Refinishing a PRS Guitar - Full Time Lapse Video

#PRS #GUITARRESTORE #REFINISH
I have been saying I want to re upload this for the last year. Finally got the time to post the full version of my PRS restore and refinish. I would never take this on again. The PRS guitars are not meant to be refinished. The finish is 2K but then they use this epoxy sealer which is near impossible to sand off. you need to take off about 1/16 of wood to get this ready to refinish if you want to add another color.
Two songs on this:
First song by Down Maggie - Pink Floyd is Calling
Second Song by DJ Williams - Dusty Fingers

[@SkyscraperGuitars]

My hands and lungs hurt just thinking about removing a PRS finish. I'm glad you didn't give up. The result looks great.

[@bigdguitars]

I almost quit on this one

[@MyBodyWash]

What was wrong with it in the beginning??...

[@rickbaker4571]

Fun to play, horrible to work on. JMO - thanks for bringing us on this one.

[@barrywebber100]

What a massive task that was to refurbish the guitar but what a great result! Beautiful and worth it in the end, well done!

this was incredible and insightful

[@petrzarian4033]

This is a huge job! I am making a guitar - body, top and neck is hard maple - the clone of my PRS Santana and one year has already passed ...I think i can understand this nightmare... Congratulations that you had enough power to finish this project!!!

[@Wildman9]

Nice finish . Looks just like their paint work. Nice job again. Thanks for the overhead shots ,that was a nice touch .🎸👍

[@kenthall6584]

Dragons breath!!!! Awesome

[@WawakGuitar]

Awesome work. Love that color.

[@givemeajackson]

You did a great job. Those are some big shoes to fill, and you nailed it.

[@darnell2816]

This was sick super clean and the background music was choice

[@bigdguitars]

glen is awesome

[@GlenDeanII]

@@bigdguitars, thanks brother.

[@GlenDeanII]

Fantastic work as always!

[@Jimmys-rw6fn]

Gorgeous!

[@user-vx5lb4iw2q]

Nice work 👍 as always. I commend you on your patience & expertise.

[@MrShowTime909]

Probably one of the most beautiful tops on a PRS that I have every seen, including their Private Stock/Wood library. Well done, Derek!

[@psychotikpaisano]

Amazing work like always, bbut the back ground music was pretty sick too!

[@AndyInTheUK]

Really beautiful guitar!

[@murfmurphy6212]

Great video - loved the background music

[@juliansuarez3849]

Looks awesome D!!!

[@louisgarbi1009]

Beautiful sunburst!

[@mirandadoherty7212]

Great job as always mate

[@lonapopoki1181]

Thank you

[@Metalbass10000]

Very cool.

[@porchestra]

Once Again, Absolutely Flawless!

[@bigdguitars]

thanks!

[@micksidaway]

Great job😁😁😁

[@silverfr3ak]

I’m about to buy one with a refinish job. I was hesitant (less value, since it’s not original anymore), but the results are just amazing, and, when the subject is a PRS, a beautiful and unorthodox finish color , beyond amber, sunburst etc. are pretty relevant to me.

[@ccchicken8889]

That's hot. I mean it literally looks hot lol. Awesome job man!

[@hkguitar1984]

Great to see it finished Derek. Yeah, I also had a customers project that took a little over 2 years to complete. I'd agreed to do the job as a favor for a friend fitting the work in when I could. At the end the weight of the unfinished project was just too much and I moved it's priority up to the front. Great job, the top turned out really nice.

[@ljprobuild157]

Love your work brother, would absolutely love to have one of your guitars

[@briankientz2926]

Looks really nice, it always feels so good to finish one up, doesn't it. Nice Work!

[@bigdguitars]

yea somtimes I take too long on projects.

[@briankientz2926]

In my case sometimes doing the things needed gets in the way of doing the "it would be nice" things, I am pretty sure this is a universal disposition! I have picked up a few tips in finishing from you, and thanks for that...

[@user-fc7uf3zb6j]

Отличная работа 👍🏻

[@briansimpson8116]

The usual Derek masterpiece. Man that looks clean.

[@bigdguitars]

thanks!

[@jeremycraft8452]

Me watching: “D, open your garage door!” D: Me watching: “Glad I could help.”

[@BrunoGarciaMusic]

Paul Reed be like "omg u fuckd up the tone wood"

[@yourdrummer2034]

Impressive staining!

[@DFox-ud3gx]

Nice job, I live about 3 blocks from PRS factory their nice guitars..

[@marcuscarrozza732]

Wow, she is beautiful ❤️

[@gregbrown4136]

Nice

[@c21delta94]

I love this stain, I’ve heard it called a “Royal Burst”.

[@markbundy1694]

Paul Reed Who??? Bravo D, Looks Magnificent!!!💥👍🤘🏼

[@newtechgs7471]

I stripped a prs finish once, it's a joyless task

[@gavinpearcey]

That guitar was the colour of an unhealthy piss before the refinish. the world thanks you for fixing it.

[@mauricerrr]

You sir have a gift for staining and finishing guitars. Amazing! I always sand through the clear coat when I try to level the finish. How do you prevent that and what grits do you use?

[@gorlagOv]

Just stripped the finish on the back of my PRS the wood grain underneath was fantastic. I am glad I turned it into a natural back. The whale blue is just too dark sometimes.

[@plexibreath]

That turned out great! Maybe it flashed by as text in the video, if so I didn't see it. But what did you use to finish it, lacquer?

[@davelogeman]

Always great to see a master at work. What grit do you use to hit those tough spots of dye stain?

[@bigdguitars]

320 usually thats the perfect grain

[@gman4092]

Really love the videos, but did I miss the Gibson Les Paul restore. Really do need the closure. Thanks

[@Constriktor]

Me too

[@johnnypk1963]

Tell me abt those cutters at 3:30 plz. This one may not have been something u want to repeat, w all the sanding. But it turned out better than it started life. Well done.

[@tommymartinez1788]

Nice work Big D. What brand of 2K are you using?

[@Terry3Gs]

This has me curious if the SE's would be any easier to refinish given there import & would probly use a poly sealer coat on them. You think so Derek ? And you did a amazing job on this. Thinking about it now ... has me curious .. IF 1 of these was felt to be too heavy in the 1st place. Maybe the removal of material to get past the sealer might knock off what 1-2 lbs. in weight once you add finish back into it?

[@bigdguitars]

you could route out some chambers and then put a cap on it.

[@BRS-Peterbilt-379]

DEREK! I love your videos Man. I've leavened a ton about finishing guitars & stains & everything. But do yourself a favor Man, learn like 10 songs to play on your videos. 10 songs that your good at and it'll go a long way. I promise!!!! I swear this is coming from a good place Buddy! Keep up the great work!!!

[@sandaljepit4174]

May i ask you, can you refinish/repaint ibanez rg 652 mbqs wpb into ibanez rg 652 mqm slg

[@C36B]

Fantastic video! One question: on most of your dye finishes you dye black and then sand it down. What made you not do so this time? From the PRS videow I've seen, they never sand and they seleom overlap colours. Thanks for the upload!

[@bigdguitars]

lots of ways to get there. I know if this way. They dilute the dyes from what I know

[@TimO-wt9sz]

Just awesome man im glad your not my nieghbour id be asking for make overs all the tim ????can you elaborate the cost on suck a redone guitar finish big D??? Thanks huge fan from london ontario.

[@bigdguitars]

depends. sometimes I charge very little because its a project I want to do.

[@kaskas55]

Whats the original finish called? Great work man. Cheers!

[@Blakzale]

which saw do you use for fret slotting?

[@billtruex4590]

Awesome job, What kind of grain filler did you use? And also when I sprayed mist coat lacquer over my ox blood finish it turned light orange brown?

[@bigdguitars]

need to use a sealer coat.

[@billtruex4590]

@@bigdguitars I tried bulls eye shellac spray and did the same thing. What kind of sealer do you recommend?

[@RevuitNet]

Also you took of the PRS signature?

[@mvyper]

In the complete series he said that he found someone who, if I remember correctly, sold prs decals. 😉

[@mwrable]

Nice color burst. Why didn’t the burst continue along the bottom of the face of the guitar?

[@luther3p]

i'm pretty sure he was doing this as requested or he liked this particular design...you can see that he is working off of a reference photo on his phone when he is applying the stain. that reference photo has the same "faded burst" design (where it doesn't continue along the bottom).

[@kirkscobey3031]

I forgot why you stripped this one down. Turned out great though!

[@bigdguitars]

Finish was chipped and trashed. I wanted to do a dragons breathe.

[@tlinrin887]

I think I would rather trim my toenails with a lawn mower than strip a guitar like that. Nice job.

[@alebo0]

Wow! It's so worth it, but unless you have the right skillset (which you obviously do), this would be way to risky

[@briansbrain426]

I had my PRS refretted with stainless steel frets.....can't believe Paul is still stuck in the '50s with his choice of fret material.

[@imbra]

I thought they use stainless steel frets on all core models

[@mrwaffles1394]

I always feel bad when I skip ads, but I'm not watching a 6 minute long commercial.

[@bigdguitars]

6 mins is crazy!

[@1106Winter]

Wasn't it nearly impossible to save the carved areas, with the whole sanding process? Wouldn't matter to me though, I'd pay extra for a BIG D refinished guitar. With or without the PRS carve. I've watched the whole series, great to see it again in this time lapse. I can't wait for the Les Paul restomod you're doing right now!

[@bigdguitars]

thats almost done. will post before the end of the year.

[@roofkorean6948]

It looked incredible the way it was. Why even consider doing this?

[@gigmandrew8975]

It was fun watching this video but I preferred the original finish

[@gibsondrummer]

Is that a personal guitar , a customers guitar or a flip your gonna sell?

[@satanpuncher06]

Beautiful. Too bad you had to sand off Paul’s signature though.

[@abrahamyanes2405]

It looks like a counterfeit now. So sad

[@mstecker]

I have mixed feelings about this. The finished product is beautiful, but it went from being an "original" to being a "refinish". It's probably worth less, no? Losing the script on the headstock is tough, also.

[@bigdguitars]

I have the logo just didn't want to drop it on. didn't feel it was a PRS anymore

[@mstecker]

@@bigdguitars I don't think the refinish would lose its identity. It would wear it proudly!

[@abrahamyanes2405]

Removing the headstock finish was a horrible idea. Now people will assume it's a counterfeit...

[@TimO-wt9sz]

Yikes im sorry for the horrid typo mistakes lol

[@bigdguitars]

A bunch in this comment as well.

[@edwardsn3670]

How many days this job?🙄

[@bigdguitars]

Months. More than days.

[@edwardsn3670]

@@bigdguitars worthed 👌

[@bill9989]

I understand fixing/replacing hardware but not the refinish. Older guitars looking older isn't a bad or unexpected thing. Even small chips aren't bad. And you removed the PRS signature? I don't understand. Furthermore, have you increased or decreased the resale value?

[@silverfr3ak]

@@bill9989 PRS guitars are considered “modern” gear, so, unlike Gibson and fender, when the relic may (not necessarily will) add some value, same doesn’t happen here. Since the guitar lost its originality, its value may decrease even with a good job as seen here. But it depends on the deal.

[@RevuitNet]

Looks like you lost a bunch of carve from that violin carve

[@bigdguitars]

not too much

[@kmichaelp4508]

Good job D. Wouldn’t it be great to have a nice buffer? Not to mention a shop. That way you don’t have to listen to ya wife giving you hell over the dust, smell, mess... not to mention the space for her car!!! Been there. Done that. Now what do ya do with your off time? Work? What kind of work?🤐

[@bigdguitars]

I run a marketing analytics department for a wholesaler. This is my jobby.

[@kmichaelp4508]

@@bigdguitars , kudos my friend. Overly retired myself 🤐

[@budgetguitaristcom]

Wow. And I whine about doing a refret. I picked up some good tips, though - thanks!

[@kingbrutusxxvi]

Am I the only one that kind of liked it fresh-sanded with the non-gloss? I would have loved a satin finish right on that. Looks awesome either way.

[@bigdguitars]

yea that did look really nice

[@manami793]

He will find out later the Tabacco burst is more valuable as a collector git.

[@bigdguitars]

Not when it’s fd beyond regonizition

[@ziggylayneable]

I would pay you to do anything for me dude

[@bigdguitars]

Cool what you need?!?!

[@scotthancock5335]

I wonder if PRS himself watchers this channel would his thoughts be the same a mine ?

[@bigdguitars]

Haha. That’s a good one.

[@jslute]

Made me dizzy.

[@dr.siluyanovfomin7954]

Взял гитару испортил))

[@dzines65]

Why would you even do this? I cringed the whole time I watched this...