Guitar PAINTING Question...

[cratz2]

I've painted 4 and am in the process of doing #5, but it's humid as HELL.

I... would be nervous to do something with a set neck though. A body that you are painting every exposed inch of is one thing. Masking off all the areas you don't want to paint sounds like a pain, but as with most things, patience is a must.

I surely wouldn't do my nitro'd LP Jr as my first one though. I'd look into it 100% though. I'd buy a beater POS on craigslist for as cheap as possible and do it a couple times. There is a chance if the LP Jr is ALL nitro, as in zero anything other than nitro... that you could stuff it up and use more nitro on it, esp if you went with black. Not offering that as advice, but I'm of the understanding that nitro sort of melts the previous coat of nitro as long as there is NOTHING in between layers... but that means no oils from your skin or from being handled... no polished... NO NOTHING!

Look into it. Ask on the Reranch forum. Ask on MyLesPaul.com

[BG76]

That paint on my Strat is acrylic enamel and that {censored} is hard as nails. After a year of use, there isn't a ding that has gone through the paint. Porsche doesn't make their own paint either BTW. (Standox or Dupont) Paint is only paint. No magic to it. The guitar? It's a Gibson Les Paul Junior... looked at analytically, it's a slab of wood with paint on it. No "magic" to it.

 

 

When my Porsche got dinged I was told by two dealers and Porsche NA Glasurit was the OEM paint supplier. BASF makes the pigment.

 

Paint is not paint when you're talking about a musical instrument. I don't know if I would want a finish that was 'tough as nails'. I would rather have a finish that would feel comfortable and allow the wood to breathe over the years.

 

The advantages to a lacquer finish are numerous.

 

It's easy to apply, it's easy to fix if it does get damaged, it's generally more valuable - if you had two of the same model one in poly one in lacquer the lacquer would probably bring more money - people will pay more for it. It's also easy to mix, match and if you have a Gibson (which comes nitro) it will send up a red flag if it's not lacquer.

 

The TS has a fairly nice instrument I wouldn't ruin it by putting on some {censored}ty finish.

 

I just did a complete nitro finish on a Gretsch for about $9.00 - same on the Tele I just did. Why mess around with anything else at those prices?

[Belva]

A complete nitro finish for 9 bucks? OK, maybe a clear lacquer job. But add grain filler, sand & sealer, primer, color coat, sandpaper, rubbing compound, polishing compound & wax. Now you're WAAY over 9 bucks. Get real, dude! Around here, 9 bucks won't even get a shot & a beer.

[BG76]

A complete nitro finish for 9 bucks? OK, maybe a clear lacquer job. But add grain filler, sand & sealer, primer, color coat, sandpaper, rubbing compound, polishing compound & wax. Now you're WAAY over 9 bucks. Get real, dude! Around here, 9 bucks won't even get a shot & a beer.

 

 

Not true at all. Plus it doesn't take a quart of nitro to do one guitar so then the next time you have a project it costs you less.

 

He's doing a white finish over a lacquer finish so chances are it's already been filled - although I think the last time I bought filler it was about $3.00 for a big tub I still am using.

[Belva]

Not true at all. Plus it doesn't take a quart of nitro to do one guitar so then the next time you have a project it costs you less.

 

Yes, I have my own spray rig. But when you're talkin' about the OP I doubt that he does. That means rattle cans. Best price I've seen around here is about 6 bucks a can. Figure 2 cans, sandpaper, clear and all of the other {censored}, well, it ain't that cheap. And cheap paint is just that. Not worth using 2 buck {censored} that will not stay looking good long.

And yes, my paint jobs are cheaper because I have the grain filler, clear, etc. in stock from previous jobs.

But let's help the OP look at the big picture.

[Elias Graves]

Wood doesn't breathe.

EG

[Belva]

BG, here's a case in point. This is my latest and the paint job cost me nothing. I had everything in stock, including sandpaper. I'm just waiting another week for the clear to be ready for wet sanding & polishing. BTW this was taken before any clear was shot.

[DaveAronow]

Wood doesn't breathe. EG

 

 

My wood does.

[Belva]

My wood does.

Mine spits, but that's a whole 'nother forum.:poke:

[soundcreation]

Wood doesn't breathe. EG

 

 

But it does resonate...and that is usually what people mean when they say "let the wood breathe"...

[soundcreation]

You don't need to seal nitro...

 

My SD strat is unsealed nitro..

 

 

 

BODY: Selected Swamp Ash

NECK: Maple 1Piece

PICKUPS: Alinico-II "Beefed Up"

BRIDGE: Vintage Iron Block Synchronized Tremolo

CONTROL: 1Volume,

2Tone (CTS 250K?),

5Way Pickup Selector (CRL)

FINISH: Unsealed All Lacquer (2TS)

PRICE: 280,000yen

[BG76]

Wood doesn't breathe. EG

 

 

I suppose I should coat my '59 Martin in a 1/4" of lacquer and it will sound the same AND be shiny.

[mutant_guitar]

I suppose I should coat my '59 Martin in a 1/4" of lacquer and it will sound the same AND be shiny.

try it and tell us how it goes.

[Belva]

I suppose I should coat my '59 Martin in a 1/4" of lacquer and it will sound the same AND be shiny.

 

You do make a good point about poly vs. nitro. Poly is usually 2 coats and nitro is a whole bunch of coats. Now which is gonna make the wood resonate less? People who say nitro gets better toanz are, IMO, fooked in da haid. That said, I prefer acrylic lacquer because it's easier to get a nice shine and it's readily available at your local Autozone (Duplicolor).

Good poly in rattle cans ain't cheap either, BTW.

[soundcreation]

You do make a good point about poly vs. nitro. Poly is usually 2 coats and nitro is a whole bunch of coats. Now which is gonna make the wood resonate less? People who say nitro gets better toanz are, IMO, fooked in da haid. That said, I prefer acrylic lacquer because it's easier to get a nice shine and it's readily available at your local Autozone (Duplicolor). Good poly in rattle cans ain't cheap either, BTW.

 

 

not logical. It's not about how many "coats" go on...it's about the thickness of the finish when it's all said and done. Nitro may go on in multiple coats but I've never seen anyone post actual numbers that show poly can be applied as thin. Gibson quotes a film thickness of 1 to 1.5 mils on there guitars. That's pretty thin. I guarantee you my seymour duncan above is just as thin, probably thinner. None of the "super thin poly" companies seem to post their film thicknesses. And every source I've seen on line says that nitro goes on thinner.

 

I have no problem believing that if poly goes on as thin then there would be no difference in terms of potential effect on resonance. I'm just waiting to see some actual numbers that show poly can be sprayed as thin.

[BoneNut]

not logical. It's not about how many "coats" go on...it's about the thickness of the finish when it's all said and done. Nitro may go on in multiple coats but I've never seen anyone post actual numbers that show poly can be applied as thin. Gibson quotes a film thickness of 1 to 1.5 mils on there guitars. That's pretty thin. I guarantee you my seymour duncan above is just as thin, probably thinner. None of the "super thin poly" companies seem to post their film thicknesses. And every source I've seen on line says that nitro goes on thinner. I have no problem believing that if poly goes on as thin then there would be no difference in terms of potential effect on resonance. I'm just waiting to see some actual numbers that show poly can be sprayed as thin.

When I did my Strat, I sanded down to the wood and didn't use sealer. I did however sand the wood ans smooth as the proverbial baby's butt before spraying any paint. As you all know, prep work makes a huge difference.

I had nitro available to me but why would I want to use 60 year old technology? If that were the case, I might as well use hand rubbed French shellac. Please keep in mind the Strat is a solidbody electric guitar, not some {censored}ing Stradivarius violin.

Acrylic enamels and acrylic lacquer are fast drying paints that can be polished to beautiful mirror like finishes. They will seal and protect the wood.. which is what well applied nitro did anyway.

I applied very light acrylic enamel mist coats, sanding after every 5 or 6 coats. The wood was sealed and color built up with every thin coat. Still, I continued sanding every few coats until I had a paper thin solid color coat.

After that, I gave it a couple of weeks to gas out and wet sanded and later polished to the reflection I was going for. No clear top coat was used. I ended up using 1 and 3/4 cans of spray paint.

This guitar came from the factory with an incredibly thick sealer, paint and clear coat finish. I can't honestly say I could hear a difference in resonance after going to a paper thin finish. I sounds much better than when it once began as a Classics 50s but that can be attributed to all the parts, electronics, adjustments and setup it received and not just the paint.

Now that I'll be painting it back, the job will be much easier. After filling in a few dings, I'll just rough up the surface a bit and spray black. It's going to have an acrylic enamel clearcoat and this time I'll shine her up to a mirror finish instead of the semi gloss I did on the blue.

[BG76]

not logical. It's not about how many "coats" go on...it's about the thickness of the finish when it's all said and done. Nitro may go on in multiple coats but I've never seen anyone post actual numbers that show poly can be applied as thin. Gibson quotes a film thickness of 1 to 1.5 mils on there guitars. That's pretty thin. I guarantee you my seymour duncan above is just as thin, probably thinner. None of the "super thin poly" companies seem to post their film thicknesses. And every source I've seen on line says that nitro goes on thinner. I have no problem believing that if poly goes on as thin then there would be no difference in terms of potential effect on resonance. I'm just waiting to see some actual numbers that show poly can be sprayed as thin.

 

 

I agree with you, but I wanted to add that every time you spray a coat of nitro it disolves a little of the coat it is going over. This also is a major advantage.

[Belva]

I agree with you, but I wanted to add that every time you spray a coat of nitro it disolves a little of the coat it is going over. This also is a major advantage.

 

Agreed. Adhesion is better. Nothing wrong with any finish you choose as long as it's done properly. And, as mentioned, surface prep is the major factor in a nice finish.