Painting the Guitar

So after a lot of sanding it is time to paint the guitar. For the base coat I used the same paint as the Proto. A Plastikote which I used as a primer, and for the finishing coats I used a different type of paint called 'mode'. I thought it would be a change to use something unfamiliar, and well....expensive. It boasted an ultra high gloss, which is what I wanted.

I set up my tent, hoovered the inside to get rid of any dust, and started to spray the guitar. I used lots of light/medium strokes on each coat to build up a smooth layer. After about 7 coats each 'session', I would then leave to dry, in this case was one week.

The primer coat took about a day to become 'touch dry' and a week to become 'workable'. I say these terms because it takes far longer for the paint to become hardened, and I do not have a long time frame to paint the guitar. In doing my research it seems top manufactures often leave months before working on their guitar and painting additional coats. Sadly I do not have a paint workshop nor a place I can store all of my apparatus. I am using a £16.99 tent from Home Bargains.

I found myself quickly running out of the primer after two sessions, however a thick coat was on the guitar that the finishing coat could stick to. After waiting the week for the paint to dry, I would lightly wet sand the body and almost polish it with 1200G sandpaper. This was to ensure the smoothest possible finish on the body for the paint to adhere to. I did this before every paint session.

The finishing paint dried a lot quicker and found that I could work on it far sooner than the previous brand. I ended up buying two cans and adding more layers as I had more time before I moved house.....again.

The finished article with all fixtures. Ecstatic with the result, the paint seems to glow in some lights. There are imperfections in some places but can only be seen after studying the area, and knowing what to look for. After the paint properly hardens I may be inclined to sand and paint again to give the best possible finish, space, time and money allowing.

Looking at the design completed, I'm not totally happy with the shape of the headstock, there's too much material on the players side of the guitar (left). I could alter the shape by making the top side angular much like the body, and it would erase the holes I've made the for machine heads also.

For the pickups I've used black satin fabric to add something a little different. I can't say I'm sold on that idea either. The border for the touchscreen is just a placeholder, it is made out of black crafting foam.