Design On A Dimebag V. The Horror Episode

[sergiodeblanc]

The new finish went on... weeks ago, sorry for the delay but Ive been busy parenting and wife-ing over here. There's too much that has gone on for a blow-by-blow account so, I'll just let the photo's do most of the talking.

Peeling back the finish on the binding. When old GT's start to flake they kinda start from the binding in. I tried to replicate that with f@ckin' hours of scraping with an exacto blade, and then picking at little parts that were already crackled from the freeze.

I put a light coat of green under the gold to approximate the oxidation that occurs when the gold powder is exposed to moisture and air. It's subtle, but it's there.. and just a $3 can of spray paint so... You can't expect miracles.

Rough mockup:

 

[sergiodeblanc]

I spent some time rolling the fingerboard edges and chopping pieces out of the binding. Every old LP I had seemed to have pieces missing. They were always in random spots, and over time you'd get to know where you were at on the fretboard without looking by feeling them. This time I took advantage of the fact that I could add them where I wanted so, I chunked out a couple spots at the 12th fret and certain notes (spots) that I use a lot. Add a liberal dosing of dirt and crap on the guitar, and wipe it off, do it again, and wipe it off... Sheeseh, who knew being dirty was sofaking hard?

Then, after being buffed again (for the thousandth time) some of the "faux funk" came off. Following it up with a couple of polish sessions with just plain old guitar polish (like somebody tried to kinda care for the guitar at one point in its life) Hardware started to go on.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

And finally, it's all assembled and (properly) wired up.

First some pensive Instagram pics:

And then some close ups:

 

[sergiodeblanc]

I even got some overspray on there. I had this on my old LP Deluxe and it drove me f@ckin' nuts... now it was something, a sort of an homage of sorts, that I had to include:

 

[xjbebop]

Great job Serg!! Looks awesome!
Wondering, has this project been driving you insane, or keeping you sane...???

 

[veinbuster]

I like it.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

So there you have it, love it or hate it, I still had a fun (even though it was maddening occasionally) time doing it and sharing it with you.

Yeah, I know it's fake AF.. That's the point. I think it's funny to have a 4 year old guitar gussied (or is that f@cked) up to look like it's an old beat guitar. And when you add in the reputation of PRS guys wiping their guitars down with diapers and afraid of scratches.. It adds to the subversive factor (for me at least). It's a fun guitar, something not to be taken too seriously. I think at times we all need to be able to poke fun at ourselves or bring some levity to the world.

All in all.. I think I spent about $60 out of pocket ruining this guitar. I did gain a bunch of insight into how much work it really is to do a really good job at relics though (not that I consider this on that same level). The dudes that make the great looking ones... they deserve every penny they make. It's so easy to go overboard, as I learned pretty quickly. The kind of restraint these guys can show is nothing short of impressive, they're true artists. It's not just some "drag that sh!t behind a truck" kinda thing. Stripping, painting, repainting, sanding, cutting, rusting, buffing, cracking, buffing again, dyeing, cleaning, dyeing again, cleaning again, scratching it up, dyeing it again, and then buffing again (seriously, I buffed this thing so many times. At one point it looked practically showroom perfect, it was hard to commit to f@cking it up), these things require a ton of hand work. I'll never look at them the same again. Even the bad one's that look like someone fell asleep with a belt sander in their hands probably took an additional few ten's of hours to make.


A few things...

1)First off inhaling nitro and canned air is gross. They put a bitter-ing agent in canned air to keep kids from huffing it, and it makes you feel like your throat... well, I probably shouldn't say what it feels like. Anyway, always use protection, like a respirator or something. Don't try and spray the canned air in a closed bathroom. Just. Don't.

2)Shoe polish isn't your friend. Get some gloves and don't put that sh!t on your quartz countertop or white washing machine, do that sh!t outside.

3)Spray painting in the rain is generally not a fantastic idea.

4)If you're gonna spray with nitro, wait until it's kinda warm outside. Don't bring that stuff in the house if it's closed up. If my son has trouble reading later in life or has limited motor skills, it's all my fault... Not really! I put that sh!t in the garage for my neighbor with the bedroom above it to huff. The ambulance hasn't come to her crib (yet).

Well, that's about it. Except for all the how's it sound and feel sorts of things. I hope you felt something watching me do this.


The End.



We know begin our question and answer part of the show. People in the front row are advised they may get some rotten fruit or egg on them.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

Great job Serg!! Looks awesome!
Wondering, has this project been driving you insane, or keeping you sane...???

Thanks, buddy.

A little bit of both, actually. To be honest, I'm not sure it's totally complete. The insanity is never really cured.

 

[alantig]

We know begin our question and answer part of the show. People in the front row are advised they may get some rotten fruit or egg on them.

Is relicing best done with a white or a red? Perhaps a bottle of rose instead?

 

[sergiodeblanc]

Is relicing best done with a white or a red? Perhaps a bottle of rose instead?

White. You don't want to stain anything red, unless you're doing a sunburst and trying to replicate the pink binding.

 

[bodia]

I fondled it yesterday. Looks great in person, and still feels like a Bernie! WIN!

 

[walrus]

Love the headstock checking!

 

[Elliot]

Imagine being the Vince Cunetto of PRS. People would say they have a deblanc era relic'd PRS

The Bernie looks great

 

[DISTORT6]

OUTSTANDING.
Best one yet, Serge.

 

[flux]

So there you have it, love it or hate it, I still had a fun (even though it was maddening occasionally) time doing it and sharing it with you.

That's some crazy work, man, I have to say. Not knowing what to expect along the way I was dying to see the end product. All the extra care really gave it a legit vibe.

What great fun, I sure enjoyed following along. Thanks for all the effort!

 

[flux]

Love the headstock checking!

That's probably my favorite part. Hard to choose, it's a killer detail though.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

Thanks guys.

 

[toothace]

Dig it Sergio! Love how that subtle green shows in some of those sunlight pics!!

 

[Alnus Rubra]

I think it should be known as a “Bernie de Blanc”

 

[alantig]

I think it should be known as a “Bernie de Blanc”

deBlernie. You could get Tim Conway to do the commercials for it.