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301 paint repair/touch-up

3

33.3rpm

pfm Member
Whilst removing my like-new-out-of-the-box 301 from its plinth I have managed to slip with the screwdriver whilst undoing one of the brass nuts underneath. I have managed to knock a small chip of paint from (of course) the front. Did it this morning and have just managed to exhale.

Has anyone dealt with a chip? Anyone have a paint type, colour-match or process they can share. Perhaps an off-white/antique white/ivory enamel applied with a tooth-pick? The deck really is otherwise mint.
 
Ouch. I can’t help you with the paint, just not my skillset I’m afraid, but I can maybe help prevent the issue for others.

These Garrards should not be bolted down hard into any plinth. Doing so just ruins the sound, all kinds of wrong. Use the supplied rubber washers and just hold the screw with your finger and spin the nut up underneath until it stops. You don’t need a screwdriver at all! I spent hours listening to this one and Garrard were certainly right, the rubber washers are all part of the design, don’t squish them down. The bolts just act as locators and stop the deck moving in the plinth. No tension needed here at all.

PS Not just me, Terry at Lorricraft said the same, plus you’ll find an article at Stereophile from Art Dudley explaining how it took him a while to realise why his 301 sounded bad after a fettle; he’d bolted it down too hard.
 
Surround the chipped area with masking tape and build up the chip in a few thinner layers. Enamel, nail polish even we used to use on bikes. You can get coloured superglue for these kinds of repairs.

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Just went to my local hobby shop and picked up a small tin of Humbol enamel gloss #41, looks like it could be a match.

I was thinking the same, mask it off and use tooth-pick to fill in the chip. Think I was lucky as it is quite small. When I did it I couldn’t look at it for a couple of minutes. I’ll put on some extra-strength specs and avoid coffee when I do it, reckon I’ll need a steady hand.

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AA0446 No 41 Ivory - Gloss - Tinlet No 1 (14ml)

AA0446, No 41 Ivory - Gloss - Tinlet No 1 (14ml), Humbrol, Enamel Paints, No Scale
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Practise on the underside of the deck, assuming that it's similarly painted, you easily can see how good a colour match it is then. Second the comment about thinning too, neat Humbrol enamel is probably too thick for this job.
 
I’d do nothing to it for a week or two. Admittedly I’m coming from this from a vintage guitar etc perspective where original paint is worth a lot and any restoration devalues the item. If your 301 is in its original paint then given it is 60 years old the odd chip is allowed as part of its life. If you try to touch it up you will still always see it. Anyone looking to buy the deck will see it (unless you are a professional paint restorer!), so unless it is an especially bad mark I’d personally leave it be.

My Leak TL12 Plus both have a couple of marks, my Lockwood cabs have quite a few. I’ve been exceptionally lucky with my 124, that is very nice original paint. To be honest one of the reasons I picked the 124 over my 301 is the 124 was original paint, the 301 a respray, and to my obsessive eyes an imperfect one. I’d have accepted flaws in original paint (short of a dust bug mark!), but not in restoration, though as I say I’ve been conditioned by the guitar market. I’ve had one of my guitars refinished, but I had no option as it had previously been done very badly, the others wear whatever minor scars they have. I’d not even consider getting them filled. They are what they are, and they are honest about it.

I know exactly how triggering sticking a ding in something yourself is, but it does subside in time. My suspicion is any repair attempt will be at least as triggering.
 
gavreid said:
You might want to thin it down a little. Practice on something else and see how it dries
Click to expand...
Good idea. I have dropped a few dabs of the paint on a bit of plastic and will compare after it has dried. The 301 I question is a very late serial number (81k) and has been sheltered from UV all its life so paint is very nice and prob easier to match than a much older deck.
 
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