How to Custom Paint Guitars
- 1). Remove the hardware from your guitar so that you don't paint the electronics dead. Unwind the tuning pegs and remove the strings, then remove the pickups, tuning knobs and selector switch. Finish the disassembly by removing the bridge, back plates, strap attachment and cord input. Strip the body of the guitar down to wood only.
- 2). Remove any paint or finish currently on your guitar by sanding it off. Clamp the guitar in place and then use a hand sander to remove the finish, running the sander across the surface of the guitar until only the wood shows. Go over the surface with a 50 grit sandpaper by hand to create a smooth surface. Change to a 120 grit, then a 170 grit to even the wood out. Finish up with a 220 fine grit wet/dry paper, with the surface wet, to create a smooth finish suitable for painting. Run a tack cloth over the surface of the guitar to remove any residue left from the sanding and clean up any sawdust.
- 3). Suspend the guitar from a rope line so that you can paint the entire body at once. Place a tarp beneath the guitar to prevent paint from spreading. Choose a final paint type that's the color of the paint job you wish to create. Choose a primer that's compatible with your final paint type. The paint type used is not as important as compatibility with one another and with the wood surface of your guitar.
- 4). Paint the primer layer onto the guitar. Cover the entire surface of the guitar body with an even coat of the primer paint, taking care not to allow the paint to clump or run. Let the primer paint dry overnight. Take down the guitar and use 170 grit sandpaper to sand the primer smooth.
- 5). Place masking tape over any part of the guitar you don't wish to paint the final color you're using, if applying multiple colors in your paint scheme. Hang the guitar up again and paint the surface of the guitar with your final colors. Apply each color using multiple thin layers to build up a solid coat. Spray paint is easiest to use, as it leaves no brush marks, reducing final sanding time. Allow at least four hours for each color used to dry before masking and applying an additional color. Use two or three coats of paint to get a solid layering. Sand the paint smooth using the 170 grit sandpaper after each coat of paint. A final sanding using the 220 grit sandpaper provides an even finish ready for lacquering.
- 6). Apply two to three coats of lacquer using a foam applicator to protect the paint and give a glossy finish to the guitar. Allow the lacquer to dry three hours between coats, and wait for it to dry for two to three weeks after the last coat.
- 7). Sand the clear coating with the 220 grit wet sandpaper, wipe it with the tack cloth and then buff the clear lacquer using a nonabrasive rubbing compound to give the body a mirrorlike finish.
- 8). Reassemble the guitar, tune it and use your newly custom-painted instrument.
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