2005 Gibson LP Standard Royal Tea Burst

year of production: 2005
model: Gibson LP Standard Premium
factory finish: Trans Amber

new finish: Royal Tea Burst
style of new finish: Factory Gloss
scope of work: true ABR conversion; top carve correction; top refinish

Sometimes a nice top can be hidden behind a poor finish. Just a pinch of nitro and a little magic and everything will start to look different. That was the case here.

A 2005 Gibson LP Standard in the factory Amber finish came to the #InNitro workshop. The owner asked me to convert it to a real ABR, to correct the carve profile and to refinish the top. The LP Standards from the 2002-2008 generation have a good technical specification: backs from a single piece of mahogany, a narrow headstock shape in the style of the 50s LP, bushing tuners, and rich maple tops. As of 2019, you will not find such tops in the basic Gibson USA line.

I started the work by removing the varnish. I pluged the Nashville bridge holes. I improved the contour of the top. In the next steps, I moved on to varnishing: sealer, colors of sunburst and clear coats. Of course, everything here is 100% nitro.

During varnishing, this guitar had a problem with “fish eyes” (fats and silicones contained in the wood came out). The newly applied varnish left craters. In the case of the sunburst finish, you have to be very careful not to ruin the finish during the repair. This time I succeeded. Finally, I removed the ‘orange peel’ and buffed the whole thing in my Factory Gloss style.

And what do you think: better before or after?