To refin or not to refin ... that is the question ...

So I've got an '81 F-100 that's a great player but whose finish has seen better days. Generally, I'm not overly conscious of honest wear, but this one looks like it every time it was put down it met with a concrete floor. The butt end is chipped away significantly. Now that's not how I treat my guitars but it does count as "real relicing" I think.

The more concerning issue is this: When I got the guitar I snagged it for a pretty price off eBay because the pics were lousy and it was obvious there was a lot of wear. The thing that worried me most and had me crossing my fingers was that there appeared to be a slice (for lack of a better term) of finish missing for several inches from the lower strap button right up the seam where the two piece body is joined. I was worried the body might be splitting apart but held my breath and made a bid anyway. Figured I could part it out and recoup my cash, worst case scenario.

Well, sure enough the seam is visible and appears as sort of a hairline crack for a couple of inches. It didn't appear to be going anywhere, but I did a quick and dirty "fix" with some #10 super glue just as a precautionary measure. Pretty sure it's plenty solid at this point, but it ain't exactly pretty.

Again, I'm not hung up on cosmetics, but the neck on this thing is absolutely beautiful and I got to thinking about all the possibilities available if I were to have it professionally redone. If I do, I think I'd send it to Marty Bell, who made his name in part doing the metal flake finishes for G&L back in the day (I think they do them in house now). Seems appropriate somehow.

So what would you do? I know these things aren't pulling down the kind of coin pre-CBS Fenders do, and given the price I paid, I'm not terribly concerned about its value as a collectible (though maybe I should be?). But there's a little voice in the back of my head that's echoing the Antiques Roadshow sentiment that you never destroy the original finish.

Then of course there's the whole debate about color. If I decide to go that route, I'd probably lean toward one of the colors common among the early G&L "custom" finishes. Maybe metallic gold? Good ol' black? Than again, the notion of having it done in something like a sea foam green or coral pink is sort of tempting too, since you're not liable to see another one of those.

Just thinking out loud here, but thought I'd solicit some input from among the G&L lovers. Sorry for the long post, but it's a dull day at work.

-- James

never destroy the original finish.

trust the voice in your head

If you are planning to hold on to it, refinish it. If you want to flip it, probably better to leave the original finish unless you feel it devalues it. No point keeping it beaten up when you didn't really earn that beat up yourself.

If you are planning to hold on to it, refinish it. If you want to flip it, probably better to leave the original finish unless you feel it devalues it. No point keeping it beaten up when you didn't really earn that beat up yourself.

Not looking to flip it, and if I were I suspect any prospective buyer might be wary of what appears to be the beginning of a crack between the two body halves. As I said, I don't think the damage is going to progress, but I can't say for sure what might happen over the long haul and I'd be reluctant to make any such guarantee. I mean, I'm pretty sure this damage came about by somebody dropping this thing on the strap button (or at least setting it down nice and hard). The guitar's a great player and it would be a shame to see this damage get worse.

I guess maybe I could have phrased it differently. Are there situations where a refin is the prudent thing to do? Again, cosmetics really aren't the issue, but I have no doubt that the crack (such as it is) could be better addressed if/when the body's stripped than by my just trying to slap a superglue band-aid on it or a half-assed patch job that would probably just compromise the original finish even more.

Not really fishing for one answer over another, just trying to initiate an honest discussion about the pros and cons.

Much appreciate the input so far.

I'd go with a period correct restoration. It's still an '81 model.

I guess maybe I could have phrased it differently. Are there situations where a refin is the prudent thing to do? Again, cosmetics really aren't the issue, but I have no doubt that the crack (such as it is) could be better addressed if/when the body's stripped than by my just trying to slap a superglue band-aid on it or a half-assed patch job that would probably just compromise the original finish even more.

Not really fishing for one answer over another, just trying to initiate an honest discussion about the pros and cons.

Much appreciate the input so far.

Yeah stripping it to get a better look at that crack is a good idea in and of itself. The superglue 'bandaid' seems to be a pretty common way to fix such things though, the glue is stronger than the wood ever was, and prevented from moving its brittleness is not an issue. The trick I guess is getting the ENTIRE crack to prevent propogation.

I like shiny metallic type finishes.

No point keeping it beaten up when you didn't really earn that beat up yourself.

Spot on, sirmy.

I think if you're going to keeping the guitar long term then you'd be best off getting that crack sorted out and make it look as pretty as you want. Let's face it, G&L's don't really command a huge value used (yes, that may change....) and if it means more to you with a better looking finish then go for it. It sounds like a 'players' guitar rather than a collectors condition instrument now anyway so any value added by the original finish will be minimal.

Refinish it!

And post a pic ASAP. Please

Personally, I would be inclined to leave the finish. Polyurethane finishes take a very long time to age, but they do change over time. The finishes on my older G&Ls have faded very gracefully, and have become much harder and smoother, almost like a candy shell over the guitar. If you do a period-correct restoration, I guarantee that the guitar will feel different, and it may even sound different.

One more thing since I saw you mentioned Metallic Gold! It's an intriguing finish choice because I've never seen two examples from the early to mid nineties that are exactly the same. I have a 95 Legacy in Gold Metallic that has really tiny metallic flakes. Over the years it has turned way more green than gold. I've seen two or three guitars with the same greenish tint, but I've seen some that are way more yellow and some that are true gold. The size of the metallic flakes in the paint is all over the place, too.

Here are two examples from the mid nineties:

Over the years it has turned way more green than gold.

Makes me think the 'gold' flakes are copper turned green due to oxidation. But then the oxygen must have been in the lacquer. The Silver Sparkle John Jorgenson Sig still looks 'silvery' but given its age I do not know whether any 'dulling' occurred or not. Any knowledge out here on how these metallic flakes are actually produced and what materials are used?

- Jos

Refinish it!

And post a pic ASAP. Please

Sort of leaning in that direction. As for pics, here's the "before" photo (I've posted this elsewhere on this board and apologized for the not-so-stellar quality, but I'll do it again). She's the one on the left, though you can't really see the damage I'm talking about:



I'm not positive, but I think the finish might be nitro. There's some checking of the sort you don't typically see on poly finishes. Actually the same goes for her 'hog sister on the right (also an '81), although aside from the checking, that one is in pretty astounding shape for its age.

I just added an '81 dual-fulcrum model in CAR to the collection as well, but haven't had a chance to snap pics. Like the 'hog one here, it's in fantastic shape.

If you haven't figured it out, I have kind of a soft spot for the F-100.