[agent0064life]

Anyone ever gotten a custom paint job and about how much do they cost if I say, design everything in photoshop already placed on my guitar so they don't have to do the designing. I'm sure there is a wide range of how much one of these could cost but hey it's worth looking into.

[1hp04]

r u sopposed to use spray paint or regular paint

[fly135]

Originally Posted by 1hp04

r u sopposed to use spray paint or regular paint

Based on the level of knowledge you seem to have I wouldn't be painting an expensive guitar. You should use spray paint. But if you want to do a good job you should also start looking for instruction on how to paint. That is something you won't find on a guitar related web site. You probably don't need to strip the guitar down to the wood to get good results. In fact it may give worse results as it complicates the preparation of the base coat. But you do need to know how to prepare the surface and what kind of paint is appropriate to use.

For a quick job you can take the guitar apart and use wet/dry sandpaper to remove the gloss so the new paint will adhere. Wet/dry comes in various abrasive qualities with a number indicating it's abrasiveness. The higher the number the finer the sandpaper. You should do a search on the use of wet/dry sandpaper and get and idea of how to use it. You could use spray cans to apply the final coat. But getting good results requires good technique. So you may want to practice on something other than your guitar.

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by 1hp04

1 more question do you really have to take of the old paint?

If you're planning a solid colour repaint then you don't need to remove the original paint. You only really need to strip a guitar down to the wood if you're planning to apply a clear finish to the guitar - but invariably, most electrics with a factory painted solid colour finish are made with basswoods that probably aren't going to look that great revealed anyway.
All your doing by stripping back to the wood is giving yourself the extra work of re- sealing the wood, grain filling and priming from scratch - jobs which have already been done by the original finishers.
If the paint already on the guitar is very heavily applied you'd probably be wise to rub it back before applying primers, basecoats, and whatever finish your planning to use (after all, you don't want 2mm of paint on your guitar when you're done). If the original paint finish is well applied (ie., thin and even), then all you need to do is rub the original finish back with 800 or even 1000 grade wet and dry until the surface is completely 'matt' looking and perfectly smooth (no shiney areas remaining), fill any larger chips or dents with something like Isopon P38 (autobody filler), then rub the filler down until it's perfectly smooth, then prime the guitar (with a suitable primer for your finish paint). Rub the primer coat down until it is perfectly smooth, again with 1000 grade wet and dry..........and having repeated the above stages 'AS MANY TIMES AS IS NECESSARY' until the body is perfectly primed and smooth - then, you can start to apply your colour and finally, whatever finish coat you're planning to use. Lot's of work.

Preparation is absolutely 'THE' key to any guitar refinish/repaint.

Skimp on the preparation and however well you execute the rest of the process you'll ALWAYS end up with a less than satisfactory finish. Always mask your neck pocket and any shielded electrical and pickup cavities too. If you don't mask the neck pocket there's no guarantee your neck will refit properly after the refinish is all done and dusted.

If you've got any doubts about being able to commit the time and effort necessary to produce a good finish on your guitar, or you're planning to refinish an already really nice guitar - I'd advise you to consider very carefully before you start.
While painting and refinishing guitars certainly isn't rocket science - it can and does have lot's of pitfalls for the unwary, impatient, or ill informed.
Ideally, if you can practice on an old scruffy guitar body first it's always the best way to go. But good luck with it if you do have a go.
There are few things more satisfying than putting the effort in on a scruffy looking tatty old guitar body............and getting a gleaming, new looking beastie at the end of your labours!

Jim

[Stratrat]

Originally Posted by fly135

Based on the level of knowledge you seem to have I wouldn't be painting an expensive guitar...

I couldn't agree more. It's much easier to botch a paint job on a guitar than it is to get it right. If you don't know what you're doing, chances are about 99% that you will botch it, and end up with a shoddy-looking guitar.

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by agent0064life

Anyone ever gotten a custom paint job and about how much do they cost if I say, design everything in photoshop already placed on my guitar so they don't have to do the designing. I'm sure there is a wide range of how much one of these could cost but hey it's worth looking into.

You'll be looking at anywhere between £250 for a very basic custom repaint and refinish, up to £1500-£2000 for a more complicated or highly detailed design and top notch refinish.
It's a lot of dosh for good guitar artwork, but there is an awful lot of work involved when you start getting to the upper end of the market and that's what your paying for.
If you can and have the knowledge to do a decent straight forward single colour refinish on your guitar, doing fairly basic custom work isn't that difficult to achieve - really all depends on what your looking to get done.

Jim