FINISHING LINES
We explore the dark art of refinishing with our panel who explain that expertise in this area is imperative, whether you’re into nitro or poly finishes
When it comes to collectability, an original finish is all important. Historically, a non-original finish could potentially devalue a guitar by up to 50 per cent – equating to several thousand pounds when it comes to the likes of a pre-CBS Fender. However, as far as guitars go, one person’s trash is another’s treasure, and as players increasingly seek out refinished instruments, not only do they continue to save vast amounts of cash but they can also relieve themselves of the anxiety associated with handling a precious item (even if it is being used for its intended purpose!). After all, devaluing a guitar isn’t exactly what most people want to think about when they’re trying to concentrate on practising, writing and performing music.
“Refins are a no-no for collectors and purists,” says guitar dealer Richard Henry. “But for players who want the vibe and sound of a vintage guitar without having to remortgage their house, they are a good way to go. Having said that, a Strat with a refin body might still set you back several thousand quid. Teles are generally a little bit cheaper but for an early 60s refin Tele you probably won’t get much change out of five grand. And a Blackguard will be about 10 to 12 grand, depending on how far it’s gone.”
One advantage of buying a refinished guitar is that you can normally have it refinished again as you see fit, without worrying about devaluing the instrument any further. Although there are such bargains to be had on the used market, the quality of refinishes varies wildly, with the handiwork on some guitars being leagues ahead of others.
“There are good refinishes and bad refinishes,” concurs guitar expert Luke Hobbs of Gardiner Houlgate auction house. “If you’ve got something like a Clive Brown refinish, it’s a great selling point. Having his name against a guitar – if and when you come to sell it – is generally a good thing. A Clive Brown refinish is like an investment in itself.
“There are only a handful of people I would recommend, Clive being one and Angela Arnott being another. She builds great guitars, [under the name of ] 42nd Street Guitars, and she does fantastic refinishes as well. There’s definitely an argument for sending a guitar to the right place if you need to get it done.
“For players who want the vibe and sound of a vintage guitar without having to remortgage their house, refins are a good way to go”
I think the general consensus is that it would be silly to refinish a valuable guitar if it has its original finish but if it’s, say, a 60s guitar with some horrible poly refin that’s been done in the 70s, then there is an argument for finding the right person to strip that off and put a quality finish on.”
“The biggest difference between a good refinish and a bad one is the person doing it,” agrees Scott Cameron of SC Relics. “That’s the weakest point. Lots of the DIY guys use aerosols, and there’s nothing wrong with that but you can’t mix anything. That’s when you start to see things like the ‘Manchester City’ Sonic Blue. There are two brands that are particularly good, however: Rothko & Frost and Manchester Guitar Tech. But by the time you’ve bought a can of sealer, two cans of colour, two cans of
“The biggest difference between a good refinish and a bad one is the person doing it”
clearcoat and a can of tint, you could be spending 100 quid. People who do this professionally, we all have one gun that will be buried with us!”
From DIY enthusiasts to the professionals at the top of their game, refinishing guitars has become an art in itself. And while some players enjoy keeping their instruments in blemish-free condition, there are those who prefer to embrace the ‘1,000 dings are better than one’ school of thought with a relic finish.
“There are just as many people out there who like the shiny thick stuff as there are those who want a thinner finish, regardless of whether it’s been aged or not,” continues Scott. “And that’s where we come in. The general feedback with relics seems to be that people like them because they’re not scared of marking them up – they don’t have to be careful around them. They can scratch them and chip them accidentally and it just doesn’t matter. People like checking because then you know it’s nitro, whereas NOS nitro from a distance looks just like urethane. And that’s not what people are going for. They’re generally going for the look of an old guitar that hasn’t been completely trashed.
“I’ve always said guitarists play with their eyes. If you like the look of a guitar, you’ll probably want to pick it up and then the next thing is you’ll want to hear it. We are led with our eyes, especially guitarists. If you like the look of something, even if the rest of it isn’t 100 per cent, you might be inclined to think, ‘I can get my tech to sort that out,’ or, ‘I can just get hold of a new pickup from
Bare Knuckle or Monty’s or whoever.’ It’s probably got more to do with the aesthetics than anything else but people also love that thin feel of a nitro finish. People are fascinated by aged necks. They are so difficult to do. I spend longer on necks than I do on bodies. Having played old Fenders, it became a personal goal to get that almost frictionless feel. People will often just send their necks over to get sorted out. Sometimes they’re brand-new necks that I’ll take right down to the wood and start over with.
“Everything that we’ve done in nitro sounds absolutely killer but I must say some of the best-sounding guitars I’ve played are urethane finished. One of the best-sounding Strats I ever had was a 2008 Candy Cola urethane finish guitar that I sold to help fund SC Relics! I recently stripped about half a pound of urethane finish – 7.9 ounces to be exact – off a bass. And there won’t be anything near the same amount of nitro. I’ll be interested to hear the difference once it’s finished.” [RB]
“People like relics because they’re not scared of marking them up – they don’t have to be careful around them”