Glad to see you're getting into the real vintage, Denis, congrats! What Scott said goes for me, I'll help if I can.
...strip the whole thing, carefully fill in that j pup hole and go to one of the solid colors Gibson offered on those...
No need to strip it if you're doing a solid color. Unless you're into paying big bucks for a lacquer refin the painter will be using modern paint, not nitro. A skim coat of poly primer will be shot over the PROPERLY prepared feathered and filled body,scuff sanded and then a color coat and clear coats.
There are very few people shooting nitro besides me (quick note: IT"S BEEN ILLEGAL TO BRING LACQUER OF ANY KIND INTO CALIFORNIA FOR FIVE YEARS). Any of the quality finishers there, Marty Bell, Curtis Novak, Bruce Johnston, and the guy in L.A. (don't remember his name) included are using thin modern basecoat/clearcoat finishes. I'm now using poly primer under my lacquer color finishes. 6 ounces of the stuff will do an entire body. I can't tell any difference tonewise between it and multiple coats of lacquer sealer and primer. It also perfectly fills the invisible lines you thought wouldn't be a problem when filling pickup holes.
Inverness Green is a metallic, it's only available in acrylic lacquer if you want to go that way.
