What paint can I use on guitar?

Can I use furniture paint to customize an acoustic guitar?

• I have a hand me down acoustic guitar that I would like to customize. I have some furniture paint that I like the color of but I dont want to hurt the guitar. Can I use this paint or will it destroy the sound too badly?

• Answer:

  No!! Putting a layer of thick paint on an acoustic guitar is a good way to ruin the sound of the instrument. Paint adds excess weight to the top, sides and back of the body. The top and back, especially, are made up of thin plates of wood that convey the vibrations of the strings to the air inside the soundbox (body) which amplifies and colors the sound. The top and back need to be thin and flexible as possible to resonate as freely as possible for best volume and tone; putting paint on them stiffens them and the sound suffers. Unless the guitar you have is really cheap and crappy sounding to begin with, painting it with furniture paint will be a really bad idea. Certainly if the guitar is worth any money at all you will ruin its resale value forever. Don't do it!