Refinishing ideas needed

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I recently brought home my old guitar that I left behind at my parents house many years ago. It's an Ibanez NDM1 from 2003: the duct tape guitar.

ibanez-ndm1-xl.jpg


Despite years of sitting unused, the finish isn't aging well. The tape is starting to lift in several spots, which doesn't feel nice to play.

This will be my beater guitar to bring to jams/bars so I can keep the nicer guitars at home. But I'd like to refinish it so it's more comfortable and looks less like a punk/teenager guitar.

I can't imagine there's much of a used market for this guitar, so I doubt I'm ruining the resale value. It's also one of the most comfortable neck profiles I've played, so I don't mind keeping it.

Anyone have a fun/easy/interesting idea for refinishing it?

How hard is it to make a custom pickguard? I think this shape looks better with a pickguard, but the control layout is different from other Talman models.

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Re: Refinishing ideas needed

Since you are planning on refinishing it, wouldnt sonething Goof Off help remove the tape residue? As for a finish, my vote is a purple burst of some form or fashion
 
Re: Refinishing ideas needed

I removed the tape under the bridge years ago, thinking it would sound better with the bridge coupled more directly to the body. It was easy from what I remember - carefully outlined the bridge with a knife, then peeled the tape up.

So I'm not worried about removing the tape, especially as it's already lifting on its own.

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Re: Refinishing ideas needed

Easy option is re-tape it. Maybe do a little spray seal with some sort of poly.

Next option - untapped and go for random sanding and stickers!
 
Re: Refinishing ideas needed

Making a pick guard is not too terribly difficult if you are patient and have access to a band saw with a thin blade or a coping saw, as long as you don't mind imperfection. It's near impossible to get the bevel right without a router.

As for the finish, maybe flat black or some satin color because I suspect it might be hard to get the body smooth and straight enough for a gloss finish? I assume Ibanez didn't put too much time into perfecting the body before slapping tape all over it. With a flashy pickguard (pearl or tortoise) it won't look too punk/teen.
 
Re: Refinishing ideas needed

You can sand it down to plain wood and make it a natural finish with some sort of darker tone or burst and a nice pickguard.

For the pickguard I think you can have it done at pro quality by a local shop / service where they work plastic sheets with routing cnc machines (not sure this is the proper English term).
 
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Re: Refinishing ideas needed

After peeling off the tape, use mineral spirits/paint thinner/naphtha to remove any residue. Maybe that's all it needs. What color is it under the tape?
 
Re: Refinishing ideas needed

GuitarDoc said:
After peeling off the tape, use mineral spirits/paint thinner/naphtha to remove any residue. Maybe that's all it needs. What color is it under the tape?
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It's bare wood under the tape. Basswood. It'll need some sort of solid finish. But good point about using something to remove the tape residue.

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Re: Refinishing ideas needed

GuitarDoc said:
After peeling off the tape, use mineral spirits/paint thinner/naphtha to remove any residue. Maybe that's all it needs. What color is it under the tape?
Click to expand...

Would that stuff soak into such soft wood? I don't know, I've never tried it on basswood.
 
Re: Refinishing ideas needed

Mincer said:
Would that stuff soak into such soft wood? I don't know, I've never tried it on basswood.
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If the wood is bare and not sealed, yes it will soak into the wood, as would any liquid. But it will not raise the grain and it will completely evaporate out and leave no residue.
 
Re: Refinishing ideas needed

If you have a table mount router with a beveled router bit, it would be just a matter of cutting out a template out of some plywood. once you have your template made, use some double sided mounting tape on some pick guard material to zip it out on the table mount router.

When you have your pick guard material taped to your template, cut out the shape close to the template so you don't load up on your router. or worse yet get a snag and have it go flying across the shop. above all go slowly and carefully it's so easy to mess up on a router.

For a color suggestion. I've been a fan of a Daphne blue or seafoam green with offset guitars. maybe even a black with white pick guard combo would look nice..
 
Re: Refinishing ideas needed

You don't even need a table router. I do all of mine with a hand-held router...works perfectly.
 
Re: Refinishing ideas needed

I started this project finally. I took it all apart and peeled the tape off. The headstock tape came off almost entirely in one piece but the body took a good half hour of peeling. There's a lot more tape residue under there than I expected. Here's a before and after pic.

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How can I tell if the wood is sealed? Is it safe either way to apply some paint thinner (mineral spirits or naphtha or whatever I can find at a local craft store)?

I bought primer, white auto paint and clear coat spray cans.

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Re: Refinishing ideas needed

I'd start sanding before you put on any finish, actually.
 
Re: Refinishing ideas needed

Mincer said:
I'd start sanding before you put on any finish, actually.
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Definitely. But before or after paint thinner to get rid of the tape residue? Wouldn't the residue just gum up and ruin the sand paper?

I was thinking paint thinner, then sanding, then priming...

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Re: Refinishing ideas needed

Change sand paper often if it gets gummed up. I'd be more inclined to try to mechanically remove it than use paint thinners/solvents which may complicate your future painting attempts. Nothing worse than getting everything painted up nicely and then seeing bubbles and cracks form because something didn't get along with chemicals on a lower layer.
 
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