Jump to content
Hamer Fan Club Message Center
  • 0

Refinishing Cost


dboy66

Question

Recommended Posts

You have to be WAY more specific...you might as well ask "How much does a car cost?"

The answer to your question depends on several things...here are a few.

1. What kind of finish?

2. Bolt neck or set or neck through?

3. Do you want the finish done at a factory or by an individual?

These just scratch the surface. Until you get more specific, nobody can answer your question.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Depends on a number of factors - some can more than double the price.

Basic charge for a Fender-style, bolt-on body is usually the starting point. Things that can add to the price include:

Type of finish - Basic opaques are usually the cheapest, then sunbursts, translucents, double-stains, metallics, flakes, etc. can get more expensive. Custom graphics will be based on the complexity and are usually added on top of basic charges. Vintage-correct restorations or aged/relic finishes also add to the price. Nitro, poly, hybrids...more choices!

Features - set necks and neck throughs, guitars with body or neck binding, etc. will cost more, as there is more labor involved (masking/scraping binding, headstock matching...).

I've been quoted anywhere from $200 to $1,500 for refins in recent years.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It also depends on the condition of the guitar to start with, the number of repairs needed to get the guitar paint ready and how many surfaces are bound if any. Another thing to consider is that a finish is not where you want to go with the cheapest or quickest guy because proper prep, finishing and drying takes time. Quality work by a pro company will cost more than one done by a individual/part timer, but in most cases it's worth the money for the quality of the finished product. In some cases attaching a known name to show who did the work can even help in the sale of a guitar because you have the reputation of the painter/company working in your favor.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You have to be WAY more specific...you might as well ask "How much does a car cost?"

The answer to your question depends on several things...here are a few.

1. What kind of finish?

2. Bolt neck or set or neck through?

3. Do you want the finish done at a factory or by an individual?

These just scratch the surface. Until you get more specific, nobody can answer your question.

...well, how much does a car cost?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You have to be WAY more specific...you might as well ask "How much does a car cost?"

...well, how much does a car cost?

Tree-fitty.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You have to be WAY more specific...you might as well ask "How much does a car cost?"

...well, how much does a car cost?

Tree-fitty.

Oh.

With or without OHSC?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

yeah, sorry about that. I really didnt give you too much to go on there. I was thinking about refinishing an old special that has a pretty beaten red finish.

$650ish is a good starting point depending on what you have in mind for color.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was thinking about refinishing an old special that has a pretty beaten red finish.

Hmmmm....still not a whole lot of info there. Define old...also, trans red or opaque? Sorry bro, but you have to be as specific as you can before anyone can nail it down for you. Don't some of the older Specials have binding? I know the later ones are slab mahogany, but don't the older ones have a maple veneer with binding? That can have a huge impact on price.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Specials = no binding :blink:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Specials = no binding :blink:

This isn't really part of the conversation, but I gotta say: This talk of "Specials" has me *extremely* missing my '80 Special w/ the Kahler trem...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey, thanks to all for the great info. I'm getting the feeling though that refinning is waaaaay too expensive for the guitar in question. I mean, checkerboards are going for what, about $400 clams these days? Sheesh! I think I may be having a yard sale soon.

DR

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey, thanks to all for the great info. I'm getting the feeling though that refinning is waaaaay too expensive for the guitar in question. I mean, checkerboards are going for what, about $400 clams these days? Sheesh! I think I may be having a yard sale soon.

DR

If you decide you want to sell it as is let me know.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

well, while we are on the subject...

I have a Steinberger GR, OLD, and need to have it refretted (some of the frets are "popping"(I can press them down and they spring back up, not enought to make it unplayable if I stay in the top 9 frets, but above there it gets buzzy) and the finish is shot to hell and back. So when I talked to the folks at Peekamoose (the Steinberger forums name them as the best place to have work done on old Steinies) they told me not to get a refin because they used some sort of gel-coat or some such thing. Now I can believe this because there are several places that the wood is visible and several where there are clearly layers of paint/gel that go from the red through to silver and black before the wood, and the black esp. seems really thick. They said that to mess with the finish would change the tone too much.

What sort of finish is on the old Steinbergers (this is the wood body, not really cool paddle ones) and why couldnt the same sort of finish be re-applied?

and since I bought it for $400, and the refret is gonna be close to that, and a refin even more, is it even worth it? Of course, only I can answer that question, how much do I love it?

Well, the refret is necessary (unless I only play home position chords), and the refin is cosmetic.

just curious

Link to comment
Share on other sites

well, while we are on the subject...

I have a Steinberger GR, OLD, and need to have it refretted (some of the frets are "popping"(I can press them down and they spring back up, not enought to make it unplayable if I stay in the top 9 frets, but above there it gets buzzy) and the finish is shot to hell and back. So when I talked to the folks at Peekamoose (the Steinberger forums name them as the best place to have work done on old Steinies) they told me not to get a refin because they used some sort of gel-coat or some such thing. Now I can believe this because there are several places that the wood is visible and several where there are clearly layers of paint/gel that go from the red through to silver and black before the wood, and the black esp. seems really thick. They said that to mess with the finish would change the tone too much.

What sort of finish is on the old Steinbergers (this is the wood body, not really cool paddle ones) and why couldnt the same sort of finish be re-applied?

and since I bought it for $400, and the refret is gonna be close to that, and a refin even more, is it even worth it? Of course, only I can answer that question, how much do I love it?

Well, the refret is necessary (unless I only play home position chords), and the refin is cosmetic.

just curious

The Steinberger guitars used a polyester finish. It is very thick, hard and just about impossible to remove. I personally don't think removing it would hurt the sound and in fact it would most likely sound better with say a thin polyurethane or lacquer finish. The polyester finish could be put back just as it is if you want as well. As it's already been noted in this topic refinishing is not cheap, Only you can decide if it's something you want to do. I will say in every case a really beat original finish will be worth more than a refin, so the refin is going to hurt the value (if that matters to you). a refinisher will also have to reapply the Steinberger logo to the body to do the job right. Again I,d say the finish will cost as much or more than what you paid for the guitar.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Steinberger guitars used a polyester finish. It is very thick, hard and just about impossible to remove. I personally don't think removing it would hurt the sound and in fact it would most likely sound better with say a thin polyurethane or lacquer finish. The polyester finish could be put back just as it is if you want as well. As it's already been noted in this topic refinishing is not cheap, Only you can decide if it's something you want to do. I will say in every case a really beat original finish will be worth more than a refin, so the refin is going to hurt the value (if that matters to you). a refinisher will also have to reapply the Steinberger logo to the body to do the job right. Again I,d say the finish will cost as much or more than what you paid for the guitar.

Thanks! I dont play it because it looks nice (I just got it out to play it) and it is probably my most beatable guitar, so no refin it is!

This is a fount of wisdom, thanks everyone, Roy esp!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It is surprising to read about a thick polyester finish because Music Man and Tom Anderson use polyester as a thin finish.

What would make the difference in thickness?

Look at a 70s Fender or a Jackson guitar if you want to see thick polyester finish. I've got two MM basses and have a Tom Anderson in shop right now and while they are not Fender thick they are far from being a thin finish. Thickness is all about what you use the finish for and how you spray it. Some companies grain fill and seal the wood very well and only use the polyester for color and clear coat. Others like Jackson and Fender don't fill the grain they spray several thick coats of polyester primer/sealer that gets sanded level before the color and clear are sprayed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

yeah, sorry about that. I really didnt give you too much to go on there. I was thinking about refinishing an old special that has a pretty beaten red finish.

$650ish is a good starting point depending on what you have in mind for color.

:lol: there goes my project....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

yeah, sorry about that. I really didnt give you too much to go on there. I was thinking about refinishing an old special that has a pretty beaten red finish.

$650ish is a good starting point depending on what you have in mind for color.

:lol: there goes my project....

Really it does not always mean that. It's all about how badly you want a "dream guitar" more than just what a normal guitar sells for. I still think everyone should read this post.

http://www.hamerfanclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=36029

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I apologize, my comment was uninformed , and it was subjective.

I have in mind a project and is great to know price estimations, i didn't have any idea of prices

thanks for the info! :lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I apologize, my comment was uninformed , and it was subjective.

I have in mind a project and is great to know price estimations, i didn't have any idea of prices

thanks for the info! :lol:

No apology needed. I'm just trying to help people make the right choices and give them information when I can, so you can make the right choice for your project.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Look at a 70s Fender or a Jackson guitar if you want to see thick polyester finish. I've got two MM basses and have a Tom Anderson in shop right now and while they are not Fender thick they are far from being a thin finish. Thickness is all about what you use the finish for and how you spray it. Some companies grain fill and seal the wood very well and only use the polyester for color and clear coat. Others like Jackson and Fender don't fill the grain they spray several thick coats of polyester primer/sealer that gets sanded level before the color and clear are sprayed.

My first Strat was an S9 series in factory natural finish. If anyone remembers, the poly was so thick on those (and the similarly finished Teles) that if they got too cold (say, overnight in the trunk of a car as one buddy with a Tele found out) the finish would shatter. Mine was hanging in the store, shattered, which made the price in 1986 (w/o case) a reasonable $250. It was interesting because no matter how bad the finish was broken, it would not chip off the guitar. Sold it because the neck was the size of the business end of a Louisville Slugger - funny, that neck would probably appeal to me now...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...