Home Forums Guitar Discussion Guitar painting a guitar

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  • #22335
    Jimmy
    Participant

    I just got a guitar not to long ago and i dont like the color of it.. i would like to paint it.. but i dont know how to or what paint to use.. is there a special type of paint you must use and a special way you must paint it?

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    • #74175
      Jimmy
      Participant

      ok thanx, like i said earlier and i probly will say again im gad that i jioned this or my guitar probly would look like sh** when im done. lol

    • #74019
      1bassleft
      Participant

      It’s 90% preparation, Jimmy. Is that wood as level and smooth as the proverbial? If not, it’ll show through.

      Personally, I’m not a fan of the automotive-spray finish but, seeing as that’s your route, there’s no reason why not to spray the primer. Golden rules: correct distance, light passes, time for drying, sand between coats. With patience, it can look great when finished.

      Keep updating,
      🙂

    • #74024
      Jimmy
      Participant

      yesterday i took my guitar apart and i think im going to start primering it soon.. should i use a spray primer or not??

    • #74008
      Jimmy
      Participant

      ya ok

    • #74031
      glw
      Participant

      Ever hear the expression, “Don’t count your chickens until they’re hatched”?

      You’ll need to make a good job of it first before you can start daydreaming about its value. And no matter what you do, it’s hardly going to fetch big bucks. There just ain’t the demand.

      I’d be more concerned about its playability if I were you.

    • #74017
      Jimmy
      Participant

      ok! my mom and bro say its a very cheap guitar…. my friends and i say differently… what do u guys think? i would like to no… and if i do sell the guitar after i put all this work into it will it be worth more?? jw

    • #74003
      lee_UK
      Participant

      you should take off all the hardware before sanding, and certainly before spraying!! make a note or drawing on exactly what you took off and how it goes back, you will have to un-solder the pickups too, make a note of the wires and where they go, take the volume and tone pots out again making a careful note where the wires go, you can get some labels and stick them on the cables and number them so you dont go wrong, if the neck is bolted on then take this off too, there is no need to spray the neck, a natural wood colour is always a first class choice on any guitar. take all the paint off before spraying, some paints react with others and you wont know what type you have on their at the moment.
      Best to get it down to the bare wood, you can then get the first coats of primer on, remembering to sand down each coat as i described earlier.
      Ibanez make excellent guitars, like bass says, it looks like you have a solid mahogany body to the instrument which is always a good sign of a very good qulity instrument, hardware is very good too. It will be well worth the time and effort you are putting in.

    • #73996
      glw
      Participant

      You might want to take the hardware off before sanding it!

    • #74015
      Jimmy
      Participant

      ya i no it looks awful! lol… thats one reason im gonna keep sanding it but this time ill probly do it alone! i dont like how my lil bro was sanding it.. he went all the way to the red in some spots and not others… i gotta a few questions.. is Ibanez a good brand? the neck is wood.. so does that mean i shouldnt pick it up by the neck? can that damage the neck in ne way?? should i cover the neck when i sand it just in case? ( i did last time)

    • #73995
      1bassleft
      Participant

      ps, If that’s your Ibanez, then they were very fine copies and well worth having. Linking to your “fallin’ apart” thread; I can explain the jargon about ‘bridge’, ‘tailpiece’ and ‘saddles’ properly, now there’s a pic. Lee is an SG expert, so he’ll do a better job of explaining, though.

    • #73990
      1bassleft
      Participant

      Jimmy,
      1) – It worked
      2) – That’s the first time my “advice sticky” has been used properly. Thanks for that.
      3) I can see why you’re not keen on the current finish – it looks awful.
      4) That looks like a nice, proper, mahogany body under that hideous lime green. I’d consider a cherry-red stain, instead of car paint.

      Staining is a piece of pee, especially on a wood like mahogany. Then, lacquer it (or use a tough oil like Danish Oil or Gunstock – even easier).

      Just my op,
      1BL

    • #73987
      Jimmy
      Participant

      #http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b319/jimmy0000/guitarpics001.jpg
      ok i dont know if that worked but if it did plz tell me for i no i did it right – it use to be dark green with blue spots on it and now its that color

    • #73994
      Jimmy
      Participant

      ok i regestered at photobucket.com and now im figureing things out so give me a while and i should have a pic of -my sanded down guitar- on here soon ❗

    • #73989
      Michael
      Participant
    • #74004
      Jimmy
      Participant

      Ya i dont see it.. can u try to instruct where it is?? i cant find it but im probly just looking in the wrong places..

    • #74021
      1bassleft
      Participant

      See my “sticky” at the top of the forum page, Jimmy. Let me know if it’s not clear or doesn’t work for you.

    • #74018
      Jimmy
      Participant

      this may seem like a stupid question to u ppl that have been on here longer ( i just started this like yesterday) but how do u post pics???

    • #74022
      Michael
      Participant

      Post us a few pics if you can Jimmy. Alot of folks here would be interested in taking a look at a few shots throughout the process.

    • #74027
      Jimmy
      Participant

      ya, thats what i was using

    • #74012
      1bassleft
      Participant

      There is one good piece of advice from reranch. Don’t use your hands for sanding. Use a block, and/or a small battery. Otherwise, you’ll apply uneven pressure and end up with undulations.

    • #74001
      lee_UK
      Participant

      you know you can use a medium coarse paper to take the paint off then a fine to flatten it before you put on the primer?

    • #73998
      Jimmy
      Participant

      i actually just got done sanding down the first 2 layers of paint… the person i bought it from painted it and didnt sand down the old paint so i just got done getting rid of his paint he put on it and that took me a good 3 hours… with no breaks.. man my fingers are sore! lol

    • #74034
      lee_UK
      Participant

      Most important Jim, take your time with it, dont expect to have it done in a hour, take a good few days, let the coats dry and sand down lightly. Let us know how you get on.

    • #74032
      Jimmy
      Participant

      thnx, i think im probly gonna stick with the car paint and sanding or w\e u wanna call it

    • #74028
      lee_UK
      Participant

      Car paint is good, ive had some good results using it.
      you need to rub down the guitar get all the old paint off, get a tin of primer, and spray and even coat, get some 800-1000 grit carbide paper and rub down between coats (about 6 coats should do it, and make sure the coats a properly dry) spray on your top coloured coat (8 coats) and again rub down each coat, you are looking to get all the roughness of the paint and trying to get it flat and even, then spray on the laquer i did about 8 coats on mine, but i could have done with more, on my final coat i rubbed down using the 1000 grit and then used a rubbing compound like T-Cut, and then used a car wax polish and buffed it up with a soft cloth, to a high gloss, you should get a good result, one tip, always spray in a dust free enviroment, but make sure it is well ventilated.
      Good luck.

    • #74023
      1bassleft
      Participant

      Hello Jimmy, welcome in.

      This is the best place to go, http://www.reranch.com/

      It’s a mine of info in itself, but also has useful links. You’ll have a blemish-free butterscotch blonde before you know it 🙂 . Hope this is helpful (it was to me).

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