I've been thinking about trying to paint a Strat. I've been trying to find like a Squier for like $50 on Craigslist, but so far no luck. I don't want anything to expensive, or too nice, in case I screw it up. And I would buy a new Squier, but I would hate to ruin a already nice paint job.

Here's a little mock up I did of the design. It's based on a car I run when I race online.



Tell me what you think (about the paint, not about racing online lol)

Also, there was a message that had a link to a company that makes paint for guitars. Their website and a gallery of pics and stuff. I looked for the message, but couldn't find it. Anyone know the site? Thanks. I need to look for a certain yellow.

Hi JasonSD: not exactly the same, but in the ballpark. Check out the So Cal Strat:

http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/product/1 ... ewood.html

Far as materials are concerned: a Squier or MIM would be a very good place to start. Their bodies are finished in polyester, so you could use acrylic based automotive paints, easily available in aerosols from auto parts stores. The world of car colors is your palette - that's plenty to choose from!

Just sand the body over with P300 paper to create a "tooth" for the new paint to key into. No need to sand the old finish right off, especially if you can find a body in a color that's included in your design.

Good luck, and please post pictures of your progress!

Cheers - C

Interesting design... so are you a Dave Blaney fan?

Yeah that guitar is pretty different
I downloaded a pdf file that has steps to paint guitars, so at least I'm not flying blind, sort of speak.



Dave Blaney's ok. I know some guys that race with his brother Dale.
I actually picked the number because it's the number I used when I played baseball. I did always like the color scheme on the Cat car though, now Jeff Burton is driving it though.

Jason very cool and I liked yours better than that ugly ax Fender made. You can find some really cheap guitars on ebay and go knock yourself out. And if it does not come out right I guess you can keep practicing on it till it does.

Jason,
This guy sells a book on how to paint your guitar with spay can paint.

http://www.paintyourownguitar.com/index.html

I've not done it yet but probably will in the near future. Good luck.
RC

Yeah, he's the guy that wrote the PDF I have of how to do it.

I went buy a couple of pawn shops today to see what they had. One had a Squier for $50 that was in decent shape, but the input jack was on upside down and they attached it with larger screws. So I passed on it for now until I see what else is out there.

I assume you are referring to the jack "plate"? Since you're repainting it anyway, you can always drill and plug the holes with dowels and re-drill for correct screw size. Pretty easy fix for $50 if that's all that's wrong with it.

I'm not sure about the finishing required, but couldn't you just use spray bombs to do it? If you use lots of carefully applied masking tape on a stripped body, and start with the light colours, wouldn't the painting be relatively simple? It might not look totally professional, but it would probably be close.

Well, the tutorial I've been reading suggest using Krylon spray paint. So I guess I'll try that first. I think the clear coating and buffing part will be the most important part to get it looking professional.

Once you pick a medium. try stay within any system they have. i.E go with Krylon for all stages if you can. And make sure the stages are compatible. make sure you have the right primer, color and clear coats. even within a single brand you may have incompatible varieties of paint.

as for most important to look professional. in my opinion your prep work is the foundation of your paint job. You really really really have to pay close attention to that.

Not to discourage you, because i am all for DIY refinishes. But think of your refinish as a chain of tasks, each one having the potential to ruin your project.

First is your prep job. Your guitar needs to be clean, sanded not only to the right smoothness, but must be level, free from dips or swails. if you do a halfassed job, your project could be ruined before you even apply any paint. You might think something won't show, or that it doesn't look bad when you are priming, or painting the color, but flaws in your prep work will once again become apparent after clear coating, and magnify even more as you polish. trust me, from experience, a little more work here will be worth it in the end.

Then you must do a careful job when it comes to sealing (this would be your primer with the krylon stuff,) then laying down your color, and clearing over it. Wet sanding/polishing is a breeze compared to these steps.

None of this is very hard to do, but attention to detail right from the beginning will show in the end.

_________________
I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

Hi Jason, the secret is as I have been doing it for 9 years is apply the coats of paint then lacquer from at least 30 cm away basically only let a mist fall on the guitar let it dry and add more coats, you do not need more than 3 - 4 as when the lacquer is applied also as a mist each coat it will bring out an intense colour you have laid, also please wear a dust mask as the paint lacquer is toxic and spray in a ventilated area.

Yeah I'll stick with Krylon for all the paint. I looked up their colors and there's a yellow that's almost a match. It's not perfect, but it's pretty close.

It says to use a sanding sealing, so I have to see what brands of that are out there.

I just bought a loaded pickguard on ebay for $20 that has a Red Lace Sensor Pickup and 2 stock squier pickups. So I'll throw the lace sensor on there.

Still need an actually guitar to start with, so it's back to Craigslist lol.

Vinny i hope you aren't just using a dust mask.

For painting, especially with the various lacquers, or urethenes, you should be using a respirator. A dust mask is good for sanding, but it is useless for the solvents involved with lacquers or urethanes.

_________________
I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

Well, it would explain alot if he was lol. J/K