Refinishing Questions

[Pingu]

Woo it's been months since i've been on here and years (okay like one...) since I was really active.

The knife edges on my Jackson licensed trem were fubar'd and i'm replacing the whole system with a OFR (coming in the mail soontimes along with a D-Tuna). Anyway, since i've put so much work into the guitar in the past, and will be putting more work into it in the coming weeks i've decided to go ahead and refinish the guitar as the Black on Black got old for me a long time ago.

On with the questions (in list format):

- I plan on pushing this guitar up to my main six string. Would you recommend a first timer to attempt this on my own? For what it's worth, i've been reading on how to refinish guitars for years now and have never gotten around to trying it myself as it feels overwhelming considering how much can go wrong.

- For a complete refinish in a solid colour (body/headstock) i've been quoted between 300 - 450 CAD from various local luthiers. Is that price range fair for the work being done?

- Images for a finish look cool and i've been looking into graphic material finishes and they seem straight forward. However, is it possible to do a graphic finish on an archtop body?

- I had a few images I like but there's so many materials available, what would you recommend I print on for a graphic finish. Material? Glossy; non glossy? Adhesive paper?

Anyway, i'm looking to truly make this guitar my own and any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Themadcow]

I can answer one of the questions for you. I think the prices you are getting quoted are more than fair, but I would try doing it yourself.

 

[ellevehc86]

Well, I have never posted on this site, so I guess I'll de-lurk with this post. I am currently doing a massive refinish on my RG7620 that was beat to hell. And I was actually gonna do a huge post at the end of the week when I finish it. Ive been working on it for about a month now. Anyways, I'll try to answer some questions for ya. As far as the paint goes, I would say that it is very, very doable, but massive amounts of patience is required. For me, here is what I used...

Paint:
Can of filler primer from a auto store
1 quart of laquer gloss black
1 can of laquer spray paint
1 quart of laquer clear coat

I painted on all the laquer with a hvlp spray gun I got from harbor freight for about $16. Im not gonna lie, the paint was expensive. With everything, I spent $200 in paint alone. I did graphics as well on mine. I used frisket film to cut out the design on the guitar and used the laquer spray can to paint it on. Then I cleared over it with my spray gun. With out making this too lengthly because I just plan on rewritting this later in the week, the paint took me about 3 weeks to do. Mostly becuase I have never done it before. But, I would say that the quiality of the finish is better than the factory finish.

I have also ebonized the fretboard as well on the guitar, repaired a heavily damaged headstock, routed out the body to fit EMG's, filled in the pickup "ear" slots to make it look like a factory guitar that came with EMG's, and I am currently working on refinishing all the hardware. My hardware was pretty corroded so instead of buying all new stuff, I decided to try to powder coat some of it and I am going to duracoat the rest.

Anyways, if you do enough research, it is very acheivable. Ill make sure I post some pics up as soon as I am done with mine to help ya out.

 

[Pingu]

I can answer one of the questions for you. I think the prices you are getting quoted are more than fair, but I would try doing it yourself.

Thanks. It's not like there's a place (at least none locally I know of) you can walk into with the prices posted up so it's good to know that luthiers aren't trying to rip off an uneducated customer. Actually, after reading ellevehc86's post on how much he paid for paint it actually sounds like i'm getting a deal on this now.

Well, I have never posted on this site, so I guess I'll de-lurk with this post. I am currently doing a massive refinish on my RG7620 that was beat to hell. And I was actually gonna do a huge post at the end of the week when I finish it. Ive been working on it for about a month now. Anyways, I'll try to answer some questions for ya. As far as the paint goes, I would say that it is very, very doable, but massive amounts of patience is required. For me, here is what I used...

Paint:
Can of filler primer from a auto store
1 quart of laquer gloss black
1 can of laquer spray paint
1 quart of laquer clear coat

I painted on all the laquer with a hvlp spray gun I got from harbor freight for about $16. Im not gonna lie, the paint was expensive. With everything, I spent $200 in paint alone. I did graphics as well on mine. I used frisket film to cut out the design on the guitar and used the laquer spray can to paint it on. Then I cleared over it with my spray gun. With out making this too lengthly because I just plan on rewritting this later in the week, the paint took me about 3 weeks to do. Mostly becuase I have never done it before. But, I would say that the quiality of the finish is better than the factory finish.

I have also ebonized the fretboard as well on the guitar, repaired a heavily damaged headstock, routed out the body to fit EMG's, filled in the pickup "ear" slots to make it look like a factory guitar that came with EMG's, and I am currently working on refinishing all the hardware. My hardware was pretty corroded so instead of buying all new stuff, I decided to try to powder coat some of it and I am going to duracoat the rest.

Anyways, if you do enough research, it is very acheivable. Ill make sure I post some pics up as soon as I am done with mine to help ya out.

That's the thing that always bugs me. Tons of people do this, and tons of people post up pic stories and make it look so easy. Your post really boosted my confidence in this. I like to have my bases covered though. If I were to screw up a coat of paint would it be as simple as sanding it off and starting over?

I see you went with adhesive paper. Did you use glossy or matte paper? And would the lacquer make the graphic designs run/fade/lose colour?

At any rate summer is just around the corner, maybe i'll clean out the garage and give this a whirl. I'm looking forward to your thread, it sounds like just what I need.

 

[ellevehc86]

The paint was super expensive, but I think it is worth it though. I'm gettin ready to start buffing it out here in about am hour so I'm pretty excited. There is also another cheaper solution which is to by the laquer spray cans for the entire guitar. I guess Stemac.com sells some really good paint. But for me, I only used the spray can laquer for the graphic. And no, it didn't fade in the slightest. I also used the matte paper so I could draw on it easier. If you are interested in going the spray can way, look up "Sullys guitar garage" on youtube. He builds guitars and finishes all of them with nothing more than a can of spray paint. And the finishes he does are spectacular. But for me, I wanted to go the spray gun route.

Honestly though, I screwed up plenty!!!!! But luckily, it wasnt anything too major, or not fixable. But hey, it's trial and error. As far as screwing up a coat of paint and sanding it off, yes, you can, you just have to make sure that it is dried properly. But honestly, if you take your time and do it right, you won't screw it up. Believe it or not, the painting part of my guitar was pretty forgiving. The biggest F-up was the amount of money I spent, lol. Basically I bought alot of crap to refinish the guitar that either I didn't need or didn't work. But the bright side is that all the things that I bought that I couldn't use will be used later for other projects around the house that I am doing this year. I would say liberally though, here is what I think the prices should cost for some materials:

1 quart laquer gloss black, 1 quart laquer clear, 1 gallon reducer $170
fliier primer $5
Laquer spray can for graphics $6
HVLP spray gun $16
Frisket Film $14
Masking tape $6
Sandpaper $20
Polishing compound $30
Polishers for a drill $14

For ebonizing the fretboard (if interested)
Leather dye and Naptha from Stewmac.com $30 with shipping

For refinishing your bridge and hardware (if interested)
Durabake from duracoat.com $30 with shipping
I picked up a toaster oven for doing powder coating so I already had one for the durabake, but it was only $30

All together the prices aren't too bad considering that when your done, you will have a beautiful new-ish guitar. Plus for me, I still have more than enough to do two more guitars that I am planning on refinishing.