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Thunderbird Finish

S

Simo98

Jun 18, 2009
805
9
34
QLD, Australia
#1
Hey guys.

I have an epiphone thunderbird goth, and was wondering wheather the finish is poly or nitro.

im assuming poly, as it feels plasticy (That should be a word if it isn't already)

the reason im asking is that i am planning to refinish it, and have heard that poly can be stripped back by heat gun or thinners instead of sanding.

just wanted to check which type it was before i spend time reseaching the best way to remove it :)

Oh, and if this is in the wrong section go ahead an move it, wasn't sure if it belonged in 'repairs' or not.
Thanks
 
#3
Poly for sure. Nitro is generally reserved for retro or ultra traditional models. Check the manufacturer website specs to be sure. Assuming poly it's going to be a bear to get off. Unlike nitro, that responds well to stripper, only the strongest strippers will touch polyester or polyurethane. Heat guns have been used with some success, but be careful (for totally obvious reasons). Usually the refin protocol for a finish like that is to leave the existing finish on (it's a great platform for a new finish) and just prep-sand and paint over it.
 
#5
I bought the bass as a project bass, so most of the finish has already been sanded back, unfortunatly there are a couple of bits where the previous owner has sanded into part of the middle built up part, so ill need to even that out.

It seems he didn't realise there were better ways of doing it, looks like it was a bit of a mission for him.

There are only a few small patches of finish left for me to get off around the bridge and the electronics panel. im thinking i might just sand it off. The edge of the bass is also still left with the finish on, but i think i might leave it like that.

Any suggestions for the Refinish? I have a myriad of different hardwear sitting around for it to match most colours.

Im thinking of leaving the black around the edge, having the wings natrual with a clear coat or something, and then doing the middle strip black, front and back.
 
#7
Do you have a picture of the goth sanded down? I'm thinking of sanding mine down and leaving a natural finish but i was curious to know if it's plywood or whatever underneath. The way I understand it is that the 2 "wings" are glued to the main middle piece which would be fine as long as they're solid wood and not plywood layers like on most cheaper bass bodies.
 

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