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Author Topic:  Changing the color of your guitar?
Tom Campbell

 

From:
Houston, Texas, USA
Post  Posted 13 May 2015 6:09 am    
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How may of you have changed the color of your guitar and are happy with the change?

Did you change the mica...or did you use the "vinyl car wrap" method?

Thanks for your information and opinion!
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Erv Niehaus


From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
Post  Posted 13 May 2015 7:07 am    
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I changed the mica on an Excel guitar. It went from black to white.
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Jack Stoner


From:
Kansas City, MO
Post  Posted 13 May 2015 8:03 am    
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I haven't done it but I saw a Zum that had the wrap applied and it looked perfect. It was changed from purple to black and it looked like original black mica.
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chris ivey


From:
california (deceased)
Post  Posted 13 May 2015 8:12 am    
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if i weren't happy with the look of my steel i'd just put bumper stickers all over it.
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Mike Vallandigham

 

From:
Martinez, CA
Post  Posted 13 May 2015 8:31 am    
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My Excel is sparkle toothpasse blue, which I think is cool as hell.

Would I like it mint green? Yes.

It looks pretty invilved on a newer Excel, there's mica on the neck, the body, and inside the body.

You'd definitely have to take the whole thing apart.
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Mike Perlowin


From:
Los Angeles CA
Post  Posted 13 May 2015 9:56 am    
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I want to change my white Millennium to Burgundy like Archie Nichole's, but it would cost too much.
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Tom Quinn


Post  Posted 13 May 2015 11:06 am    
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Why would you change black to anything? And I only buy black guitars because they sound better. Everyone knows that...
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Herb Steiner

 

From:
Spicewood TX 78669
Post  Posted 13 May 2015 3:49 pm    
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Personally, I wouldn't arbitrarily change the color of a guitar unless there were certain factors involved to make the cost and downtime of the changeover worth it.

Those would be 1) a damaged finish requiring a refin or remica regardless of color, 2) an ugly or garish guitar that had tone and/or performance of such strength that recolorization was demanded, or 3) a different color was needed to reach a wider market when sold.

My closest friend Bobby Bowman took a great black PP and remica'ed it Derby Red. For the life of me, I remain puzzled why. Laughing Personally I would never take a black guitar and make it something else. Black is an elegant color; it reflects confidence, discretion, and gentility. There's a reason why tuxedos, the classiest of men's clothing, are black.

That's not to say that colorful guitars such as Sho~Buds, Mullens, et al. aren't beautiful in their own right. I've owned more than a few non-black guitars and still do, matter of fact. I compare the two styles thusly: The black guitar is the tuxedo of country, and the colorful guitars are the Nudie/Manuel side of things.
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Larry Lenhart


From:
Ponca City, Oklahoma
Post  Posted 13 May 2015 6:02 pm    
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Herb
I liked your analogy of the tuxedo, especially since I just got an all black Justice from Fred Smile and with the diagonal chrome on the front apron I think it looks elegant !

To answer Toms question, I had a blue mica GFI where the front apron mica was warping and coming off...I had it changed to red on the aprons only, as it would have been too expensive to have the top changed also, since everything would have to come off. As a result it was red on the aprons, blue on top and I had white fretboards installed also as the original fretboards were also warping and coming off. I thought it turned out pretty darn nice ! I could send you some before and after pictures if that would help.
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J R Rose

 

From:
Keota, Oklahoma, USA
Post  Posted 13 May 2015 6:16 pm    
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Words well spoken Herb, Thanks, J.R.
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Tom Campbell

 

From:
Houston, Texas, USA
Post  Posted 13 May 2015 6:35 pm    
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I've seen some done in the "vinyl car warp" that look great. Not the major process involved with striping and replacing mica.

I think there was a thread/posting sometime ago by a Forum member that used the wrap method.
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Tony Glassman


From:
The Great Northwest
Post  Posted 13 May 2015 7:58 pm    
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I rebuilt my black '78 P/P several years back, and sent the "bare" body to Mike Cass for a mica job after disassembly. He took about two weeks to get it back to me, while I cleaned, buffed parts and cut new changer axles from drill-rod. He did a "better than original" job at a very reasonable price


............ Of course, I kept it black.
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Phillip Ogle

 

From:
North Carolina, USA
Post  Posted 14 May 2015 3:20 am     black guitars
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black is indeed a beautiful and elegant guitar,and if l had one l'd never change it. but, everybody dont see alike. I have a red mullen, and a forum member wants to trade a black one for my red one. Color is the only difference in the two guitars. As for black sounding better!! That is a psycological hang up. JUST MY OPINION! Lol
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Phillip Ogle

 

From:
North Carolina, USA
Post  Posted 14 May 2015 3:26 am     black guitars
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black is indeed a beautiful and elegant guitar,and if l had one l'd never change it. but, everybody dont see alike. I have a red mullen, and a forum member wants to trade a black one for my red one. Color is the only difference in the two guitars. As for black sounding better!! That is a psycological hang up. JUST MY OPINION! Lol
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Tom Quinn


Post  Posted 14 May 2015 3:57 am    
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Maybe red is the new black... ;- )
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Mike Perlowin


From:
Los Angeles CA
Post  Posted 14 May 2015 5:01 am    
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Fractal art is the new black.


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Pete Burak

 

From:
Portland, OR USA
Post  Posted 14 May 2015 5:41 am    
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There are a lot of facades that interior decorators use that would work pretty good.
You could make the front of you steel look like a railroad tie, or a log, for example.
They are featherweight and could mount with poster-putty.

[/img]
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Joachim Kettner


From:
Germany
Post  Posted 14 May 2015 6:10 am    
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Is that "The Flintstones Look" Pete?
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Pete Burak

 

From:
Portland, OR USA
Post  Posted 14 May 2015 6:29 am    
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I guess so! Good One!
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mike nolan


From:
Forest Hills, NY USA
Post  Posted 14 May 2015 8:38 pm    
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Herb.....


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Ernie Renn


From:
Brainerd, Minnesota USA
Post  Posted 14 May 2015 9:28 pm    
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One of Buddy's EMCI's had interchangable from apron inserts. He had one with a TNN on it for appearances on the network. One was his name. I'm not sure how many he had, but it was pretty cool. Here's the name apron...

<center></center>
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Mike Perlowin


From:
Los Angeles CA
Post  Posted 14 May 2015 11:34 pm    
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All kidding aside, I think a navy blue guitar with one of this design in the middle of the apron would be very cool.


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Jeff Mead


From:
London, England
Post  Posted 14 May 2015 11:57 pm    
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Ernie Renn wrote:
Here's the name apron...


Most steels look pretty boring from the audience's viewpoint and most have a big blank space on the front so why not personalise yours to make it look a bit different?

I'm surprised more people don't have their names on the front of their guitars. You can get die cut vinyl stickers in any font/colour you want and even close up it looks like it's painted on. I've got gigs and sessions from people looking me up on Facebook after seeing me at a show. I even got one studio session because someone came across a photo of me online and tracked me down from the name on my steel.

So let's see some more of your custom decoration jobs.
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Jack Hanson


From:
San Luis Valley, USA
Post  Posted 15 May 2015 6:40 am    
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Jeff Mead wrote:

Most steels look pretty boring from the audience's viewpoint and most have a big blank space on the front so why not personalise yours to make it look a bit different?

When Clem Schmitz promoted a Jeff Newman seminar in the Twin Cities some years ago, Jeff had a rosewood push-pull that was decorated with International Harvester graphics. Looked pretty cool!
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Jeff Metz Jr.


From:
York, Pennsylvania, USA
Post  Posted 17 May 2015 5:02 pm     DCWV Removable Craft Tape
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I use this Removable tape when changing the appearance of my steel. Made by DCWV and is found at your local craft store (michaels, hobby lobby, Ben Franklins Etc,)
Works great on mica and Lacquer guitars, leaves no nasty residue behind. Looks good too.



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