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Hi all.
I am about to start a refinish on a Gibson SJ-200. It has the moustache style bridge.

Is it easier to pull the bridge to do the refinish or to leave it on.

Hoping someone has done one of these before!

Thanks

Rick Gunn

A suggestion - - - one person's opinion - - - for the good of the instrument and to help to do a high-quality restoration, maybe OP could bring the instrument to a luthier for disassembly and advice as to how to proceed. There's so many questions whose answers are part of a discussion, the disposition of the bridge being just one of many. Hate to see a potentially good instrument wasted. And a forum like this one can provide answers to specific questions but I think general refinishing instructions are beyond the practical scope of a forum, there's just too much to address.

Sorry to have asked a question at all!

Just seeing if anyone else has done this with this type bridge.

I only asked here in case it may have helped someone else down the road.

Never again!

Thanks

I can tell you that to do the best refinish you need to pull the bridge is possible. Can you send a pic of the bridge.
One nice thing as that the chances are this was possible in the HHG era.

One can't get information without asking a question and having done my share of refins I would as these 3 questions
A how much of the original finish is left
B what work is being or going to be done
C what is the over all condition of the original finish

there are times an over spray may be the way to go. Without having a hands on evaluation I can't say 100% what needs to be done
so
post a few pics of the guitar so we can assess the finish and the work being done.
Gibson also finished the guitars with the necks attached

this may be a topic where we can all learn somethingeven valuable

When a Gibson refinish is absolutely required I prefer to remove the bridge AND remove the neck. Here is a link to a 1970 Gibson B-25 that I just returned to the customer. Someone previous to the present owner had covered it in what appeared to be Minwax finish. It had started chunking off pieces of the reapplied finish and original finish with it.

https://www.facebook.com/pg/Apex-Custom ... 6646112763

Thanks John and Tim!

Removing the bridge now.

Rick Gunn

I've not worked on Gibson's, but i have and am working on old Martin's. I remove the bridge to refinish, but i wait until a guitar needs a neck reset. The new finish will goop at the edges of the bridge and fretboard extension, which is unattractive and unprofessional.

This is a great forum for questions like this.

There are experts in all phases of building and restorations on this forum. For instance, Brian Howard is a finish expert, who will answer questions. If you'll check out the "Get to know the pros" area of the forum, for information on some of these people.

watergunn wrote:Sorry to have asked a question at all!

Just seeing if anyone else has done this with this type bridge.

I only asked here in case it may have helped someone else down the road.

Never again!

Thanks

Please don't be afraid to ask any questions. This forum is the perfect place to ask this question, and is an excellent resource for all questions pertaining to building, repairs, and restorations. There are people here who will answer your questions. If we don't have the answer, we'll endeavor to help you find the answer..

What Diane said.... This is a friendly bunch, and while phavriluk's answer may not have been the one you were looking for, I'm sure it was intended to he helpful. When responding to a question, one does not know how much the person asking the question knows, so assumptions get made.

Refinishing an old guitar may or may not be advisable, for a host of reasons. A new glossy finish on an old rare guitar would destroy much of its value to a collector, for instance. (Maybe you're already aware of that; I have no way of knowing.)

Anyway....keep asking questions!

thats what we do.
ask away we all wish to be helpful