1987 Jackson Soloist Color Match

[Raidogen]

So I've been restoring my red 1987 soloist that has a matching headstock but i'm having difficulty finding information as to which color it is exactly.

Some have said that it looks like blood red, Dakota red, Ferrari red and possibly even just red.

I have mixed a few paints that come damn close but it would be nice to have an exact match.

Any info would be greatly appreciated! Also what type of paint is usually used (poly, enamel, acryllic, etc)


? ?

[pianoguyy]

Well....
Make it whatever red you want.

In 1987, the color mixing was...
Ok, fine. Pot is legal today, it is even medicine that cures everything (except CoVid), so I guess it is ok to come out and say it...

The shade of a color would vary based on how high they were that day.


Not to mention, in 34 years, the color has probably changed from the original.

[Number Of The Priest]

This isn't related to your requisition for information but what a coincidence it was to see your avatar here at the same time I happened to be browsing Facebook and saw your video, below which you posted a full-sized photo of your avatar (pasted below for convenience; I hope you don't mind). https://www.facebook.com/groups/1616...5889906750075/

Great playing.

Not trying to nitpick but calling it a 1987 Soloist as you did in your Facebook post is more accurate than calling it a 1987 SL1 here on JCF. The SL1 designation didn't exist until 1996.

Gorgeous guitar though. Best of luck seeking the info you need.

[Raidogen]

Haha, I can imagine that's how it was. Well, I am trying to do a few drop fills and chip repairs. So if you have info about what type of paint would be best to use, that would be awesome!

Thank you NumberOfThePriest! You're absolutely right about my labeling. I forgot where I was posting for a minute there!

[pianoguyy]

Well, I am trying to do a few drop fills and chip repairs. So if you have info about what type of paint would be best to use, that would be awesome!

Take it to a nail salon. They will match the color.

[Raidogen]

I bought a few types of enamel hobby paint and blended them. Maybe i'll take those with me and I'll get a manicure while i'm there XD

[Number Of The Priest]

Regarding color-matching for drop-fills and chip repairs, below are three excerpts from this thread: https://www.jcfonline.com/forum/equi...-touchup-paint

I don't have a specific source to suggest, but recommend the following hunts:

1. Walmart, drug stores, Sephora, or any place that sells cosmetics, in search of nail polish that could potentially match or come close to your guitar's finish. Bring your guitar with you and ask women or the sales associates for a second eye on color matching; they seem to have a good eye for colors.

2. Also try any stores that sell automotive touch-up paint. Bonus if it comes in dual pen format where one end is color and the other end is clearcoat, but I find these to be expensive compared to bottles of nail polish and nail clear topcoat.

3. I've seen guitars that were touched up with permanent marker (for example, Sharpie brand) but I doubt you'll find one that has metallic ink to match your metallic finish and I personally prefer one of the two methods above. It might be a different situation if your guitar was a solid color finish.

For the clearcoat, lately I prefer clear nail topcoat instead of the clearcoat that comes with automotive touch-up pens. I find it easier to handle and it blends more smoothly, almost "melting" with the color you apply and with the existing finish.

My experience with touch-ups and blending is only with poly-finished guitars, never nitro, for which I imagine I would need to learn a new method.

I forgot all about model paint. That sounds like a good idea. I used to build model airplanes in my younger days and remember the paints in my Testors kit were a mix of flat/matte, gloss, and metallic/sparkly.

Yes, to me, the paint is simply for the color-matching aspect. Just enough colored paint to cover the ding and match the original color of the guitar. Then clearcoat (with my preference lately being nail polish topcoat) to provide the hardness and protection for the precious color underneath that is also cooperative when wet-sanding, wet-micromeshing, and polishing.

Since posting those three posts, I have now recently gained experience using Sharpie marker as my color source and can attest that my theory of "any color source as long as you deem it a good color match + hard clearcoat" is a formula that works when I do drop-fills. I am growing far less picky about the source of the color as long as it matches. If you find a nail polish, automotive touch-up pen, permanent marker, enamel paint for scale models, acrylic paint, etc. in a color that matches your red Soloist, go for it, because you're going to be using very little of it anyway, just enough to color the wound. Once colored, the divot is actually filled using whatever you choose as your clearcoat, whether that be cyanoacrylate (super glue), nail clear topcoat (my preference), or actual clearcoat.

Instead of actually playing guitar during my two and a half week Christmas break, I spent most of my free time drop-filling four guitars (one black, two metallic champagne, and one sapphire blue) so that makes eight total guitars on which I have done drop-fills. I always tell myself I won't ever do drop-fills again due to the huge investment of time for very little payoff, variable results, and certainly not every scar can be rendered invisible despite best efforts, but for some reason it's hard to stop.

[Raidogen]

Well, can I get you opinion on what I have done so far? Maybe I am being to picky, but I would love for this guitar to be in almost immaculate condition when I'm done!

[Raidogen]

? ? ? ???????

[Number Of The Priest]

If you are trying to post images, they are not working. You need to upload your images to an external image host (https://www.google.ca/search?q=free+...client=gws-wiz), then copy-paste the generated links back here.

Depending on the size of the dings, how close your color matches, and your ability to blend with clearcoat + wet-sanding + wet-micromeshing + compound or polish, you may have variable success hiding the scars.

I find that my drop-filling and blending skills can nearly seamlessly hide dings that are up to a few millimeters, but larger than that I can start to see the seam even though under my fingertip the area feels flush and seamless with the surrounding original finish.

The biggest ding I have repaired is dime-sized in one of my metallic champagne guitars I drop-filled and blended over Christmas. Despite my best efforts, it remains an ugly scar and reminds me why I want to shoot myself when I embark on a new drop-filling adventure. To me, it looks better than the bare wood showing. However, the tiny reward of "slightly less ugly than bare wood but still an eyesore after drop-filling and blending" especially after the enormous time and effort invested, is what prompts me each time to tell myself to never again do drop-fills in the future.

Time will tell whether I will stumble across more dinged-up guitars I cannot resist adding to the collection and feel compelled to repair.

[Raidogen]

I'm fairly sure they're out of order but here's what I have done so far

https://ibb.co/Jd4NVFv

https://ibb.co/f1gzMY6

https://ibb.co/PF5W4B4

https://ibb.co/KqyYS8F

https://ibb.co/kS4c6sf

https://ibb.co/ky1Fh1W

https://ibb.co/vDYC2nf

[Number Of The Priest]

In your Google Drive, I can only see one image which I think is the headstock tip, where the finish is missing from the main part of the tip, and the binding and a chunk of wood is missing from where the binding would normally be present. Are there more photos?

That repair would be beyond my abilities. I haven't repaired binding before. If the guitar didn't have binding, I would repair it with wood filler (https://www.jbweld.com/product/kwikwood-epoxy-putty-1oz), then sand it flush, then apply color, then apply clearcoat, and blend using the usual progression of wet-sanding + wet-micromeshing + compound or polish.

[Raidogen]

I fixed my links. I bought ivoroid celluloid binding, glued it on and used acetone to make a paste that would fill the gap between the two. I used testors and some German hobby paint to recreate the faded Ferrari red (I just confirmed the color with the previous owner) to fill the holes created to install the OFR and the tip of the headstock. I steamed out the dent with a soldering iron,

[DonP]

I fixed my links. I bought ivoroid celluloid binding, glued it on and used acetone to make a paste that would fill the gap between the two. I used testors and some German hobby paint to recreate the faded Ferrari red (I just confirmed the color with the previous owner) to fill the holes created to install the OFR and the tip of the headstock. I steamed out the dent with a soldering iron,

Sorry for getting here too late, but I do lots of repairs and touch ups. I try to avoid enamel because I don't think it dries as hard as nail polish. I use crazy glue for the clear fill on top. I've even used crazy glue to build up pointy headstocks that had the tips knocked off.

Good luck with the repairs.