Help - First Guitar Project

[TortexFromHell]

I have a Kramer Pacer that I just picked up, It has a strat style body, and a strat style trem. Sometime this week I'm gonna remove the trem to put in a fixed bridge patch up the whole where the trem was with wood putty. I was thinking about this and I figured instead of stripping the whole body down and repainting it, or trying to match the color and paint over where the wood putty is, I am just going to paint the front of it, right now it is a sparkly ice blue color shown here.

What I want to do is to paint just the front of the body black, and have stripes of the ice blue color.

Like this:

http://img23.imageshack.us/my.php?image=532397.png

So here are my questions,

Should I sand off the old paint? (except obviously in the area where the stripes will be)

If I leave the old paint on will the black paint peel? Should I try to sand off the clear coat?

What is the best tape to use? I always seem to get lines with mine, is that just a technique thing?

Edited April 11, 2009 by TortexFromHell

[RAI6]

First thing first:

Put down that putty, and never look back.

You need to fill the void with wood, not wood putty.

There is a tutorial for trem to hardtail conversion.

Check it out....

[TortexFromHell]

First thing first:

Put down that putty, and never look back.

You need to fill the void with wood, not wood putty.

There is a tutorial for trem to hardtail conversion.

Check it out....

ok, I found the tutorial here:http://www.projectguitar.com/tut/tht1.htm (just in case anyone is curious about the same thing)

I understand the concepts in it, and i'll get on that sometime soon.

now, can anyone answer my other questions.....

[Sand Paper]

So here are my questions,

Should I sand off the old paint? (except obviously in the area where the stripes will be)

If I leave the old paint on will the black paint peel? Should I try to sand off the clear coat?

What is the best tape to use? I always seem to get lines with mine, is that just a technique thing?

I'd strip the whole body and go from there. I did a floyd to kahler fill and rerout job a while back. I didn't strip the paint but I wish I had, it would have made it a whole lot easier.

[Tristan]

http://store.hipshotproducts.com/cart.php?...etail&p=148

You could try that to fill the trem rout. If you don't at least scuff up the old paint the black will peel after awhile. Use thin pinstriping tape and blue painters tape. Lay down the outlines of the stripes with the pinstriping tape then go over that with the painters tape, that should help with your bleeding problems.

[TortexFromHell]

Maybe I will take all the paint off of the body, I think it will be less work in the long run.

Hopefully I can find paint that matches the stuff on there now, that way it will still match the neck.

[Crusader]

Hi there guy who is from "not Kansas" - so you must be from Nova Scotia lol

Whats wrong with the gitar that u bought?

Nah serious question

If you gonna put in a fixed bridge, will it be a Gibson type? if so you have to put it on an angle for compensation

Edited April 14, 2009 by Crusader