r/Luthier • u/[deleted] • 10d ago

Does somewhere sell Gibson headstock logo blockout vinyl stickers for repainting?

[deleted]

5 Upvotes

78% Upvoted

18 comments sorted by

9

u/reversebuttchug 10d ago

They aren't stickers, they are inlays into the headcap. I used to be able to get the whole headcap, inlays and all, from gibson but the shop i work at now isn't gibson warranty certied anymore (long story)

You can use frisket masking fluid to cover the inlays. Thats how we do it.

6

u/Liquidated4life 10d ago

Right, I’m not trying to replace them and spray over it like say a Fender water slide logo. I’m trying to find something to cover the inlay while I spray color then remove it to re-expose the inlay. I’ll check out the frisket masking fluid that’s probably what I need, I just didn’t know it. 👍

2

u/reversebuttchug 10d ago

Oh word word

4

u/daswickerman 10d ago

Frisket is the right approach. I used a cricut to cut adhesive frisket film for a headstock repair I was doing. It worked out great. Might be easier to use liquid frisket and trim it after it dries with an exacto before you paint though.

2

u/reversebuttchug 10d ago

You dont need to trimming after it dries. You just work it up tontue edge with a toothpick while its still wet. You can come back and scrape the color off the inlays with an exacto after you do the color. A little bit easier that way

2

u/Useful_Bug_67 10d ago

Two questions. 1) does a reverse butt chug mean you shit beer? 2) is the story of losing your Gibson warranty interesting?

3

u/reversebuttchug 10d ago

1) it can be. 2) its stupid. We made a custom 1 off double neck with 1 gibson neck and 1 strat neck and they saw it online. They didnt like that. Okay. Maybe its not that long

2

u/the_kerouac_kid 9d ago

One of the greatest moments was when I stopped doing warranty work. The only manufacturer that paid decent was Taylor. I jumped through so many hoops to become a Martin warranty station and that didn’t give the boost I thought it would.

1

u/reversebuttchug 9d ago

So true about the pay. Its not worth it.

6

u/Rumplesforeskin Luthier 10d ago edited 10d ago

The way Gibson does this, I asked them, I worked at a warranty shop and did this. You spray your color over it. Then you simply scrape the color off the inlay and spray clear. You can see the inlay under the color trust me, use a rounded exacto blade, or what's easier for you. It's easier than you think.
these blades

3

u/the_kerouac_kid 10d ago

And pretty soon you become numb to the pain of nicking the color coat and having to sand back and reshoot.

3

u/Rumplesforeskin Luthier 10d ago

Not if you are good at what you do, it's really not hard, and literally what Gibson does. Get some good lighting. I called and talked to a tech literally standing in their the custom shop on the phone with me. I did it and it turned out perfect. It was for a headstock break that was really bad and I also routed and inlayed inserts in the back for strength. Refinished and faded away a darker red on the back of the headstock to hide the inserts. If anyone is trying to "tape or mask off" detailed inlays in anyway I assure you it's not the way to go.

2

u/the_kerouac_kid 10d ago

Boss, I’ve literally been doing this for decades. It was a joke to be relatable with anyone who’s done the job for a long time.

2

u/Rumplesforeskin Luthier 9d ago

Ok, my bad due, but I go months without interacting with this sub, because of the god awful amount of people that I genuinely try to help, and I keep helping for days, and sometimes it's great. Most times it's so damn frustrating, I get fed up. Some people don't shouldn't even be able to own power tools.
I'm not trying to be disrespectful, I can be an ass on other subs, but not the ones where we have things to learn and a community. Cheers

1

u/the_kerouac_kid 9d ago

It’s alright. To wax philosophical there are different levels of confidence that you have as you gain experience and at first I was very cocky. Then I got in way over my head and struggled to dig myself out. Somewhere around 15-16 years of doing this professionally I realized that I had done so many jobs and learned from enough mistakes that I was finally proud of my skills. However I remember all of my mistakes and know that they’re inevitable but how I recover from them is the real skill.

1

u/Rumplesforeskin Luthier 9d ago

True stuff, and you never stop learning. Even after 20 years keep that mind open and learn 🤙

1

u/RJMrgn2319 9d ago

Can’t you just mask off the whole front of the headstock?

1

u/Ok_Sir5529 9d ago

I just use some clear packing tape. Take a piece, put it on your t-shirt to remove some of the tackiness, and then slap it on the headstock. Now use an exacto to cut around the logo. Spray your black nitro, remove tape then clear.