Spectrum LX finish

So I got a beat-up Spectrum LX for $50. I'm going to refinish it, and I'm not sure what to do with it. I already have two dark burst (tobacco & sunburst) guitars, and a cherry SG. What creative (but not incredibly intensive) stuff can I do with either white, black, or another color (or mix)?

Hey Joe.
Well first of all congrats on grabbing this for $50!
Pix would be helpful in assessing the extent of the current finish, but be warned that if you are contemplating removal of the original finish you will be into a world o' pain! It's catalyzed polyester, it's thick, and tougher than an overdone steak.

Without seeing it, my general recommendation would be to drop fill the dings, sand and polish it with finishing compond. Or, scuff it up and repaint in the same or similar colour (easiest path). If you're the daring sort with enough time, stripping the finish chemically then sanding to bare wood can be done (not so easy). The good news is that many of these guitars reveal a wood grain that is actually quite good quality, so you might be able to entertain thoughts of an oil finish or transparent stain of some sort. I did this with a Vantage Avenger and it worked out very nicely.

That's not all bad news. I picked it as a senior project and was worried about it filling up enough time (was trying to find mods to fill more time). I plan to chemically strip it, and was considering a stain if the grain is nice.
From the non-project standpoint, it definitely could do without a full refinish, but I'm going to do it. I couldn't find another guitar (in more or less need of refinishing) for less (I got this from a friend). The neck is actually far worse off, but I'm going to send it to a professional nearby.

Thanks for the info.

Black and white - how about the original Van Halen guitar from the first album cover?

Green + red, lovely! + yellow

colt933 wrote:Black and white - how about the original Van Halen guitar from the first album cover?

Naw...I'd prefer something smoother.

Westbone wrote:Green + red, lovely! + yellow

Green and red? I'd only be able to play it around Christmas...

With the paint on these things you'll still be stripping /sanding at Christmas,

If your thinking of chemicaly stripping it I wouldn't have it dipped. It will eat at the glue of the joined pieces and f up the timber.

I was going to do it as described here.

Change of plans - I switched my senior project to another topic (thought it was safer as far as grade). I'll just be repairing the finish now.

This should probably go in the technical section now.

Sorry for the sucky quality, but here it is. How should I go about fixing these? I'm slightly worried about the far left chip, which borders the burst (even more so than apparent in the photo).

You use a technique called "drop filling" which involves touching in with matching paint and using "superglue" to build up to match the lacquer finish.

The web is littered with examples and instructions.

Hoax