Rexter Guitars - custom painting, restoration & refinishing

Schmo

rexter said:

Schmo said:

The problem I have with your work is...I'd order a LPB...no, a Firemist Gold, no an Inca Silver, no wait...ugh aged Metallic Ice Blue...damn it, one of each !

Seriously great work...what level of relic aging do you go to ?

Haha, thanks! A few customers are on their way to having one of each! 

I'm happy to do whatever the customer wants mostly (apart from highly figured exotic wood tops in lurid stains haha). I enjoy working on all levels of ageing and totally pristine finishes. My default senisbilities lie in always trying to do what looks convincing with a less is more philosophy.

My take is that all vintage guitars left the factory with 'factory' finishes so that's always my starting point. I've had a lot of such guitars thourgh my hands over the years and to see that kind of extreme custom shop level of wear on them just isn't really a thing. But... that kind of ageing has definitely become a movement of it's own I think and there's value in everything. It's all about getting the job right for the individual.

I've done a couple of really heavy relic colour over burst things and they came out well but my usual recommendation to an undecided customer would be lightly aged - a handful of well placed and realistic dinks, perhaps some white primer peeking through and some nice non-compressed air lacquer crazing.

For me it’s just an aesthetic, I do like more than lightly aged though...but not RoryG/Mayer levels of aging!
Do you have pix of heavier aging examples...I’m a picky bigger when it comes to this stuff

hoops

Less is more worked a treat on my Greco goldtop - love it more every day!

rexter

hoops said:

Less is more worked a treat on my Greco goldtop - love it more every day!

Thanks CLive, so glad to hear that! Was a lovely guitar, wish I could have played the assembled product!

rexter

@Schmo I need to really get an image gallery on the website as I have thousands of photos just sitting in the cloud and also need to visually explain the different finish options better. If I have time over the next few weeks to dig out some heavier relic ones I will try to post.

Here's something I just finished and it's for sale.

Medium relic Sparkle PB with super super nice checking. Blue Sparkle over LPB, alder, vintage spec with 65mm neck pocket. It's going for £365 unloaded and can supply parts and wiring harness if needed.

RyanNoisyHammer

Loving this P bass buddy! 
So tempted.

Loving your work, as per usual

rexter

RyanNoisyHammer said:

Loving this P bass buddy! 
So tempted.

Loving your work, as per usual

Hey Ryan didn't know you were on here! Congratulations on the wedding btw, hope you had an amazing time!
Thanks so much, I'll come over in the new year when you're free and things are less manic here and we can maybe plot that collab? I may have a tolexing job for you too 

TTony

That makes me want to build another guitar, just so that you can finish it!

Schmo

rexter said:

@Schmo I need to really get an image gallery on the website as I have thousands of photos just sitting in the cloud and also need to visually explain the different finish options better. If I have time over the next few weeks to dig out some heavier relic ones I will try to post.

Here's something I just finished and it's for sale.

Medium relic Sparkle PB with super super nice checking. Blue Sparkle over LPB, alder, vintage spec with 65mm neck pocket. It's going for £365 unloaded and can supply parts and wiring harness if needed.

I understand the task involved getting the image gallery done - I'd definitely look forward to seeing examples of much heavier aging as I really dig your work...I have plans for partscasters involving a strat/tele/PJ bass in the future but having never done such a project I'm keen to do it right first time and your work speaks for itself.

rexter

Hey all, checking in after a while again, save for meeting up with @TTony a few weeks back and being in regular contact with @IvisonGuitars - who I'm honoured to be working with - I've been out in the forum wilderness.

Still working away, now focussing on moving the business more towards refinishing and restoration and am taking a bit of a break from supplying new bodies - at least as custom orders anyway.

I'll still have bodies up for sale on the website fairly regularly but they will already be finished and ready to ship. You will see a lot of offsets in metallics and sparkles and a few of the classic bursts and blondes etc too. Hoping this will free me up to take on more in depth restorations and really focus on the parts of the job I love - ie the painting and craft - rather than volume selling units and admin. 

I'm very much still taking on refinishes, vintage and otherwise and painting bodies supplied by customers & trade customers. so, please drop me a line!

Some recent jobs 



Gretsch Duojet Turquoise sparkle top refin. This guitar... wow.



Some paisleys - man what a pain in the arse they are. Pretty though.





Think I'm calling this colour scheme Deep Space Barbie Burst 



1972 Jazzmaster restoration - had the paint matched to residue in the cavities, subtly aged it to match the original parts. Refin is done in period correct 'poly' finish not nitro this time!



An Ivison Hurricane in the early stages



Old growth Honduras Mahogany custom jag-style body build



A little something I'm building in spare moments (not many), super lightweight JM in Canadian Red Cedar with a Sapele/Bubinga neck.




Also have a stack of FIVE cedar tele style bodies I just need to put the final touches to before finishing and posting up for sale.
 

hoops

Those Hurricanes for Neil were fantastic, great work. 

rexter

hoops said:

Those Hurricanes for Neil were fantastic, great work. 

Thanks Clive. Hopefully I'll be getting my hands on a lot more of them! Just starting on another one (Jr) for Neil this week.

victorludorum

If you have stuff for sale, where do you post them normally, in the Parts section?

rexter

victorludorum said:

If you have stuff for sale, where do you post them normally, in the Parts section?

I only usually post personal sale stuff here these days. I post Rexter Guitars things for sale on social media and my website as that seems to be the best combination for me. Still working through a load of commissioned jobs and hoping the courier system is here to stay for a few more weeks!

rexter

Happy New Year all

I hope this isn't against any forum laws, but after hoarding some of my guitar buidling machinery for the past year and a bit, I've decided I need to move it on. 

A very generous friend has let me store it at their workshop but I haven't been using it enough to warrant keeping it. 

Take a look at the FS post in Misc... CNC router, Bosch tablesaw, vintage Startrite pillar drill, Hakko soldering iron, dust extractors, vacuum pump... 

https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/260061/guitar-workshop-machinery-cnc-router-bosch-gts10xc-tablesaw-dust-extractors?new=1

Also potentially selling a Metabo SXE sander (identical to Mirka Deros), maybe some tonewood and other bits.

New year, new life lol

rze99

rexter said:

Happy New Year all

I hope this isn't against any forum laws, but after hoarding some of my guitar buidling machinery for the past year and a bit, I've decided I need to move it on. 

A very generous friend has let me store it at their workshop but I haven't been using it enough to warrant keeping it. 

Take a look at the FS post in Misc... CNC router, Bosch tablesaw, vintage Startrite pillar drill, Hakko soldering iron, dust extractors, vacuum pump... 

https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/260061/guitar-workshop-machinery-cnc-router-bosch-gts10xc-tablesaw-dust-extractors?new=1

Also potentially selling a Metabo SXE sander (identical to Mirka Deros), maybe some tonewood and other bits.

New year, new life lol

Nice to hear from you, Jon! Hope all well. Hope new non-guitar finishing life is working well for you.

PS You're not a trader any more so you can get away with it