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I'm So Tired Of Sunburst I could Puke


Chad Thorne

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As has been mentioned on this forum recently, good quality lefty guitars are harder to come by than their righty counterparts. When you do, they're usually either black or sunburst. Both my Tele and my Strat are sunburst.

 

I'm developing a wild hair to refin my Strat. Red, Lake Placid Blue, Piss Yellow, Puke Green - I almost don't care what color.

 

My question: Should I strip the finish off, sand 'n seal, than paint, or just go to town with a can of Krylon? :D

 

 

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Originally posted by Geoff B.:

Why not get a replacement body from Warmoth or Mighty Mite, or someone & use that - keep the original good & packed away.

 

G.

I think this is the best way to go Chad. You never know you might want to sell that axe someday and having it resprayed might cost you packet on the resale value.

Born on the Bayou

 

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As you say, lefty Strats don't come in many colors, so even a great refin would be viewed as an anomaly. I'm not a big sunbust fan myself, but my 175 and J200 came that way used, so I live with it. The body Geoff found would cost less than a decent refin, and you'd have the original for when you needed to sell, or just to go back to for a change of pace.
Never a DUH! moment! Well, almost never. OK, OK! Sometimes never!
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My Strat has zero collector's value; it's a parts-o-caster with a MIM Fender maple neck, Mighty Mite alder sunburst (ack) body, Callaham bridge, Texas Special pickups with a Deaf Eddie Fat-O-Caster switch in it. Oh, and black duct tape on the pickguard to prevent static electricity from my fingers...A spray paint job couldn't hurt its collector value at all. I also believe guitars are meant to be played, not collected.

 

I'm thinking hot pink...

 

 

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I've never understood sunburst finish. I wont mince words: I've found it unspeakably vile ever since the first time I laid eyes on it. (THERE! I said it!)

 

The only thing that looks worse (IMHO) than a sunburst finish is the sunburst finish on LP juniors, where it goes from black to orange in a couple of millimetres. It looks like a fricking creme brulee.

 

And yet, sunburst is one of The Most Popular Finishes Ever. perhaps it is THE Most Popular etc.

 

What do you guys LIKE about it?

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I've has three sunburst guitars, an Ibanez, an Burns/Baldwin and a Hagstrom, and only because that was the only finish available at the time.

 

I believe the Burns & the Hagstrom were available in Blonde, but I couldn't sourse one at the time.

 

I've seen the Ibanez Studio in a white painted finish - I think it looks dreadful in that - anyway it's only a partial sunburst - more Honeyburst(!!??!!).

 

Like you, I've never been KO'd by Sunburst, although I think the Strat actually looks 'Classic' in it.

 

The finish that really turns me off is the 'Run It Through The Cat One-More-Time' Yellow you get on LP Jrs - Known as TV Yellow, I believe.

 

Geoff

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power the World will know Peace": Jimi Hendrix

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=738517&content=music

The Geoff - blame Caevan!!!

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Originally posted by Geoff B.:

The finish that really turns me off is the 'Run It Through The Cat One-More-Time' Yellow you get on LP Jrs - Known as TV Yellow, I believe.

You mean like this?

 

http://www.guitargonauts.com/pick-32.html

 

I don't like that either. Looks very Teisco and Japanesey.

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Actually no, that's another Sunburst variant - I'm off out now , so I don't have time to search, but this is an opaque all-yellow finish, seemingly formulated to show up well under TV lights for black & white TV in the 60's.

 

G.

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power the World will know Peace": Jimi Hendrix

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=738517&content=music

The Geoff - blame Caevan!!!

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I don't recommend your refinishing it particularly if you like its current sound, as it can also change the sound, tone, etc. Stevie Ray's No. 1 Strat was one of the most beat up sunburst guitars alive with large sections of the finish gone but that guitar had character (and incredible tone).

 

Long ago a guitar tech friend gave me a pointer on buying new guitars. He recommended getting a guitar with a transparent (e.g. natural) or semi transparent body (e.g. the bursts) in lieu of solid painted colors. The reason is that the manufacuturer must use a better grade of wood on transparent bodies as knots voids etc. would be easily visible and unsightly. However, with a solid painted color, you never know what's under the paint job (i.e. large pits and voids filled with bondo??). This is why on some guitars, they charge extra for transparent and semi transparent bodies.

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Originally posted by Lancer:

I don't recommend your refinishing it particularly if you like its current sound, as it can also change the sound, tone, etc. Stevie Ray's No. 1 Strat was one of the most beat up sunburst guitars alive with large sections of the finish gone but that guitar had character (and incredible tone)...

You make a point. In fact I'm probably too lazy to actually take my guitar apart to refinish it. Maybe I should just throw it around the stage and stand on it, as SRV did, to give it some character. "Relic'd!" :D

 

 

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Sunburst? I never owned a guitar with a sunburst finish, but always thought it looked pretty.

 

There! I SAID it! Kramer, do you want to go toe to toe? Do you want to throw down and get it on?

 

Seriously, guitars are like women in a way. As long as I think she's beautiful, who cares what anybody else thinks??

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Originally posted by Eric Iverson:

Seriously, guitars are like women in a way. As long as I think she's beautiful, who cares what anybody else thinks??

Ok, and I can say I hate sunburst finishes.

 

 

Sounds like a Hank Williams song, don't it? "I'm so tired of sunburst, I could cry" ;)

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Vince, your eyes are getting very sleepy, now your eyelids are getting so heavy you must sleep, now listen to my words...I LOVE sunburst,I realize that Ellwood Loves sunburst, I don't want to upset Ellwood,it'n not nice to disagree with Ellwood.... When you awake Vince you will feel refreshed and will start looking for those beautiful sunburst Ellwood signiture models. :eek::evil:
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