Painting A Stratocaster

[DokterPeppor]

Hey everyone. I am new here so would start by saying hi to everyone. Been eying this message board forever drooling all over peoples work. Anyways I have an old Fender Squier that I would like to paint. I paint automotive vehicles and scale models for hobbies so I know a bit about painting and getting a good finish. My questions is: When I take apart my guitar, neck and all (complete disassembly) and paint it, when it is put back together I going to have any possible problems in the future with the neck not being straight or out of angle? This is my only fear. I have never painted a guitar before. Would it be ok to use automotive lacuer or enamel followed by a clear? I don't want to polyurethane or anything but if it's better I would try it. Like said, I need all tips you can give on painting guitars like types/brands of paint, methods, and tips. Thanks guys.

[dlaxer6]

hello! and welcome i guess

my first guitar project i brought to an autobody and they sprayed it with the autopaint. a nice 96 mazda white haha.. it came out nicely. they also sprayed the neck clear which turned out incredibly! I still use it sometimes and the finish has held up nicely - its been 5 years.. I had no trouble with my reassembally.

I would certainly make sure the neck is strait before finishing, just because straitnecks are nice and i find it easier to work with when their off the body.

i had no trouble with the neck being off at an angle, though i had sealed my neck, which is a good idea anyways.

Also, i would mask off the neck pocket on the body. This will allow for a cleaner and flatter surface for the neck to be bolted to.

i beleive fender originally used auto paint to finish their guitars though im not sure

Edited March 9, 2005 by dlaxer6

[DokterPeppor]

Thanks so much for the reply and help so far. Keep the tips coming1 Looks like my auto paint is the way to go! (so far)

[Devon Headen]

Auto paint is fine, lots of people use it. Just watch the paint buildup in your neck pocket. You can mask it off if you're too worried. I've never had any problem with the fit of my neck after finishing.

[DokterPeppor]

Should I have a shop put it back together after I paint it so I know it's done right? A very good friend of mine owns a local guitar only shop. This would be the smartest idea right?

[Devon Headen]

If you don't feel confident doing it, then yes, get someone else to. If you have a basic understanding of how the parts go together, it's very straightfoward.

[Mickguard]

I bolted a piece of scrap wood into the pocket as a handle --you'll want that anyway, it makes life easier. But since the scrap wood was pretty much exactly the same size as the pocket, it filled things up nicely and no paint or clear got in there. I only had to mask off a little bit around the top, but even that wasn't necessary.

As for putting the guitar back together again...well, it's not rocket science, and it's a big part of the fun of refinishing the guitar in the first place-- you do understand that you'll have to wait a good month or so before you can polish and play the guitar again, right?

Putting it together is the reward for your patience.

[DokterPeppor]

Thanks guys. Yes I know how long to wait. The automotive lacquer I will be using takes about 3-4 weeks to fully cure. I will wait about 5 weeks. I will probably assemble it myself and thanks for the handle tip.