Gibson Gold Top

[Km1000seth]

Hey,

does anyone here know how to do a gibson gold top finish, like on a les paul? I wouldnt mind finishing my mando like that

Seth

You will anger the mando gods from on high......... http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mad.gif

Thou shall not make Gold mandos

[Km1000seth]

hehe

[Km1000seth]

there aint nothin wrong with a gold top mando

Thall shall not bare false witness to the mando gods.... http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mad.gif

you will be smited...

[Km1000seth]

C'mon, Mav, whats so "WRONG" bout a gold top mando, really.

[Km1000seth]

?

oh its fine with me.. I just know the mando gods don't like it http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[John Soper]

The mando gods might like a goldtop 'lectric mando, tho...:;):

Stew Mac has a book about finishing instruments that "recreates" the reciepes for many classic finishes, including (I think) the LP goldtop.

Beware of the copyright/trademark lawyers from a certain large instrument company...

[John Jesseph]

It's in the Stew Mac book. That is on my to-do list, but not high on my priority list. As I recall, the finish wasn't acoustic-friendly, and would need to be modified, otherwise it would too thick and would muffle the sound.

Out to the shop for neck profiling.......

[Jim Hilburn]

Art stores, and I'm pretty sure Hobby Lobby carry finely ground gold powder, which is in fact ground brass. You make a strong mixture of this in lacquer, and spray it on till you have complete coverage, no wood showing through.
You have to stir it often since it tends to settle to the bottom.
Once you have the gold on, you do several clear top coats.
If you want to go the next step and make it a candy apple red, you mix red stain in your lacquer and overcoat the gold so you can see it through the red tint, then clearcoat.

[peterbc]

I think a gold top mando would be great, acoustic or electric... Post pictures as soon as you do it!

[John Bertotti]

There was a finish topic on this not to long ago. I thought it was here but couldn't find it. The only other place I may have read it is in the newer luthiers forum. Try looking here.luthiers forum (http://luthierforum.com/index.php?act=idx)

[Km1000seth]

Well, i dont want a full gold mandolin, I want to leave my hight fig. back and side and almost do a finish like Jim Hilburn did with that "black on blonde", but, what was that someone was saying bout it being too "THICK" of a finish?

[Km1000seth]

err, high fig

[grsnovi]

I suspect that the weight of the metal powder combined with the number of clear coats needed to get a glass smooth finish on top of the powder would combine to render your top nearly toneless. Its one thing to put a finish like that on a solid slab of maple and another to put it on a relatively small top that needs to vibrate to yield any tone one might recognize as mandolin-ish.

Mando gods have spoken.... Curse the metal flakes http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mad.gif

[John Bertotti]

Just read my post and deleted it, funny the routes your brain runs after a 18 hour work day. John

[Darryl Wolfe]

Get real...............get some automotive "basecoat" in a gold metallic color you like.....then clear it and go on. #Let any poly based "basecoat" dry for 3-4 day before attempting to coat with nitro,,,

basic electric guitar 101

[brythemandolinguy]

Use gold leaf, its a hell of a lot easier than pounding out your wifes engagement ring.... http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif It'l give you the distressed gold look tho, you'll see small crinkles and the like, but its super thin and light, not exacltly goldtop-esque, but its gold.

[Km1000seth]

hmm, i like the Basecoat idea, id have to say the gold leaf would look awsome, but it seems to me that it would want to peel from the vibrating, and start to give you SHHSH-ing sound after a few weeks

[London Al]

I checked out The Guitar Player Repair Guide by Dan Earlwine about this. 1 water based yellow stain 2 white sanding sealer, 3 Crescent bronze powder mixed with lacquer (order from a Sherwin-Williams dealer) 4, 4-6 clear lacquer coats.Over here on the Island next to France we dont have Sherwin-Williams so I'd be inclined to take our man from the F5 journal's advice, get real, and get a can of 'gold' from the local auto store. The mando Gods can get as uppity as they like about all this, I think it would look great on a solid electric instrument. If you're suggesting it for an acoustic instrument though your just being daft, as we say over here
Yours with interest
Al

[mandorado]

I think it's ok to build a gold mando ... you just can't worship it ... Hmmm. Maybe it's not a good idea. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[brythemandolinguy]

well, the gold leaf would not peel because it gets covered in a coat of laquer, or clearcoat of youre choice.

I think it would look cool.

But I have dibs on a blacktop with gold leafe accents on it. Such as doves, crosses or any other adornement I would fancy :P

[London Al]

Are we heading towards the "Holy Grail mandolin" here? Or the 'Mando of destiny'
or even better - 'The Dead Sea Scroll'?
Al

[PCypert]

Just be careful. You could end up with the Palomino burst.

[Km1000seth]

heh, I love the MIXED oppinions on this site MANDOINCAFE RULES!, ah, anyway, im gonna try the base coat idea, just not on the mando. for now. but i do have another question. I was thinkin bout just plain gold laquer. my dad says theres no way I could do a good job on it as my fisrt time laquering, but i dissagree, im planning on putting 110% into the finish on this mando. dad thinks that the laquer would completely ruin the sound, is that true, and if so why is laquer still used on some real expensive mandos? i dont think it would kill the tone, i think it wouldnt HELP it, but. is there a trick to using it on a mando? maybe thinning it or somthin? anyway thats it.

Seth