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Painting a Guitar
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26-01-2009 9:48am#1Painting a Guitar
Hopefully by the end of the week I should have in my collection a lovely Fender Jagstang. It needs a bit of work and a new paint job.
just wondering if there are people who have re-sprayed/painted a guitar before where did they get the supplies what exactly was needed,
I'm looking for pointers and general info so anybody out there that has done this please feel free to post and to give me pro's con's etc etc.
Cheers - Gaz
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Do you have any pictures of it?
I would say that you should try your hardest to clean up the existing finish. As for chips, these can be repaired with some patience. I'm doing this at the moment to a bass I picked up recently. Almost all the major chips (some down to the wood) are now practically invisible.
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Hi GazPat
I've sprayed one or two guitars in my time and i'm very much for it for restoration of a knackered guitar, my only warning would be if you're going to do it be prepared to be patient and do it right and to as high a standard as possible. Many re-finished guitars have suffered from sub-standard re-sprays.
If you're going to do it I'll write a quick walkthrough here for your benefit.
First comes the sanding... and then the sanding. prepare for callouses on all surfaces of those guitarists hands. Sand off the existing paint with low grit paper 180 grit or lower. When you think you've removed it all give each surface one more sand to make sure you get rid of any inital treatments of the wood.
Now the actual sanding begins... staring with 200 grit and working your way up through medium and fine grade paper sand with at least 4 or 5 progressive grades finishing with the closest sandpaper you can get to actual paper. Next get some 0000 grade wire wool and sand it with that. (make sure it's 0000 grade paper) This stuff is super fine and will remove traces of dust and dirt from between the top layer of grain.
Next you need to treat the wood with a product called sanding sealer. You should probably apply two coats of this and sand with either the wool or very fine paper between coats. I would REALLY advise against using primer as I think it's too thick and rough and also (possibly just a myth) supposedly can effect the glossiness of the final coat.
Finally it's time to spray. Not everyone has access to a spray booth and gun but it really does make a huge difference. I personally use a garden shed as they tend to be unavoidably well vented. You can rent a spray gun and compressor too. It's more economical in paint and time and helps to avoid drips forming (something to avoid at all costs). Hang the guitar by a hook through one of the neck bolt holes and spray your first coat. Sand using fine wet and dry paper between coats but leave the guitar overnight to 'gas off' before spraying and sanding the next coat. If you see a part of the body you missed on a coat of spray DO NOT spot spray it. leave it to dry and catch it on your next coat.
Professional guitars can have anything form 8 to 35 coats of lacquer depending on make but I find 5-7 coats gives it a perfectly smooth and lustreous finish the equivalent of any decent manufacturers.
The spray you will be using is nitrocellulose lacquer which can be bought in most motor factors as it's the exact same stuff used to spray car bodywork. Halfords have a great range but unfortunately charge you your first born child and your soul for the privelage of using it so smaller motor factors are probably your best bet for a good price. Alternatively you can order it from England or a good paint supplier in Ireland (Akzo Nobel possibly?) but not from america as it can't generally be transported by air due to it's solvent nature.
leave a day or two between your second to last and final coat (having left each progessive coat time to dry and sanding it). You now need to give the guitar a final polish. Finishing is an art in itself and I would never claim to be an expert as there are people who've spent years perfecting this alone. I have my mediocre experience and a few rather good results to go on here though.
Do not sand the final layer instead after leaving it for a day or two polish it first with the 0000 grade wire wool. This stuff is super-fine and will not damage or scratch the final coat it will give it a brilliant glossy shine. A safety warning for the wire wool though, ALWAYS WITHOUT EXCEPTION wear a mask when using this grade of wool as it is super-fine and possibly more dangerous than solvents to your lungs.
Once this is done you can actually polish the guitar if you think it's necessary. There are hundereds of guitar polish kits out there but again they are solvents so england/near europe is probably your best bet here for sourcing. I suggest luthiers mercantile international as a possible source (http://www.lmii.com). Polish using a chamis cloth or micrfibre cloth if you can get your hands on one. Paul Ryan music in temple bar stock a rather nifty micro fibre cloth for polishing brass instruments.
Et voila... Read as much as you can on the subject (Melvyn Hiscock and Bob Benedito have imo the two best books in the business on luthiere and both have extensive sections on finishing) and do not just paint it with cheap or unsuitable paint. It will take possibly a few weeks but when you look at a properly finished guitar and see yourself staring back it makes it all worth while.
Best of luck 0 -
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That can be repaired if you match the paint. This shouldn't really be a problem considering Fender's "custom colors" are basically car colors. Most of these colors are still around or have been reissued recently. What you'd need is a touch up pot of the correct paint, some superglue, various grades of fine sandpaper (stewmac.com), scratch remover and a lot of patience.
Basically you just "colour it in" with the touch up paint. Don't fill the dents with the paint. When this paint dries you can move onto the super glue.
Gradually fill in the dent with the super glue, just a little bit at a time. It doesnt take long to dry but its best to do it in stages. Once the glue is raised above the surrounding finish (and dry) you can sand it down (moving up in grades). Finally if there are still scratches from the sandpaper you can use the scratch remover and then buff it out.
As I said above, I'm doing this exact thing at the moment.
I believe the colour on that Jagstang is Fiesta Red? I'm not 100% on that though, as the picture is pretty bad.0 -
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After seeing the picture yeah It could be touched up if you're careful and patient enough. One thing to watch out for though is red is the most succeptible paint colour to fading so make sure the colour matches before using it if you decide to touch-up. It's mostly an issue with cars (constant sunlight/rain) rather than guitars tho.
Well, its poly and relatively new so that shouldn't be much of an issue.
Actually, Fender might be able to recommend a paint code for touchups. 0 -
Hi GazPat
I've sprayed one or two guitars in my time and i'm very much for it for restoration of a knackered guitar, my only warning would be if you're going to do it be prepared to be patient and do it right and to as high a standard as possible. Many re-finished guitars have suffered from sub-standard re-sprays.
If you're going to do it I'll write a quick walkthrough here for your benefit.
First comes the sanding... and then the sanding. prepare for callouses on all surfaces of those guitarists hands. Sand off the existing paint with low grit paper 180 grit or lower. When you think you've removed it all give each surface one more sand to make sure you get rid of any inital treatments of the wood.
Now the actual sanding begins... staring with 200 grit and working your way up through medium and fine grade paper sand with at least 4 or 5 progressive grades finishing with the closest sandpaper you can get to actual paper. Next get some 0000 grade wire wool and sand it with that. (make sure it's 0000 grade paper) This stuff is super fine and will remove traces of dust and dirt from between the top layer of grain.
Next you need to treat the wood with a product called sanding sealer. You should probably apply two coats of this and sand with either the wool or very fine paper between coats. I would REALLY advise against using primer as I think it's too thick and rough and also (possibly just a myth) supposedly can effect the glossiness of the final coat.
Finally it's time to spray. Not everyone has access to a spray booth and gun but it really does make a huge difference. I personally use a garden shed as they tend to be unavoidably well vented. You can rent a spray gun and compressor too. It's more economical in paint and time and helps to avoid drips forming (something to avoid at all costs). Hang the guitar by a hook through one of the neck bolt holes and spray your first coat. Sand using fine wet and dry paper between coats but leave the guitar overnight to 'gas off' before spraying and sanding the next coat. If you see a part of the body you missed on a coat of spray DO NOT spot spray it. leave it to dry and catch it on your next coat.
Professional guitars can have anything form 8 to 35 coats of lacquer depending on make but I find 5-7 coats gives it a perfectly smooth and lustreous finish the equivalent of any decent manufacturers.
The spray you will be using is nitrocellulose lacquer which can be bought in most motor factors as it's the exact same stuff used to spray car bodywork. Halfords have a great range but unfortunately charge you your first born child and your soul for the privelage of using it so smaller motor factors are probably your best bet for a good price. Alternatively you can order it from England or a good paint supplier in Ireland (Akzo Nobel possibly?) but not from america as it can't generally be transported by air due to it's solvent nature.
leave a day or two between your second to last and final coat (having left each progessive coat time to dry and sanding it). You now need to give the guitar a final polish. Finishing is an art in itself and I would never claim to be an expert as there are people who've spent years perfecting this alone. I have my mediocre experience and a few rather good results to go on here though.
Do not sand the final layer instead after leaving it for a day or two polish it first with the 0000 grade wire wool. This stuff is super-fine and will not damage or scratch the final coat it will give it a brilliant glossy shine. A safety warning for the wire wool though, ALWAYS WITHOUT EXCEPTION wear a mask when using this grade of wool as it is super-fine and possibly more dangerous than solvents to your lungs.
Once this is done you can actually polish the guitar if you think it's necessary. There are hundereds of guitar polish kits out there but again they are solvents so england/near europe is probably your best bet here for sourcing. I suggest luthiers mercantile international as a possible source (http://www.lmii.com). Polish using a chamis cloth or micrfibre cloth if you can get your hands on one. Paul Ryan music in temple bar stock a rather nifty micro fibre cloth for polishing brass instruments.
Et voila... Read as much as you can on the subject (Melvyn Hiscock and Bob Benedito have imo the two best books in the business on luthiere and both have extensive sections on finishing) and do not just paint it with cheap or unsuitable paint. It will take possibly a few weeks but when you look at a properly finished guitar and see yourself staring back it makes it all worth while.
Best of luck
Epic post...nice one..0 -
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again all I can do is applaud the knowledge and the advice.
dord I think your spot on I will get the correct colour code and give the guitar a touch up.
forgive my igornorance / stupidity but will this not give the area you have touched up a brighter paint colour, as the other area of the guitar you are not touching up will be older and maybe faded
It shouldn't do. The guitar is painted with a Polyurethane which is much more resistant to sunlight than Nitrocellulose. There should be little if any difference. 0 -
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As for chips, these can be repaired with some patience. I'm doing this at the moment to a bass I picked up recently. Almost all the major chips (some down to the wood) are now practically invisible.
Ugh, wish I could say that for the "limited edition sparkly cosmic blue" finish on my RG and a flamed maple top on a recent acquisition... But hey, if you're looking for another project you can have a go and I'll hook you up with a case of beer!
Post some pics when you're done!
Legologic, great post, very informative and completely discouraging.
Considering the amount of work you described, I just lost all hope of ever refinishing an old strat body. Trust me, you don't want to know what I've done to it using various, um, machinery. :pac:0 -
Legologic, great post, very informative and completely discouraging.
Considering the amount of work you described, I just lost all hope of ever refinishing an old strat body. Trust me, you don't want to know what I've done to it using various, um, machinery. :pac:
Thank you kindly but I hope I havent discouraged people. That ammount of work is more than equalled by the feeling of acomplishment in a propperly finished guitar. I have never been as proud as when I rubbed a hand across a polished paintjob i'd done and could hadly feel it.
Best feeling in the world!0 -
Ugh, wish I could say that for the "limited edition sparkly cosmic blue" finish on my RG and a flamed maple top on a recent acquisition... But hey, if you're looking for another project you can have a go and I'll hook you up with a case of beer!
Post some pics when you're done!
Legologic, great post, very informative and completely discouraging.
Considering the amount of work you described, I just lost all hope of ever refinishing an old strat body. Trust me, you don't want to know what I've done to it using various, um, machinery. :pac:
Yeah, sparkly finishes are a pain to fix. But if it's just the clear coat thats damaged it shouldn't be a problem. The case of beer sounds tempting. :P
I should have taken better pictures before my work, but oh well. I'll post up the finished pictures soon hopefully. Just waiting on some parts. I couldn't pass up the chance when this bass came up for sale. It's a pity it was in such as state but it should be ok when I'm done. 0 -
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