laminate top, I said a PAPER THIN figured VENEER, like the following:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Curly-Maple...-grade-1-42-/121691454517?hash=item1c55603c35
http://www.lenderink.com/wood-veneer/micro-thin-veneer/

It won't be a photo-finish as it won't be a piece of fabric that's meant to only LOOK like wood but actual wood that has been cut so thin, it can actually be folded like cardboard.
I know for sure that it'd work with a Strat-type top that is basically flat and it would for sure bend on the elbow cut but I am uncertain whether it could bend sufficiently over all the curves and cutouts an arched top has.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Re: How easy is it to add a paper-thin figured veneer on an arch-topped guitar?

Veneer is mighty thin but not thin enough to make it easily conform to an arched top, even if the carve were pretty minimal. It just might be possible using steam to soften it up but I wouldn't want to try it myself.

 

[EDX]

Re: How easy is it to add a paper-thin figured veneer on an arch-topped guitar?

i understood you didn't meant an actual laminate top but a rather thin piece of wood, and i can tell you it won't work, if you don't believe me just try this, take a 120grams piece of bond paper and try to cover the top if your guitar with it, see what happens?, in order to actually follow the arch of the top you would be needing to bend the piece of paper, now take another piece but print or draw a design over it, when you bend it around the archs the design will cut, and the final result would look botched all over the place, now imagine this with the paper thin veneer

this lets you with only 2 options, a stretchable vinyl design, like the ones from inzane decals, or a printed fabric stretchy enough (most fabrics fine enough for printing can stretch enough) to mold the design to the curves of the guitar

 

[KeeperOS]

Re: How easy is it to add a paper-thin figured veneer on an arch-topped guitar?

In short the answer is maybe but leaning on no.

Nah, I am not interested in vinyl-made wood skin, which I've seen on phones, because while they can LOOK the part they cannot be stained/dyed so they're a no-go.
Fabric most definitely won't hold up under careful examination.

Thanks anyways guys!

 

[dystrust]

Re: How easy is it to add a paper-thin figured veneer on an arch-topped guitar?

I believe you've all misunderstood, I never said a laminate top, I said a PAPER THIN figured VENEER, like the following:

I'm not trying to be argumentative or anything, but a laminate top on a guitar is a veneer. You're probably thinking of a laminated top such as on a 335 or inexpensive acoustic guitar.

 

[KeeperOS]

Re: How easy is it to add a paper-thin figured veneer on an arch-topped guitar?

No worries, but generally speaking, when we're talking about laminate tops we're talking about the 3/10" thick tops superstrats have that can be steamed and bent at the sides like for instance at the elbow cut.
Full-thickness (7/10") tops are simply called that, tops while figured veneers IN GENERAL will refer to the 1/42" thick pieces of wood that usually go on top of a non-figured but full thickness top so as to give it guitar the desired look while the plain top gives it its' desired tone.

In my case it'd have been used to give it the looks without messing with the sound.

 

[EDX]

Re: How easy is it to add a paper-thin figured veneer on an arch-topped guitar?

well the inzane decals look pretty neat, and the quilted maple ones are made to work best with arch tops
http://www.inzanedecals.com/designs_decals.php?id=31

they have some standard options but you can order them on about whatever color you want, also they're made to shape, so you can just go with "strat" shape

by the way, the decals from inzane decals are meant for being finished over, so you can just add nitro, poly or whatever kind of clear coat you like

 

[Obsessive Compulsive]

Re: How easy is it to add a paper-thin figured veneer on an arch-topped guitar?

i understood you didn't meant an actual laminate top but a rather thin piece of wood, and i can tell you it won't work, if you don't believe me just try this, take a 120grams piece of bond paper and try to cover the top if your guitar with it, see what happens?, in order to actually follow the arch of the top you would be needing to bend the piece of paper, now take another piece but print or draw a design over it, when you bend it around the archs the design will cut, and the final result would look botched all over the place, now imagine this with the paper thin veneer

this lets you with only 2 options, a stretchable vinyl design, like the ones from inzane decals, or a printed fabric stretchy enough (most fabrics fine enough for printing can stretch enough) to mold the design to the curves of the guitar

Interesting. I have an Epiphone (Chinese) LP standard that I bought around 300 dollars new in 2005. The top is flame maple. Are you saying it's an actual maple cap or a photo flame? It don't think Epiphone ever makes a photo flame LP.

 

[akio]

Re: How easy is it to add a paper-thin figured veneer on an arch-topped guitar?

Some ideas here: http://www.tdpri.com/threads/veneer-over-carved-top-without-vacuum-press.598351/

 

[HiFiRebel]

Re: How easy is it to add a paper-thin figured veneer on an arch-topped guitar?

Have you considered primer with "this machine kills pretty" in black paint?

 

[webterminator77]

Re: How easy is it to add a paper-thin figured veneer on an arch-topped guitar?

Nice Information shared.192.168.1.1 I liked it.

 

[EDX]

Re: How easy is it to add a paper-thin figured veneer on an arch-topped guitar?

Interesting. I have an Epiphone (Chinese) LP standard that I bought around 300 dollars new in 2005. The top is flame maple. Are you saying it's an actual maple cap or a photo flame? It don't think Epiphone ever makes a photo flame LP.

this

knowing it's a chinese epi they probably do it on a lesser pretty way

 

[KeeperOS]

Re: How easy is it to add a paper-thin figured veneer on an arch-topped guitar?

Wow, now that is impressing...