1981 Gibson LP Standard Bahama Blue

year of production: 1981
model: Gibson LP Standard
factory finish: Tobacco Sunburst

new finish: Bahama Blue
style of new finish: Aged
scope of work: duplicate mop Gibson logo; new fibre veneer; new silkscreen LPM; nylon nut; complete refinish

What if you’re an LP fan and you bought a Norlin Gibson that you want to makeover, but you already have every year of the Historic Reissue series in all the classic Sunburst shades?

To the #innitro workshop came a Gibson LP Standard in Tobacco Sunburst from 1981. The guitar looked like it had been owned by a heavy cigar smoker, because the clear nitro had turned dark orange, reacted, and started to roll under the fingers. Sanding and polishing unfortunately didn’t help. In addition, there were extra holes on the front of the headstock from the Kahler string lock screws.

The current owner asked for a refinish, but was hesitant about the color. Knowing his guitar collection, I suggested a bold move. In the early 80s, Gibson introduced the Bahama Blue finish. It could be a limited color, because there aren’t many guitars from that period finished in this way. For our project, it would be the perfect color: we would pay homage to the Gibson history while also diversifying the client’s guitar collection.

I started by removing the varnish. This is a classic construction for this period: a mahogany, one-piece body. A maple, three-piece neck with a volute. An unusual but common two-piece top (it usually had three parts).

I only use nitro paints for my work, and over time they settle on every wood joint – so there was no chance to permanently mask the screw holes on the front of the headstock. So, taking the opportunity, I peeled off the original fiber overlay and made an identical overlay with a new, 1:1 recreated Gibson logo – but without those extra holes. I glued the overlay, installed a nylon saddle and started spraying: nitro sealer, color, and finally clear with a touch of vintage tint so that the bindings and logo would change their shade to amber.

Since the guitar already had naturally cracked binding and beautifully naturally patinated keys, I aged the entire finish: I added weather checking, patina, a few small chips to make it look as old as it really is.

This was a really cool project. Sunbursts are beautiful, but sometimes it’s worth doing something different to spice up your life.

Kuba Olejnik