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Hello folks,

I have been trying to repair a paint chip (about 1/2" diam) to the top front of the headstock of my Epiphone Les Paul.

I am reasonably competent at these type of repairs and succeeded in doing this one to quite a high standard - filling the black undercoat gap with black cellulose paint then re-laquering the whole front face for consistency.

However on final inspection I noticed that if you look at the repair at anything but front on the paint appears noticeably gray not deep jet black as is the original undercoat. So bad is the fault I removed the whole repair leaving the original chip exposed. I have tried numerous other black paints but nothing even comes close to the deep jet black on this LP headstock.

Does anyone have any suggestions - othewise I fear I may be tempted to take a sledgehammer to the instrument in a fit of rage and use the wreckage as firewood for the remainder of the winter.

Regards,

Thomas.

Black is one of the hardest colors to match. Here's what you do, the perfect solution that never fails.

Go buy a new Epiphone Les Paul, take it directly from the store and put it in to a glass case. Never touch it from that point on, just look. Then take the other one with the chip and use that one to play.

Sorry, but to a point I'm somewhat serious. If you have intentions to play and instrument, you can't let yourself get worked up about chips and dings. Unless you're using it for a photo shoot or music video, don't worry about it.

Black really is a very difficult color to match, as well as matching refraction on thick acrylic or polywhatever Epiphone finishes. If you want to obscure a big white spot where black is missing, stick some black nail polish on it and call it done A deluxe touchup would probably involve a bit of CA to build up to the surrounding finish. Anything more than that I would say is overkill for an Epihone LP. For the repair you're describing, I would literally be charging more than it would cost to replace the guitar with a new one.

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Eschew obfuscation, espouse elucidation.

Yep jet black, especially a high sheen black is almost impossible to perfectly match. So is white. The hue variances are so minute yet so very noticeable. Do the best you can and live with it is my best advise.

Redo the entire peghead face or leave it alone.

The job is worth more than the guitar costs wholesale...

I like flawless guitars when they are brand new.... The I like to see honest wear on a guitar that is played and loved. Character and all that.