OK, I know and agree with the consensus about messing with the finish on old instruments. BUT, what if it's really a mess? My brother just bought an old Gibson (guitar, but same would apply to a mandolin), 1910, I think he said. He said it looks "like a blind person shellacked it with a really big paint brush."
Now, that seems like a good candidate for a refinish, to me. So, should he strip it, and do it all over again, or just sand or steel wool the worst of the brushstrokes off?
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