Rexter Guitars - custom painting, restoration & refinishing

Marshall · November 2019

pics not working this end..?

Grangousier · November 2019

Pictures working here.

Marshall · November 2019

Just seems to be the pics from tonight’s post..all the earlier ones seem fine!

LastMantra · November 2019

Man there's some seriously talented feckers around here!

Marshall · November 2019

Looking like it’s something to do with the google account he’s using to host instead of imgur previously.?

earwighoney · November 2019

Marshall said:

Just seems to be the pics from tonight’s post..all the earlier ones seem fine!

Same with me, I've tried 2 different web browsers as well.

rexter · November 2019

Weird! They're showing on my phone and mac... But yeah Google instead of Imgur - will try to sort them tomorrow morning. Cheers guys!

Marshall · November 2019

rexter · December 2019

Is this image working for anyone who was having problems?

Image: https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/johlvnoUgUXspIC-KzdA2uoz2Bsq0ewfUKppx9xZz_mbADYHE5LxEhjjAhd7biNC51H3rOiARlfFhCjN5PvZu1dzSC61tck25c1sNfMvalA7i47PBLhud4Xqngrf4elE5EQzKZ36L6S6lwu5Ezqs3TpLtmEpGPE8AIva3FC2pkLuoAjh74pW7Rrk3Kt_xO6peaHi8A3H5v__til9ysnKTCm9BWGdYYTkaZT5r0MzplEwcMIPfeBzfWuc2X7LwqexUpB0-OgNE3qrQPJSvRYrPjP9DyrEr7uoZEQbkUmD__o8w7_xY7-avC4Lzyv3PEioUg_qiUk6ZhF-QdWK0_iraeN1pKMNiX4gaKszJP3SC0BKSgQZ_NLKb3Z2MtSojyrd8_NGfI0EX-vxLYU7kr25XISDUKzxbrzmoPU2EzZlV3ofbvj8IadOIJBf_W87FZJIfrcw3u_3U1og6UzWqWiEjaIYuD0skf7dbReQXs9jkZjMHZ31Es3qIckr_9UMX8wqbSsdEYbhvK5yGKJi7jaIoCRj18x_bRQ9sRpBOVrxd63n_14ldB0oXTaHPIFH4AXJEW2VmpGJsYLAZnk1vUIBtepUk78zjUpkIit1WBcS63nmenS3-vDVgRbsJcT0Ko9Yla_KBptUOvEo-4_SdACD8NfgbovqB6QYZTTtt0EvAeN3a_1fJxL73OI=w812-h609-no

CasperCaster · December 2019

@rexter I couldn't see the previous images, but that double bound ice blue offset is working!

rexter · December 2019

Thanks @CasperCaster appreciate it!
Persevering with googlephotos as it is handy for me rather than uploading to imgur too, seems that if I put them all in a public album they might show for everyone. tbc

Lebarque · December 2019

No, still not showing for me on Android/Chrome. :0(

slowerhand · December 2019

Still not showing on my iPad. Are any of these photos not on your Instagram?

rexter · December 2019

Annoying! Oh well, I swear posting pics here is a bit of a gamble!

Lebarque · December 2019

Gotta be Imgur innit

CasperCaster · December 2019

That's odd. The images from 30th November do not show on my android phone (just a sort of grey 'no entry' sign), but the ice blue metallic offset shows fine. I'm on Android 9 on a Huawei/Honor 8x.

rexter · December 2019

Back to Imgur!

Very pretty JM style I built for someone in the summer...

AVRI Jaguar restoration (reposting in case pictures not showing earlier). Came in in a real state. I left the neck as it was (hugely checked with beautiful natural wear) and refinished body and headstock in perefctly aged Ice Blue Metallic. Owner over the moon with this one. As a guide, a job like this which included refin, reassembly, new wiring components and a full setup comes in around £450-500

AV65 Fender Jazzmaster refinished in Firemist Silver

Highway 1 strat refinished in Firemist Gold, needed extensive prep as was totally battered... refinished it then it got a very light re-battering...

Bit the bullet a workshop reshuffle last week. Over a year in here and still feel like there's weeks of work to do getting it to the best setup, but this is a big improvement in the non painting area. It's amazing how many things like this there are to do which feel like they're keeping you from your actual work but are essential for the greater good. It's not just spraying guitars, it's a whole host of other things that have to be done.

Built a new buffer pedastal and tuned it up and now it's purring nicely. Tidier than normal in this picture. I've moved all the messiest machines like the router table and bandsaw well out of the way in the back corner, big Camvac dust collector is hidden away in the back wall cupboard but I still need to sort that all out properly.

Schmo · December 2019

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 ?

rexter · December 2019

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.

CasperCaster · December 2019

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 ?

I'm with you there. I've got a project I'm planning for next year which will require a light relic finish. But which finish? The woodworking and routing aspects are easy compared to deciding on the right finish, when they all look so great!

Schmo · December 2019

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 · December 2019

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

rexter · December 2019

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 · December 2019

@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 · December 2019

Loving this P bass buddy!
So tempted.

Loving your work, as per usual

rexter · December 2019

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 · December 2019

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

Schmo · December 2019

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 · March 2020

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!