painting guitars

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Music is my boyfriend
Member Since: Jan 31, 2008

hey who knows where I can get my guitar painted proffessionaly...in canada...

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www.TheLondonProject.ca
Member
Since: Feb 07, 2005


Jul 03, 2008 01:15 pm

Hit up your local custom furniture shops. Most are equiped with spray booths. They can do the base coat for you. Then hit up someone that paints goalie masks for any airbrush work if needed. Then bring it back to the custom furniture shop for clear coating...

...or do it yourself.

Prince CZAR-ming
Member
Since: Apr 08, 2004


Jul 03, 2008 05:32 pm

I was gonna do a project on my ratty 72 tele custom.

The paint job was icky, so I sanded it all down, and was going to seal it, then put on a neat color changing paint type thing.

One of my old buds works in a car body shop, so they do nice paint work quite often. He turned me onto this stuff, that comes in three spray cans:

1) the base black
2) the color changy paint
3) the top clear enamel

Unfortunately, my house burned down taking my tele with it, before I could try it out.

From what I've read (guitar reranch.com, or something similar), sanding is your friend here. Really work at getting the surface mirror smooth by sanding. Grit: 80 or 100, then 200, then 400 or 600, then 800 or 1000 if you're inclined. I think I got up to 800 on my tele, and it was super-smooth.

Then use a sealer if the wood is more porous. Sealer isn't necessary for dense, small pore wood. I think mine was maple, very dense, but I was going to seal it anyway, just to be sure.

Hit a auto-part store, for the color changey paint. It cost me around 20$us, maybe a little more.



String bender
Member
Since: Unknown


Jul 03, 2008 06:54 pm

Be careful of the rattle can paint jobs. It seems that some of the paints will react to the foam on a guitar stand even after it has dried causing it to melt at the point of contact.

http://www.reverbnation.com/2ndg
Member
Since: Nov 27, 2007


Jul 03, 2008 08:48 pm

use a good car body paint with a proper spraygun and mix in your laquer with the paint for an awsome finish. be sure to use wet and dry emery paper to get "ALL" scratches off first, or trust me on this one, you will see them through the paint.
hold it up, on all angles to the light and check for scratches, fine ones are ok, as long as its not too bad.
i did one a while back, looks ok, but didnt get the scratches off enough.

having said that, its a pretty straight forward job to do yerself.
i will chuck a pic on my profile if you wanna check it. to make sure im not giving you a bum steer.
oh yeah dont forget to undercoat first obviously.

Music is my boyfriend
Member
Since: Jan 31, 2008


Jul 06, 2008 07:42 pm

DEON,, the black guitar thats the one u did? looks sweet!, ya i wanna paint my fender hot pink!! :)i know all u boyz will love that hahaha...i am not confident in doing it myself at all...but i really wanna get it done, its like a icky *** mustard color ugh yuck...thanks for ur help tho peeps!

Administrator
Since: Apr 03, 2002


Jul 06, 2008 09:12 pm

I have one old bass guitar that has been about 12 colors through the course of it's life...I think it's spent more time drying than it has being played.

Czar of Midi
Administrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002


Jul 06, 2008 10:31 pm

Ya, Frankenstein was an experiment gone bad, and then turned out good. Too many layers of paint and clear coat on that one. I dread the day I decide to repaint it as I shot it with Imron which is a polyurethane enamel and is kind of bullet proof.

I have to agree though that a good body shop is probably going to be the best bet for getting a good paint job done if there are no local guitar painters up there. The finish on Frank is actually an automotive finish.

www.TheLondonProject.ca
Member
Since: Feb 07, 2005


Jul 06, 2008 10:45 pm

Actually painting guitars is not really that difficult. You just need patience and a good place to spray.

I did this one a few years ago.


http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n297/Beerhunter341/DSC02756.jpg



The most fun is when using dyes.


http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n297/Beerhunter341/DEC2002.jpg



Here's what you need


http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n297/Beerhunter341/DEC2010.jpg


Member
Since: Jul 02, 2003


Jul 06, 2008 11:43 pm

My advice would be to find good smaller auto-body paint shop, a large one is alright too, but it will probably cost more and you'll be lucky if they'll even want/will do it. Or if you have a friend that works in one, or a friend who has a friend that works in one, often it will be much cheaper that way if they do work on the side (which most younger ones do). I've been an auto painter for 30+ years if I lived in Canada I'd be happy to do it, but just make sure you get someone that knows what they're doing, so you don't have a mess instead of a great paint job. :)

Dan

Czar of Midi
Administrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002


Jul 07, 2008 09:55 pm

Yep, I'm due for another project guitar I think. I might find something different this time though. A strange body style or something uncommon.

BH, I still love that way the blue one turned out. Fantastic detail on it.

I tune down down...
Member
Since: Jun 11, 2007


Jul 09, 2008 12:10 pm

My group auditioned a bassist that had a steel diamond plate pickguard on his 4 string.

That later inspired him to spray bedliner on that damn thing... It weighed a ton and sounded like *** but, it was interesting to look at.

http://www.reverbnation.com/2ndg
Member
Since: Nov 27, 2007


Jul 09, 2008 08:56 pm

yeah noize that blue one there is sweet.
i pretty sure they use an oil to bring out the detail of the wood before spraying.

Over here we have this awsome luthier by the name of Perry Ormsby. (Ormsby Guitars.) some of the stuff he turns out is sweet as.
Actually you should check out his site its impressive.

Czar of Midi
Administrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002


Jul 09, 2008 10:50 pm

I'll give it a look for sure.

Music is my boyfriend
Member
Since: Jan 31, 2008


Jul 11, 2008 01:55 pm

Bh holy crap u did that blue one?? that looks sweet! ya i dont know of any guitar painters here, ive called a couple guitar stores but no luck really, i think my next step will def. be an auto shop...ya i tend to go to the smaller guys anyway, steer away from big corporations..

Member
Since: Apr 26, 2002


Jul 11, 2008 06:27 pm

BH: I'd love to read some detailed instructions on how you did that blue guitar. That looks AMAZING!

String bender
Member
Since: Unknown


Jul 11, 2008 06:45 pm

Beerhunter that blue one is nice. I have always liked that dye finish.

When it comes to project guitars this guy is still one of my heros www.guitaristjeffmiller.com/guitars.htm
He has built some beautiful guitars and even a few Veriax transplants. Cool stuff over there.

Czar of Midi
Administrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002


Jul 11, 2008 09:53 pm

Muzika, another thought is if you have a custom bike builder around there. They always do awesome work and probably a bit cheaper then a auto painting place.

www.TheLondonProject.ca
Member
Since: Feb 07, 2005


Jul 11, 2008 11:04 pm

Hey Diemusik, cheers for the link. wow, lot of nice axes. The Variax integration is a great idea...hm wonder what it would cost to put it in my blue one...?


String bender
Member
Since: Unknown


Jul 12, 2008 12:15 am

BeerHunter I always enjoy sharing that link. He has some great guitars.

Nice call on the motorcycle builders Noize. I forgot about that. They would also usually have a smaller paint booth and be used to shooting smaller objects. A guitar body wouldn't be much more work than a tank.

Another suggestion would be a sign maker. Those guys could do small jobs and many have airbursh experience.

Czar of Midi
Administrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002


Jul 12, 2008 04:04 pm

Ya, nice looking guitars for sure. I as well like the variax models he built.

Music is my boyfriend
Member
Since: Jan 31, 2008


Jul 16, 2008 01:57 pm

ya i do know a bike maker, well he has his own shop, he sells them not sure if he actually makes em, and theres tons of sign makers around here..but yah thanks ill look into that also!

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