Official Luthiers Forum!

I fixed a Les Paul that needed splines to reinforce the fix due to a previous attempt at "fixing" it (done by an incompetent "luthier").

Obviously it had to be spot-refinished because the spline was ugly, so I covered it with black burst to make it less obvious.

Les Pauls are easy because they were finished with Nitrocellulose lacquer.

Hypothetically, if I were to receive another instrument in a similar condition which requires splines and a partial refinishing, but was finished in cat poly (which sort of represent about 98% of all low to medium end factory instruments out there, even many high end instruments like Taylor), how can I do a partial refinish for a cat poly instrument? I can't spray cat poly so that's out of the question, but I could use lacquer. For touch ups it's less of a deal but what about a partial refinish?

Do I strip down the entire neck, refinish it, and charge higher for those?

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Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

I think you have two options...either strip and refinish or overspray the entire neck. It is possible to spray lacquer over cat poly, but I would sand with 180 or 220 to create a good mechanical bond.

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John