Blonde washburn jethro burns

**MASadict** · Dec-15-2006, 9:09am

In the early summer I purchased a new Washburn Jethro Burns model. #Since I am not a seasoned mando player, I was unaware of some details of mando sound/finish. #After visiting the Gibson store in Nashville, and playing a distressed F5, I made some assumptions (usually not a good thing to do). #If a fretboard has 24 frets on it, not that you'll use them, you should get good sound on them. #My Washburn, at the 20th fret sounded like "tink" and the Gibson, at its 24th fret sounded like "ting" (so much for technical jargon). #I realize there is only a $25,000 difference in the two mandolins, but maybe there was something to the finish part of it. #Having had a Mid Mo M1W made by Mike Dulak, I called him and picked his brain. #He said the stuff on some of these mandolins is extremely hard and if I felt adventurous I could probably grind off the shiny finish and actually get a better sound. #Not being too excited about grinding my new mando, I took off the tailpiece and did a little experiment on the finish under it. #As it turns out, the finish around the edges was somewhere between 1/16 and 3/32" thick. #So, I found a stripper (chemical) and went to town. #Then my biggest fan, my wife, said you'll never finish it. #That was all I needed. #After nearly 100 hours of scraping and sanding, I got the front and back clean (not perfect). #At this point I had to see what it sounded like, so I reassembled it (I didn't strip the sides). #I could not believe the sound. #Is it possible that a little ol' $600 mando could sound so good with just a little less finish? #Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated.

**Mark Walker** · Dec-15-2006, 9:47am

On a similar note, I have an old Sears-Roebuck fiddle (circa 1890's) that my Dad gave me. It had about an 1/8-inch thick coat of shellac on it, (put on in the late 1940's) and sounded like mud.
After stripping the shellac off, I sent it to Ken Ratcliff's (Silver Angel Mandolins) 90-year old father, Luke 'Buddy' Ratcliff. He re-graduated the top, re-finished it, and before he shipped it back to me, he had some well-known fiddle players clammoring for it! It's really 'opened up' and 'barks' now!

So I think your efforts were well worth it, and it often CAN and DOES make a difference!

**MASadict** · Dec-15-2006, 9:59am

I had originally planned to stip the thing completely. But when I disassembled it, I found the verneer on the peghead was plastic! How rude! Now if I press further I'll have to find someone that can replace it with a real wood verneer, maybe I can have one custom made with "The Bill" on it...:D

**Jim Garber** · Dec-15-2006, 11:37am

Originally Posted by (MASadict @ Dec. 15 2006, 10:59)

maybe I can have one custom made with "The Bill" on it...:D

Shouldn't it say "The Jethro"?

Jim

**fatt-dad** · Dec-15-2006, 11:39am

Did you use any chemical solvents (i.e., methylene chloride, etc.) to help remove the finish? This stuff also raises the grain, so it would have to be followed by some fine sanding, etc. but I've often wondered whether you could just do a mando-dip on these heavy-finished Pac-Rim jobs and wake them up a little. . . . .

f-d

**markishandsome** · Dec-16-2006, 12:01pm

Any pics of the back? Doesn't look half bad natural. I think a sunburst on top of all that rope binding and busy fingerboard is just too much. Nice work

**donavit** · Dec-16-2006, 12:42pm

Take a look at the Washburn or any comprable priced new mando and note how far the fretboard extension goes out onto the top of the instrument. Compare this to any Gibson, for instance, and you will see that the better mandolins have more "air" beneath tha fretboard extension. The heavy epoxy or laquer finish dampens the top tremendously as you described. Spraying laquer is cheeper than finish sanding, etc.
Guy D.

**Bill Snyder** · Dec-16-2006, 2:03pm

Originally Posted by (donavit @ Dec. 16 2006, 12:42)

... Spraying laquer is cheeper than finish sanding, etc.
Guy D.

Huh?
Many of the HIGH priced mandolins have sprayed lacquer finishes. Several of the cheap instruments have a polyester finish, as do a few of the nicer mandolins and guitars (such as Mario Proulx's).
There are several finishes that can be used on instruments with good or even excellent results if they are used well.

**Ken Berner** · Dec-16-2006, 5:33pm

My first mandolin was a Kentucky 250S from the Korea era; loud, but no tonal character. After an Original Brekke bridge. solid bronze Allen tailpiece, pearl nut and many hours of vibration, I decided to remove some lacquer. I used nothing but 4/0 steel wool and elbow grease on the top and back, trying not to remove stain and wood. I cannot describe the difference in the tone after removing that much finish from the mandolin. It looked quite rustic and sounded so much better. No, it didn't sound like a Weber, but made a very good second instrument until I could afford an upgrade!

**MASadict** · Dec-16-2006, 7:33pm

Fatt-dad, the grain did rise and required some sanding. I tried three types of stripper before I found something that would cut the finish. I bought some "Klean strip" KS-3 premium stripper. It boasts it will cut epoxy. About all it did was make the finish soft so I could scrape it off. Then it still took 3 to 6 coats to get to the wood. I will also post a photo of the back, it does look good.

Thanks for all the input.

**MASadict** · Dec-16-2006, 7:48pm

Here is a link to my website with some additional photos of my Washburn. I had some problems getting my photos posted here, so here is a link to more photos. billkennedyphotography.com/JethroProject.html

**Bill Snyder** · Dec-16-2006, 8:46pm

Here is you mando back.

**MASadict** · Dec-16-2006, 8:50pm

Thanks. I'm new to bulletin boards, so it may take a little time for me. The buttons don't seem to work the way they should, but who cares? I enjoy the content.

Bill

**swiba** · Dec-17-2006, 11:41pm

Hey MASadict, That really looks pretty cool. You have my intrest up now, wonder what that old Johnson 350 will look and sound any better......Probally not.........Nice job though.

**Mike Beatty** · Jan-12-2007, 11:16am

Very cool. I did something similar with my Jethro, I wet sanded the clearcoat down substantially and it was a marked improvement. I can imagine what yours sounds like with all of the finish removed.

Mike B.

**Fretbear** · Jan-12-2007, 1:33pm

Very nice.....

**EdSherry** · Jan-12-2007, 2:11pm

Nice work. Of course, putting "100 hours" into stripping the finish is a @#$% of a lot of work for a $600 mando.

**MASadict** · Jan-25-2007, 7:11am

But just think, now it doesn't sound like a $600 mando...

**Soupy1957** · Jan-25-2007, 4:25pm

Ok, so let me ask, as a "about to be" owner of a Jethro Burns Washburn, won't the wood be more prone to cracking, now that you have stripped it?
-Soupy1957

**Antlurz** · Jan-25-2007, 4:38pm

Love that backboard!

Ron

**Bill Snyder** · Jan-25-2007, 6:49pm

Originally Posted by (Soupy1957 @ Jan. 25 2007, 16:25)

Ok, so let me ask, as a "about to be" owner of a Jethro Burns Washburn, won't the wood be more prone to cracking, now that you have stripped it?
# #-Soupy1957

Why would it? Stripping a finish should not cause structural problems unless it weakened the glue joints.
Having said that I will add if MASaddict hasn't put some type of finish on it the mandolin he should. The finish will protect the wood from wear and grime.

**Soupy1957** · Jan-26-2007, 4:52am

Hadn't considered the "grime" part, but that's valid...the oils from our bodies can stain it, and the "dirty hands" factor.

What I was thinkin, since (maybe I missed it)I hadn't read that he had re-stained it, (I'll go back and look now, before I continue),and the way bare wood behaves, I figured he'd run into more potential for wharping, since the bare wood would react more dramatically to heat and humidity changes, and thus cracks would develop.

hmmmmmm.......

-soupy1957

**mandolooter** · Jan-26-2007, 6:15am

yea, that back is killer...the stripes looks cool. Looks like ya did a fine job and it was worth the effort!

**Bill Snyder** · Jan-26-2007, 8:52am

Originally Posted by (Soupy1957 @ Jan. 26 2007, 04:52)

What I was thinkin, since (maybe I missed it)I hadn't read that he had re-stained it, (I'll go back and look now, before I continue),and the way bare wood behaves, I figured he'd run into more potential for wharping, since the bare wood would react more dramatically to heat and humidity changes, and thus cracks would develop.

hmmmmmm.......

-soupy1957

Stain offers no real protection to the wood. It is for adding color. You need a finish of some sort on the instrument such as varnish, lacquer, etc. for protection.

**MASadict** · Jan-26-2007, 10:40am

Being afraid to leave it naked, not sure how to apply varnish, I bought some Minwax Wipe-on Poly and applied 4 coats to the front and back. The stripping was quite a chore. I didn't have an official scraper so I used a (forgive me for my lack of good tools) pocket knife. Being it was a brand new knife, it has a very smooth edge and worked quite well. By the time I finished I had callouses on my thumb and index finger. I still have a little I'd like to do to get it looking its best. Thanks for all your imput.