Painting my guitar

I need a bit of help as Im a young 16 year old builder.

Im debating between ordering a nice expensive telecaster from warmoth with this money Ive saved for a guitar. Or Actually building and painting the body ( not the neck to much work ). I mean the body part is pretty straight forward really I need to get my measurements right. But I know there is more too it. Can someone please lead me to a guide or maybe offer some detailed advice on measurements of making the body and how to paint the guitar. I really would like to build this tele les paul hybrid right here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHlvGzaRmLc

And I really want to get that exact paint job.
Can someone explain what to use and how to achieve a nice matte black finish without it wearing out from rubbing my hands on it?Explain the Urethane process and the sanding and spraying how many layers. Please im in desperate need of this help Because no one I know can help and I know some pros are on this page.

Building is fun, but building is a hobby, not a way to save money. Even if you have the proper wood working tools, the bitss and pieces, accesories you will need will add up quickly, like router bits, special drill bits, clamps, templates and sand paper. Wood is fairly expensive to buy predimensioned, so most of us start with boards or logs. That takes a lot of tools, so I don't reccomend going that route.

I don't want to discourage you from building a guitar body, I just want to make sure you are duely informed of the cost and labor intensive process of building a guitar body. Without the proper tools, I wouldn't reccomend you even attempt to build a guitar. At minimum youll need access to a Router/router table, bandsaw or quality jigsaw, Drill Press, and Hand drill. The rest of the tools are pretty common and readily available in most homes. The drill bits and router bits are expensive though. You can't use thee rusty ones in garage.

You can buy an unfinished body, and finish it yourself though. That would be a fun project. The color in the video looks like flat gun metal gray. And it may have some fadding from the outside inside. I would reccomend an automotive finish in a spray can to duplicate that color. You'll have to check your local Napa, Autozones, and etc. to find the color you are after. You will have to buy the same primer as paint to ensure compatibillity. Two cans of primer and two cans of color should be enough.

When you decide which route you want to go, we can help you out some more.

Colt, he may as well learn now how to get around this stuff so he can deal with his wife later in life. Gord, you will need a $5-10,000 woodworking shop and a pro model chainsaw plus about 40 wooded acres. That way you can tell your wife "why would I pay $100 for a guitar body when I can go cut the tree and build it for free?" You can insert other items for other hobbies as well. That's why I have a $400 fly vise and $1000 worth of materials to tie flies I can buy 3/$1. But mine are American made.

Flat Black finish

1.Sand wood with 60, 100, 150, 220 grit sand paper
2. Wet surface with alcohol to raise grain.
3. Sand with 220
4. wet again.
5. Sand with 220
6. Apply sanding sealer, and allow to dry
7. Sand flat with 220
8. Apply Sanding sealer, and allow to dry
9. Scuff with 000 Steel wool
10. Apply primer, in light coats avoiding runs and drips.
11. Repeat until you have a nice even surface and color.
11. a. If you have runs, you will need to wet sand them flat.
11. b. After sanding runs flat, shoot another coat of primer.
12. Spray black lacquer. Thin even coats, avoiding drips and runs. Its better to apply 20 thin coats than two heavy coats.
13. Repeat
13. a. If you have runs, you will need to lightly wet sand them flat.
13. b. Spray again, until you have a nice even flat coating.
14. Spray clear lacquer in numerous thin cotts.
15. Wet sand, starting with 600 grit, 800 grit, 1000 grit, 1200 grit.
16. Buff with some automotive rubbing compound.
17. Lightly buff with 0000 steel wool.
18. Beautiful flat black finish.

Colt, he may as well learn now how to get around this stuff so he can deal with his wife later in life. Gord, you will need a $5-10,000 woodworking shop and a pro model chainsaw plus about 40 wooded acres. That way you can tell your wife "why would I pay $100 for a guitar body when I can go cut the tree and build it for free?" You can insert other items for other hobbies as well. That's why I have a $400 fly vise and $1000 worth of materials to tie flies I can buy 3/$1. But mine are American made.

So true.

I have 9,000$ worth of woodworking equipmbought to build guitars, and I am still lusting over another 3,500$ worth to complete my dream shop.

TO the best of my calculations, that would have bought enough custom shop teles to keep me happy for a long while.

Well My father owns a hardware store and its rather large and has many Bits and drills and wood supplies and paints and finishes so im set with that. My dads friend owns and Entire wood working shop and I have a friend around the corner whos father has band saws , hand saws ,Routing machines , And plenty of tools. So COLT I have a few questions. Which automotive paint company should I go with? Which color primer should I use? How many thin layers of primer? and Im ordering my neck from warmoth guitars and theyre going to do a Satin finish on the neck and headstock. Do you think I should sand the Finish off the face of the headstock with fine grit sand paper? Or should I paint right over the finish? Also im looking to doing almost the same exact guitar in the video. Any of you know how to install a bridge like that? I know it involves some sort of measurements. And it says Poplar was used for the guitar which is better wood to use Poplar or Alder wood?

Automotive company - Doesn't really matter. I would highly reccomend you use a Lacquer based paint and primer though. Lacquer sprays better, and if you know its lacquer you can use lacquer based sealers, primer, and clear so you know it is all compatible. If you start mixing, urethanes, enamels, lacquers, and polyester, you are going to run into a lot of devastating problems.

Gray primer would work fine.

As far as your headstock goes, rough it up with some 600/800 grit sand paper or 000 steel wool and paint right over top of it.


Most of those seperate tail piece style bridges are actually mounted on two posts. You just need to locate the proper position of the bridge and tailpiece mounting posts, drill the appropriate size holes and push the posts into the holes. Pretty easy. Those are generally the type of bridge assemblies you see on a guitar body that is contour sanded all the way around because they don't require flat place to rest.

Check out Stewart Macdonald, StewMac.com

Look at the hardware they have available, and look at all their specs and installation instructions. That way, you will be able to see how all the different bridges work and attach.

Poplar and Alder are both light weight, inexpensive woods. Poplar is cheaper than Alder, and generally more readily available. Poplar is generally regarded as a cheap hardwood, and most people only use it if they can hide it from eyesight, painted guitars, drawar backing, and etc. Poplar is not a bad wood, but it is soft and generally has a nasty looking green color that doesn't stain or clear well.

Lots of people build great guitars with poplar, so I wouldn't worry about its tonal characteristics.

Alder isn't as cheap as poplar, but it too is an inexpensive wood that has a closed grain. Fender started using it because it was lightweight, cheap, and didn't require grain filling like Swamp Ash. Alder is a nice white looking wood, and excepts stain very well. It is regarded as a higher end tone wood purely because Fender uses it. Everything Leo Fender did prior to selling his company is like the old testament to building guitars! Not really, but you will find that there is a lot of hype to building guitars exactly like vintage Fenders, Martins, and Gibsons.

With your guitar, You should probably make a cheap pine body first as a practice. You will be able to figure out if all your hardware is located correctly, and your depths are correct. When you get it figured out, move to your tone wood, poplar or alder.


MAKE TEMPLATES, PRACTICE ROUTING before touching your good wood! You will make mistakes until you get some practice under your belt.

so your saying like Go to my local lumber yard and find some cheap pine wood plank sized for the guitar and make the body there as practice? And do you think I should practice with the paint as well on a small piece of alder? Like a really small piece of alder and do the paint?

so your saying like Go to my local lumber yard and find some cheap pine wood plank sized for the guitar and make the body there as practice? And do you think I should practice with the paint as well on a small piece of alder? Like a really small piece of alder and do the paint?

YES.


Painting may seem like a no brainer, but when you go to paint something as nice as a guitar it is way more difficult than you would imagine.

When dealing with rattle cans, you want to warm them up in some warm water. Spray some out of the can, and spray the guitar in straight even coats with the spray can about 8-12" from the wood. Keep the nozzle parallel to the wood, and avoid routating your wrist. Move your entire hand instead of rotating your wrist and fanning the wood. Move your whole arm to achieve a pass. Don't start or stop spraying on the wood. When you think you can put one more coat/pass on the wood, stop. Wait for it to dry, then spray again.

So now onto templates how exactly do I make them? I know out of a flat quarter or half inch piece of wood or plastic. I need to know if certain things need measurements also. is it true that the guitar bridge and frets need to be specific distances from each other? Or can I just place the bridge anywhere and the humbuckers anywhere but evenly spaced and properly centered.

Colt,

Do you sand in between coats of clear coat, or only at the end?

So now onto templates how exactly do I make them?

I make them with a mastercard and a computer directed to www.stew-mac.com.

I make them with a mastercard and a computer directed to www.stew-mac.com.

Ladies and gentlemen, Old Cane makes it to the buzzer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Seriously, pard, at this stage I would say this is the best and safest way for you to go, based on your experience and skill level. You'll enjoy the project more and be more pleased with the outcome. Oh, and my 2 cents I'll give you for free....throw something a little different in your project from the one that inspired you, just to make it yours. Saaa-lute to ya....

That's what happens when you sleep late, preacher. Or, let work interfere with your internet usage.

That's what happens when you sleep late, preacher. Or, let work interfere with your internet usage.

Well, that was actually a reference to ridin' till the buzzer...ya know...doin' good...LOL...

Colt, he may as well learn now how to get around this stuff so he can deal with his wife later in life. Gord, you will need a $5-10,000 woodworking shop and a pro model chainsaw plus about 40 wooded acres. That way you can tell your wife "why would I pay $100 for a guitar body when I can go cut the tree and build it for free?" You can insert other items for other hobbies as well. That's why I have a $400 fly vise and $1000 worth of materials to tie flies I can buy 3/$1. But mine are American made.


I’m going to have question the 40 acres 20 acres would be fine. That $5 to $10,000 shop, was I suppose to stop at $10,000? Just two more routers that’s all I need and thank you now a pro model chainsaw.

Colt,

Do you sand in between coats of clear coat, or only at the end?

You do not sand between layers of lacquer, but you do sand between layers of polyurethane.

Master Templates are made using 1/4" hardboard, and working templates are made using 3/4" MDF.

Bridge location placement. If you are building a guitar with a 25.5" scale, that means the center of the saddles need to be 25.5" from the fret board side of the nut. You can pretty much position the humbuckers where ever you want. I too buy my pickup routing templates from Stew Mac.

Here is a thread I started about making a Custom Guitar from Scratch. It is not completed yet, because the gentleman funding the project ran out of money, so its on hold till he can afford to continue.

http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f2/building-custom-electric-guitar-101-a-16168/

It goes through design and building templates from the ground up very thoroughly.

Well the unique part of the guitar I wanted to add would be to put a chrome custom les paul like bridge on it.I was planning on just using paper to make a mock up pickguard when im done with it and to decide from there.

The thread I posted, also shows the best way to make a custom pickguard as well.

Now I need help with this Im going to be using Duplicolor automotive spray paint. Im ordering from their General purpose spray paint. It says Acrylic Enamel. Do I use this or The Premium laquer? and their Premium sand-able primer. Is this good or should I order from another company? If you can recommend a company that would be nice.

Lacquer. Acrylic LACQUER.

Don't mix lacquer and enamel. Bad things will happen.

Don't mix lacquer and enamel. Bad things will happen.

Same thing happens when you mix lacquer and liquor...but I think that was a different thread....

Yeah, but here in TN we just call that lacquer thinner.

Yeah, but here in TN we just call that lacquer thinner.

No Time For Seargents? No wait, that was kerosene....for flavorin'

I miss Andy too. He did put out a Christmas album a few years ago. He had stacks of them at a horse show we were at. Every time I walked by I'd grab a couple. My wife finally told me that no, I was NOT done with my Christmas shopping. I thought they were great gifts.....

I miss Andy too. He did put out a Christmas album a few years ago. He had stacks of them at a horse show we were at. Every time I walked by I'd grab a couple. My wife finally told me that no, I was NOT done with my Christmas shopping. I thought they were great gifts.....

Yeah, I remember everybody getting tired of getting APHA caps or Trackmaster 12 samples in their stockings. "Ok then, back to Christmas shopping at Stuckey's..."

I get the girls APHA buckles. Kinda sad that $125 gift fits in a stocking.

Gordon, did you order your paint yet? Do any local places carry it?

I did not order the paint yet . I dont know if local places carry it. What about Krylon my Dad owns a hardware store full of hundreds of krylons.

Krylon would work great, but you need to use Krylon Clear or poly as a clear coat. I like the look of water based polyacrylic over Krylon colors.

Krylon is enamel by the way, it doesn't spray as nice as lacquer, but Krylon sprays way better than Rustoleum, Valspar or other ordinary spray paints.

It seems im in luck. My dad who owns a hardware store has a friend who owns an very nice spray and wood working shop. I finally have professional spray guns and a man who knows how to use them. I think im going to order automotive flat black and automotive primer and clear coating.

Can anyone also Give me a telecaster Headstock template? I need like a real scan with for print that can be the actual size.

http://www.xs4all.nl/~msengers/download/teleheadstock.pdf

I am reading this whole thread with much pleasure. The most complicated thing I have ever built was a chicken coop with scrap lumber and lots of dry wall screws. All of you have been incredibly patient and helpful advising GordonTeles. I know the good stuff will come back to you.