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Post subject: Idea for a repaint, looking for experienced opinions
Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2018 4:10 pm
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I've had my strat for a few years now and I'm looking to change it up and personalize it, but I've never done this before. Here's a photoshopped picture of what I want it to look like. The guitar is already blue, I would just need to replace the pickguard, easy enough... but when it comes to the corner, I'm a bit lost.

I want it to be natural wood on that corner with a maroon stripe, but leave the original paint on the rest. Is it possible to strip the paint in that clean of a line?

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Post subject: Re: Idea for a repaint, looking for experienced opinions
Posted: Tue Dec 25, 2018 6:29 am
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You might get more answers if you post the pic straight on the forum. Upload it to a website which gives you the pic address (starts with http or https, ends with jpg) and then use the forum's IMG-command.
The forum's IMG-command doesn't understand your https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... =3&theater link at all...

From a technical/mechanical/woodworking/painting standpoint: you need to clean (sand, scrape etc.) the old paint from the area you want to redo. The new maroon stripes, taped carefully, would make the line clean. After that, some layers of clear coat all over the body, with the usual sanding/polishing etc.
It's absolutely not an easy job for a beginner, and there's no guarantee what kind of natural wood you find under the current blue.


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Post subject: Re: Idea for a repaint, looking for experienced opinions
Posted: Tue Dec 25, 2018 7:19 am
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If this is a poly finished Strat, the finish is likely to be shockingly thick. If you sand/strip down enough to reveal woodgrain, you'll have an abrupt tall ledge at the transition. You can smooth that out by adding lots of clear top coats -- but it will then be crazy thick. And since you have to paint the whole body with clearcoat, it's at least as much work as starting from scratch.

There are lots of pitfalls. Hard to selectively strip portions of a body, risk of the existing finish lifting/peeling along the new edge, risk of sanding/stripping through the base clear sealer coat (all the way down to bare wood).
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Plus, opaque finishes often hide unattractive wood. They use the prettiest wood for bursts and translucent finishes
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While it may seem counterintuitive, it'a a billion times easier to start with a bare wood body. Spray the whole thing with a clear sealer coat.

Mask off the part you want wood, and mask off the part you want blue, and spray the stripe.

Then mask off the wood and stripe, and spray the blue part.

Unmask everything and clear top coat everything.

That'll also give you crisper lines, smoother transitions, and a thinner finish.

So, easier and better results. And no risk of ending up with the original body being fubar and worthless.


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Post subject: Re: Idea for a repaint, looking for experienced opinions
Posted: Tue Dec 25, 2018 1:33 pm
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Excellent point about the wood underneath.
It is highly doubtful that you'd find nicely patterned wood under that finish. Often, even the bursts on less expensive models look almost like masonite with no grain really visible from more than a foot or two away.

I do love your idea, particularly using a transparent burgundy to extend the grain into that part, but this job is absolutely beyond the ability of a beginner... whether starting from scratch or attempting to refinish the existing body while preserving the original blue.
I honestly don't think it would be possible to preserve the original blue and include the pinstripe (which IMHO the design needs)... it would simply be too difficult to cut a clean line into the blue and scrape that precisely to the edge.

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Post subject: Re: Idea for a repaint, looking for experienced opinions
Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2018 6:19 am
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As said above. The fact that the guitar is already blue is irrelevant.

If you want to do that with the original body you will need to strip it completely and start again. You wont be able to cut back and get a clean edge on the original poly as it will most likely chip either before or after finishing. The interface will be stepped as the poly is likely to be stupidly thick and you will never get a flat edge between the two. You will expose the edge of the primer coat of the poly which is likely to stand out like a sore thumb. Poly will resist over coating and if you cut it back to get a key you may well damage the metal flake.

Also as noted above, there is no guarantee the revealed timber will be an attractive grain.

Personally I would get a replacement unfinished body and set the original body aside. That way, if you want to sell the guitar, you can rebuild it as per its original specification. If you mess with the original body the guitar will be next to worthless if offered as a complete guitar and will only have value as individual parts.

Working with a new body you will still have a guitar while working on the body - a process which could take a month or more if using nitro. You will know what the wood grain looks like and will be able to get a better finish all round. You wont ruin a perfectly good guitar.

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Post subject: Re: Idea for a repaint, looking for experienced opinions
Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2018 9:11 am
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Quote:
Personally I would get a replacement unfinished body and set the original body aside.
Even without John's expertise with refinishing, I couldn't agree more! Otherwise, very likely you'll wind up with a ruined body on a guitar worth a fraction of what it should be.

Cheers - Peter.


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Post subject: Re: Idea for a repaint, looking for experienced opinions
Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2018 9:32 am
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I agree w/ all that has been said and would add how difficult it is even w/ fresh wood to get that finish.
Clear wood to translucent dyed wood to paint w/o any transition issues is definitely at the very experienced to expert level in my opinion.


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Post subject: Re: Idea for a repaint, looking for experienced opinions
Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2018 10:40 am
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sfceric64 wrote:
I agree w/ all that has been said and would add how difficult it is even w/ fresh wood to get that finish.
Clear wood to translucent dyed wood to paint w/o any transition issues is definitely at the very experienced to expert level in my opinion.


I agree. I would avoid using dye/stain as it will leach along the grain making a crisp edge almost impossible to achieve. You can sometimes score with a knife to make a break in the grain but the scored line will be visible even if the stain doesn't jump the gap. You really want to look at tinted lacquers.

The other issue is, while nitro is perhaps the easiest to lay multiple layers as it, in effect, melts the preceding coats becoming one, this may cause adjoining contrasting finishes to leach into each other at the joint line.

This being the case you will either need to look at two pack type finishes or automotive repair rattle cans,
in cellulose or acrylic perhaps, which may not have the type of tinted clear finishes you are looking for. You will also have to de-nib and key preceding coats which gives more opportunity of trapping foreign objects in the lacquer. On the plus side, you don't have to wait two weeks of more before you can polish the clear like you do with nitro.

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Post subject: Re: Idea for a repaint, looking for experienced opinions
Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2018 1:19 pm
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Oh ya... that would definitely need to be well-sealed and the burgundy section painted with a transparent paint like the wine-red Les Paul.
The problem is, lacquer makes for a beautiful transparent, but there will be some bleed as top coats of the blue and clear melt into the burgundy, which will feather the edges.

I'd love to see this concept become a reality, but it's going to be a difficult job. Done by a pro, the cost of the paint job will easily exceed a new MiM Strat, and possibly an American Performer.

Going with the above, I'd certainly recommend a new body... and at that point, since the bulk of the value will be in the custom paint, I'd drop an OTC Fender neck onto it and just collect the parts to build up a completely new guitar without doing anything with the original.
I get it... you want to change up the original, but from a value perspective, it might be better to sell it as-is.

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