'54 Les Paul Goldtop "IRIS" painting and relic process

Another project two in one. '54 Les Paul Goldtop. In my opinion, this guitar is one of my top three projects. Both visually and soundly. For this project, I tried to make a special set of pickups, and this resulted in a new model in my pickups lineup. The whole painting process and the relic are in front of you. Enjoy.
The full version of this video with my explanation of all steps you can find on my Patreon in MAKER level!
🔴PATREON: / 8bombcustom
🎱 Workshop website: www.8bombcusto...
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You can support me and my workshop on Patreon. / 8bombcustom There you will find private content, tutorial videos, giveaways of my PAF clones and access to auctions. This will allow me to make more quality videos and more translations into English. You can also support me through PayPal: [e-mail] Thank you!

[@paullaughton6016]

Thanks for sharing this video and your knowledge. I appreciate you making these videos in English. Your work is simply fantastic!

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you!

[@agriff4795]

WOW!!! You do such beautiful work on your guitars, the relicing looks like authentic wear and tear! The Gibson Murphy Lab needs to make watching your videos mandatory, as your work exceeds theirs by miles!! Keep on doing what you do, Rock 'n' Roll Brother!

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you!

[@rockers2rockers616]

Rock n Roll for all!

[@donsmanufactory]

Masterful refinish and relic. Looks very nice.

[@8BombCustom]

@@donsmanufactory Thank you

[@MrHilariousPanda]

Amazing stuff, love the screws used to scratch the back of the guitar. The guitar looks absolutely fantastic. Your dedication and love to the craft is clearly visible!

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you very much!

[@mitchellmiller8587]

Great work!❤

[@8BombCustom]

@@mitchellmiller8587 thank you

[@givinguitars1222]

Couldn’t be prettier. You’re a master

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you very much !

[@rockers2rockers616]

This is a Masterpiece! Truly magical work Dr Nitro

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you!

[@garymiller531]

Whoa, you knocked that one out of the park bro!! Bravo!! Cheers!!!!

[@davidsharp3110]

This was so relaxing... and educational to watch. And your English is great.

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you

[@PeterErikson-rd5tj]

beautiful work 19:00.

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you

[@jamesnorton7601]

Incredible reproduction of original integrity and artwork of the highest caliber.

[@8BombCustom]

Many thanks!

[@jamesnorton7601]

You're great at what you do. I'm not a fan of relic guitars. You're great at it. Very impressed with your work. I like what you do before you relic them. Some videos like that , I'll be fine. You'll be a master someday@@8BombCustom

[@jazzbox1]

That Fret Board is amazing. It give the guitar so much additionl personality. Nice work.

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you

[@crazycarpes]

A real good job! Very nice!

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you

[@whoismichaelmoschos]

Great work as always! Incredible top under the gold paint on this one!

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you

[@um9272]

Great job !

[@8BombCustom]

@@um9272 Thank you

[@kjelddalsbaek7285]

SO GREAT !!! I'd like to hear it. CONGRATS !!!

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you!

[@plefevre]

Your videos are absolutely fascinating and so impressive. I have been toying with the idea of doing this kind of work with guitars when I finish up my current job in 6 months but just looking at your workshop and seeing how much knowledge you have attained about Les Pauls, I am frankly overwhelmed. However, you are an inspiration! Thank you.

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you for your kind words!

[@Babesyann]

AWESOME! man that's really rewarding, all your hard work just paid off. great job man!

[@jeffreymonroe153]

I have your "Goldie" pickups in my 50's Standard and they are awesome. P&W machines! Rock N Roll, you name it, they can do it.

[@8BombCustom]

Great! Thank you!

[@beneten6462]

About to build a kit gold top. This video has helped me a lot to understand how to properly finish one of these guitars. Thank you!!

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you

[@Darrick-o3o]

Well done sir! That guitar looks Great!

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you

[@Saul_HUDSON]

Very nice 54 replica !!!

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you

[@chrissmith3895]

Fantastic work!! I love this guitar! I love the video! How long did you leave the guitar in the freezer? Is that all you did to get the checking? Have you ever reliced a Gibson SG? Incredible skills my friend!

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you. The relic begins with preparation before painting. Freezing is an intermediate stage and takes place in several controlled cycles. I share all my technologies on Patreon in the Maker level.

[@chrissmith3895]

By the way, your English is great!

[@jerrymoney1479]

Great video 🤙✨

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you

[@jerrymoney1479]

@@8BombCustom if someday I find a good Goldtop LP, is your service available for Aging ?

[@8BombCustom]

@@jerrymoney1479 unfortunately now I can't take orders for repainting from abroad

[@jerrymoney1479]

@@8BombCustom ok got it. No worries. Maybe next time when things are going great, we can chat about it. Best wishes! 🤙

[@RiotHomeRecording]

Master at work!!!

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you

[@jamesincharlotte]

What a carve top !!

[@hectorGomez-y6j]

So freezing creates the finish cracking?

[@8BombCustom]

yes

[@boringgearreviews]

As always, beautiful skill and honest approach.

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you!

[@Nico-pb9lq]

Really convincing relic ! Congrats !

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you

[@tonyobbeek8910]

I would let you lose on any of my babies any day of the week, your craftsmanship is way up there my friend and you clearly love doing what you do. Take care and thank you Regards tones1957 (New Zealand)

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you

[@fiddlefolk]

You have an amazing talent! Thank you for sharing... Would love to have a relic Les Paul from you ...

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you

[@michaeldonnelly3558]

Lovely Work. Class.

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you!

[@diegor4404]

Your work is awesome! Beautiful!!

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you

[@Solidsoundfx]

Beautiful! Where did you get your body ?

[@guitartim2128]

Excellent detailed work,I really enjoy these videos. . I love Les Pauls with P-90 pickups .

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you !

[@1777DK]

Amazing looking guitar.

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you

[@sbeard73]

Awesome job brother.

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you

[@benspeeds]

Dude, that thing looks so good it's shocking!!! I've had the bug for a gold top with P90's for a while. I think this video just sent me over the edge. I gotta have one now. Unfortunately, it probably won't be as good as one of yours. Impeccable work, my friend!

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you!

[@pwman]

Beautiful work!!! Really enjoyed watching this!

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you

[@WolfgangSingMusic]

Hahahahaha,... i love the part with the screws to relic the back of the guitar...😂😂😂 Anyway, i love your videos and especially your knowledge and work 👍👍👍

[@angelaa.4437]

hello, I love your work. Were the clear coats a mix of the nitorlak standard nitro varnish and the relic nitro varnish? Did you add any relic nitro varnish to the amber tint coat mix? Thankyou.

[@8BombCustom]

Hello. Thank you. In this project I used my hard 8bomb nitro. If you use Nitorlak, then I recommend mixing Gloss and Relic 50/50 for all layers.

[@angelaa.4437]

@@8BombCustom thankyou, that's very helpful.

[@trevorclarey3336]

Nice , you had me worried there for a moment.😂

[@ハエトリグサ-d9d]

この動画であなたの事を知りました最高な仕事をしています。 ギターが入る冷凍庫は最高ですね。 レリック加工も自然で最高なギターです。

[@spiderman0863]

New subscriber. Excellent presentation and craftsmanship. 😊

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you

[@bravo0105]

That is gorgeous! It also makes me appreciate why the Murphy Lab models are so expensive.

[@Rideskishore]

Amazing man!

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you

[@deanrussell5901]

Very amazing work! BTW when you put it in the freezer does it not warp the neck?

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you. No, the neck is fine, because my low temperature technology is quite slow, and the wood does not experience drastic stress.

[@deanrussell5901]

@@8BombCustom Thanks for answering! Again excellent work.

[@OliverAmberg]

Stellar job!

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you

[@ernieb3626]

Incredible I would love to buy that guitar or one like it. English is doing great and so thankful for it. When I first found your channel it was with the narrating. Keep up the excellent work , huge fan!

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you! This project is available www.8bombcustom.com/stephanie-burst

[@tfrost33elkhunter]

Incredible!!! Love it!

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you

[@JasonHobbsGuitarist]

Awesome job man! Turned out great. 👌

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you

[@GoodfaYou]

Beautiful

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you

[@danchez.]

Hi Doc, excellent work.

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you

[@thestrum71]

Work of art!

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you

[@jpalberthoward9]

Have you done any experiments with varying the amount of wax in the potting of your P90s? With no potting they're 100% microphonic, you can play a harmonica through one and it sounds pretty good. With lots of wax, they're rock solid, but an old man told me many years ago that Gibson would sometimes get in a hurry and rush the production, and that would include less time spent immersed in the wax when they potted their pickups. This brings me to my point. The neck pickup on my gold top is very old, and it doesn't amplify your voice if you try to talk into it, but if you face your speaker and walk towards it it will make a sustain that gradually becomes feedback, (the good kind) as you get closer, and it's very controllable. You can easily do a Carlos Santana sort of thing with it once you get the hang of it. The old guy that I was talking to explained that there are varying degrees of microphonic action, depending on how much wax is used, and how long the coil stays submerged. Apparently there are sweet spots in this process, much like the gain on amplifiers. Perhaps if you were to discover those sweet spots, you could tailor your P90s in different ways and offer this option to those who might be interested that sort of response from a pickup. I just got lucky with mine and had a happy accident. The neck is the only one that does it. The bridge is perfectly normal. Perhaps you might look into this idea. I can see that you are thorough, and you like to make discoveries that will improve the quality of your instruments.

[@nkdms.2031]

Excellent work! For how long did you fridge it - 18:08; and did you do it in many cycles or in one go? I am guessing the more time you keep it in the fridge the more intense the checking becomes.

[@Wymansan19]

Love this! I was wondering why you never showed the front of the headstock though

[@lowcountrythrash2874]

Subscribed………holy shit your work is phenomenal! I was highly impressed by your skill and meticulous attention to detail. I learned so much from you while watching this video, so thank you friend!

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you

[@Rat-Salad]

Gorgeous.

[@SkinnyAl83]

Hi! Great work as always! I have a question, what products did you use to age the fretboard inlays?

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you. You will find about all the materials that I use and about all the nuances of working with them on my Patreon in the Maker level www.patreon.com/8bombcustom

[@jasona.shaffer6348]

gorgeous!

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you

[@metalmig]

that Turned Out amazing ! way better than Gibson Murphy labs IMO!🤟

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you

[@ChrisEffort]

Incredible work!! Just wow!!! How do you get the lines/cracks so dark? Mars brown oil paint?

[@8BombCustom]

Yes

[@inframundo1919]

No entiendo como con esa pintura tan hermosa la gente quiere hacerle relic. Excelente trabajo

[@8BombCustom]

Gracias

[@57ffjjimenez]

Pues porque a muchos nos gusta las guitarras antiguas y no disponemos de suficiente dinero para comprarlas si no es vendiendo tú casa

[@nirlk8384]

Amazing! thank you for shering:)

[@JustaRocker]

I really liked how you did paint cracking, I am trying to achieve same effect. I try to custom build last Eddie Van Halen guitar. Could you please help me out and share what finish/lacquer you used to achieve this cracking effect?

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you. It was Nitotlack nitro

[@aceevangelista8230]

Love your work! One of the best in my opinion! Will placing the guitar in the freezer aides in moisture absorption and would it be a problem? How do you avoid it from happening? Thanks!

[@cristianhernandez9685]

Amazing finish!! how lond did you wait for the nitro to cure before leaving in the freezer for making the finish checking? and how long did you leave it in the freezer? I'm a fan of your work!! better than most custom shops out there for sure!

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you! about 2 weeks

[@PBag1981]

Is that 2 weeks curing time or 2 weeks in the freezer?

[@8BombCustom]

2 weeks it's a drying time before aging

[@Alex_3311DesignCo]

I’m interested in understanding why you use green as the base color for your gold tops?

[@8BombCustom]

This is done for the next relic. Like underpainting in easel painting.

[@milonso650]

Very very good work as always! I thought about something you could maybe do for fun once: with this level of relic a headstock break would fit in so well. I know it’s not desirable but it would totally fit the vibe! Maybe you could get a broken one, fix it and turn it into something as beautiful as you do (but with a obvious headstock repair)

[@8BombCustom]

😁 Thank you! I'll think about this.

[@6kuerdas]

That´s an amazing job. It caught my attention your buffing machine. It seems you have figured out some kind of hack to mount those wheels on a "small machine" with a thick shaft. It looks pretty handy. Is it diy? what machine brand is it?

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you! Buffing machine I bought from www.lmii.com/buffing-polishing/2934-buffing-arbor-assembly-shopfox.html , with no motor. The motor I use is from a lathe. 700 watts 380 volts (three phase) But since my network is 220 volts, I had to connect it in a tricky way, in which the motor loses some of its power. But that's enough for me. Everything is assembled on a fiberboard box and I can roll it out of the workshop so as not to litter it with abrasive and felt dust.

[@6kuerdas]

@@8BombCustom thanks so much for sharing your knowhow. 1000 bucks for a stewmacs is too much. Your option is clever, cheaper and the results are great

[@8BombCustom]

@@6kuerdas thank you

[@JONNIE_ROCKER]

Beautiful 👍👍

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you!

[@KarlSheridan]

Amazing tallant

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you

[@peterm3964]

I’ll buy it . !! I love a dirty old p90 les paul .

[@fenderbender3664]

nice

[@erikriddes4587]

how much cold they need to be to crack?

[@donvanco3078]

WOW! What did you use to "age" the inlays? The results are fantastic.

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you. I have my own technology and authoring staff.

[@jonv5489]

Do you let the lacquer cure before final wet sanding and polish?

[@8BombCustom]

Yes. It takes one or two weeks

[@BAGHEAD1995]

Shit hot work man. Love it !.

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you!

[@Yorldwou]

Hi , great job ;) how long do you let the varnish dry before polishing it? it would be cool if you write the time between each step in your videos the result is very successful congratulations!

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you. Drying time for this nitro is minimum 2 weeks. Usualy for relic I wait 4-5 weeks.

[@Yorldwou]

@@8BombCustom ok, thank you !! :)

[@somerandomdudelonelyAF]

Love me a gold top

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you

[@nicolamozzo4538]

Awsome !😍 One question , have The green paint a name or code? Is a colour that gibson has in colour chart ? (Car paint)? Thanxxxx

[@8BombCustom]

It just green. 😁

[@only1jonnyg]

What p90 pickups did you use in the Gold top build ?

[@8BombCustom]

8Bomb p90 (GLD90)

[@DannyReckless13]

Did you build the body & neck or is this a precision guitars "kit" ?

[@8BombCustom]

I dont work with "kirs"

[@DannyReckless13]

@@8BombCustom so, you made the neck and body from scratch?

[@8BombCustom]

@@DannyReckless13 yes

[@georgeargon5113]

Amazing.. How can one order a relic from you?

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you. Unfortunately now I can't take orders for repainting and relic from abroad due to logistical difficulties

[@gregmize01]

THERE'S JUST SOMETHING ABOUT A GOLD TOP!

[@8BombCustom]

thank you

[@manonbassguitar]

Was this a Gibson guitar that you started with?

[@witch8566]

Where did you buy the kit?

[@8BombCustom]

I don't buy the kit.

[@witch8566]

@@8BombCustom Fully Handmade?

[@seangrexa]

Any staple P-90 experiments in the works?

[@seangrexa]

PS- Love the golden "glow" on this one. Just beautiful.

[@8BombCustom]

Yes, this model is ready

[@seangrexa]

Can't wait to see the staple pickup demos. I was looking at Murphy Lab Goldtops the other day, several, and not one showed any hint of the green oxidation that is commonplace on original examples. You certainly nailed that! Does that occur as a result of copper in the finish?

[@8BombCustom]

@@seangrexa For now, I'm waiting for the same guitar to be ready for the demo of these pickups.

[@NigelTufnel612]

Dr. Nitro, you can carve a maple top better than the Gibson Custom Shop!

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you

[@BikasdamaiKarki]

You are an artist my russian friend.

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you& But Im not russian

[@BikasdamaiKarki]

@8BombCustom Sorry, mate. But your work is pure art. Love from Australia.

[@8BombCustom]

@@BikasdamaiKarki Thank you!

[@ernestschultz5065]

I would rather have one of 8Bomb's relic Les Pauls than an overpriced and over-hyped Murphy Lab any day of the week.

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you!

[@calvinlee8103]

Murphy lab guitars seem pretty cool, but this one's very cool too. Wish I had both!

[@GAINOVER]

Привет, а сколько по времени в холодильнике была гитара?

[@8BombCustom]

Каждый раз по разному

[@KenToney]

Holy crap that’s Tom Murphy or better

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you

[@johnwhitaker545]

So… is this an actual 1954 Les Paul or a replica? It turned out amazing!

[@8BombCustom]

It is replica. Thank you!

[@vovabelyaev]

А сколько часов гитара стояла в холодильнике ? Какая в нём температура ?

[@jeromedufourbzzz]

you are completly too much !!!you make the best work i never see

[@8BombCustom]

Thank you

[@BossNotes]

👀

[@esmeulonsouzadeoliveira3636]

Like 123 ✔💫🎬 .

[@ant1sokolow]

Nice top. But i'm sorry to say the relicing job on the back is very unnnatural. The R9 you did refinish have the same problem.