Stripping finish off Paris swing

Joshl-m

I did my Aria and it made a huge difference in volume. I stripped the entire guitar, neck and all. Then I finished it with shellac and now I wonder if I should ever get rid of it. It is louder and more responsive than my cigano. However, the cigano is still the better/more authentic sounding guitar. So, the take away is, it will definitely amplify the things you like about the guitar but the fundamental voice cannot be changed. But I have heard others say really good things about the Paris Swing after a French Polish. Go for it!

vanmalmsteen

Hey that is great to hear! Was it difficult to sand through the urethane?
I’m just finishing up a big project and will be able to begin this endeavor soon. The Paris swing are excellent sounding guitar’s just a bit heavy and muted , so what you’re saying is wonderful news

Joshl-m

It was pretty time consuming but not too hard. I did it over two days. I ended up using a palm sander to get through most of it. Very risky but I didn't have too much to lose with this guitar. Then I finished off the sanding by hand. In two spots, on the sides, I did end up going through the laminate. It shows but is not too bad.
For me the shellac was the hardest part to figure out. I will share something that my dad recommended after I finished. Just seal it with two or three wash coats of shellac and then switch to Tru-Oil. You apply it much like Tung oil but the result should be closer to shellac. Has anyone else tried this? I've been on a few classical forums and seen this mentioned there as well

Jazzaferri

The Urethane finish if thick will stiffen up the top and back a lot. Wont make a hill of beans difference on the sides except visually. I do not know how much the back is involved in voicing a GJ guitar, I know on archtops it is critical to the overall sound.

Joshl-m

The back of any guitar and how it is braced/ not braced, is critical it it's response and usually overlooked. The body is an air pump, and it can't pump air if one half of the body is immobile. These days, most guitars with laminated backs are just disguising inferior woods. But, for Maccaferri, it definitely wasn't a cost saving measure, It was a means to lighter guitar which could move more air.

Bones

Yeah for sure. You need to consider the top and back. Like I said stripping the sides isn't important and risky if you sand thru. An interesting experiment would be to just do the top and see how it sounds. Then do the back (if you want to) but if you do the back, again, be VERY careful not to sand thru the veneer. Well, and actually don't go crazy with the top either unless you want to make it thinner???

vanmalmsteen

I think I will do just the top, then Play for a while, and do the back eventually . I would love to thin out the top but I’m already out of my wheelhouse on this one so probably not ?

Bones

Thinning the top is a tricky business and even trickier after the fact. Do u have calipers? How thick is it right now (with finish) at the soundhole?

vanmalmsteen

Well no calipers, but I will say this, the Paris swing tops are fairly thick

vanmalmsteen

Almost done with sanding, the urethane actually came off a lot easier than I thought it would.
Has anyone ever used linseed oil On the top?
Sure would be easier than this whole Shellac Business