Can I custom paint my guitar?

How To Custom Paint My Bass-Guitar?

• Hello, I have a Dean Edge bass-guitar - nothing fancy, but it's decent (and I love it.) It doesn't have much of a finish on it, since it's "fake" mahogany wood; satin. Anyway, I am planning on custom painting my bass. I'm rather excited to, actually. No criticism, please. This is something that I really want to do, so any advice? I'm new to this. :-)

• Answer:

  Here is a tutorial that I really like. http://www.bradsucks.net/archives/2006/05/29/guitar-painting-part-1/ Some tips I can give you: Don't get lazy on sanding the wood down before you put your primer on. Start with 120 grit sand paper, then to 170, and finish with 200. Don't forget to clean off any dust on your guitar before your put your primer on, use an air compressor or air in a can. Spray multiple LIGHT coats when painting or priming. After you've put multiple coats of primer on, lightly sand down the bumps with 600 grit sand paper. Again clean off any dust. Like the article in the link says: you should about a month before you lightly sand the clear coat finish down, again with 600 grit. The first time I repainted my guitar I used automotive spray paint. It's pretty expensive, I spent about $140 on all my painting supplies. It ended up turning not so good because I skipped two important steps 1) I didn't sand the primer. 2) I didn't wait, or sand the clear coat. Now I'm repainting my guitar again but this time I'm using some cheap acryllic (I think) from Wal-Mart. Specifically 'Krylon: Indoor/Outdoor'. I've only spent $25 on paint. This is also the paint used in the article. I've only got as far as putting primer on, but so far so good. Sand paper costs around $1.50 a sheet but you can get a pack of 20 for $5 at any hardware store I would also suggest investing in a palm sander. Some pawn shops sell them for around $25. (Don't use the palm sander when sanding down the primer or clear coat.)