haha i feel like this is a very dumb question, but this one is for you finishing guru's out there...would it be possible to lighten or brighten a guitar's finish?

im looking to get from this



to this



this seems really dumb even to me because in the right light the casino glows red but inside its more of a rasberry...like a deep red.

on a related note (and to somehow tie this into strats) my friend just bought a sienna sunburst strat that he would also like to lighten up a bit...it seems far redder than either of us remember seeing, and it just kind of chokes out the beautiful ash grain.

thanks guys!

_________________
Gear list:
2004 Epiphone Casino
----Peerless, USA electronics
2001 "Firewood" ES-335
----USA electronics, Gibson and DiMarzio PAFs
2001 Cort NTL20 Jumbo Acoustic
2007 Hofner Copy
Vox AC4TV/V112TV
Voice
Fingers
Cowbell

read up on how to do properly, You can use proper buffing compounds and a good buffing wheel , you can also burn the finish if done incorrectly, but that guitar is only gonna shine as much as the factory finish is going to let it, you can not change the color by buffing it out, Greg.

_________________
The Vintage Guitar News and Views my monthly blog articles.

Hi,

Do you mean that you would like to change your guitar from the cherry red to the brighter red without refinishing?

What sort of method were you thinking might work?

I suspect he's not looking to change color but only wants a more glossy finish in which case he might want to look at adding a coat of clear. Understanding, of course it will very likely affect resonance.

_________________

Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.

Just Try Dunlop 65
Stunning results

http://www.jimdunlop.com/index.php?page ... aintenance

Maybe I'm reading it wrong by I'm understanding bynapkinart to be asking for just that - to turn a dark red into a lighter one.

Only way to do that without refinning is to let plenty of sunlight get at it. I'd be leery of doing that for other reasons, but if you feel like leaving the guitar in a south facing window for a few years you might find that most of the paint becomes a bit lighter, when compared to the lacquer that was hidden from the light beneath the pickguard.

Here's a photo lifted off an internet forum. You can see how much darker the paint is where it has been hidden from the light beneath the switch plate:



In the '50s Gibson were famously using a red tint that was not at all light-stable. (And red is often the most "fugitive" color in any case.) That's why Les Paul sunbursts from that period have faded to a sort of violin appearance. Supposedly by the end of the decade they had addressed that issue and were using much more light-fast pigments. However, the owner of this Paul says it is an '07, so it seems you can still get plenty of fading from daylight if that is what you want.

Regarding the Sienna Sunburst finish: I have that on an '05 Strat. It lives on a stand rather than in a case, and though it isn't exposed to direct sunlight it is not protected from ambient daylight in the room. I removed the pickguard quite recently and could see no fading whatsoever comparing the protected and unprotected lacquer.

Far as I'm concerned that is good! I love that dark translucent red round the edge of Fender's Sienna. Bad news from someone else's point of view, however...

Cheers - C

EDIT: more stupid spelling mistake than usual...

agreed .
It depends of one's taste but the fact is there.