painting an acoustic

[ajb]

i dont have much money to spend but iwant to somehow paint my acoustic dark brown with a wide tan line downb the middle and two thinner tan lines on both sides oft eh wide one. what should i use and woould i do it.

[bluespresence]

I've painted and repainted quite a few acoustics and have always had good luck with rattle cans. I did have a bad experience with rust-o-luem black lacquer (would never dry) but all of the other colors seem to work well.

The basics are the same as a solid body (see the tutorial section). Remove your strings and hardware first. I scuff the old finish with 300 grit emery cloth then wipe down with xylene to remove the dust.

Tape off you fretboard and anything else you don't want painted with painters tape (I use 3M safe mask, the blue stuff).

Spray your base color, let dry an hour or two then repeat until you have 3 or 4 layers and a smooth coat on. Keep each coat relatively thin so you don't get runs or sags.

Let it dry a day or two then tape off everything except where your stripe is going and do it all again. Remove the tape before the last coat dries so you don't peel back the paint.

Let it dry a couple days and even up to a week if necessary. Use emery to level down the seam where the 2 colors meet (wet sanding works good here). Use 2000 grit (or higher) and let it soak in a container of warm water with a drop or two of dish soap in it. Sand with the wet paper and wipe the water off the guitar frequently. After a few minutes you should have a nice smooth finish.

Wipe it all down with a damp cloth and let it dry for an hour or two then coat with clear (whatever finish you want - satin, gloss, etc,).

When your clear is dry (if you used gloss) then wet sand again and finish by polishing with fine cut automotive polish. You can get the good stuff at a body shop for $10 or so. If you used satin or matte as a final coat you won't need to wet sand or polish it.

It takes time but if you go at it patiently you'll end up with a personalized guitar for about $20-$30 of paint and tape.

[VanKirk]

Any problem with paint affecting the sound?

Seems like if you put a finish on as thick as a solid body it would deaden the sound board but I haven't done it so it's just a guess.

[westhemann]

Any problem with paint affecting the sound?

Seems like if you put a finish on as thick as a solid body it would deaden the sound board but I haven't done it so it's just a guess.

i think most of the sound in an acoustic comes from the inside,out the soundhole...and the inside is unfinished

i am sure it does affect the sound,but maybe not all that much..

a guy on the forum recently painted and used body filler on an old acoustic of his...i seem to remember he said it sounded good afterwards

[bluespresence]

I have heard it does affect the sound but I never experienced any difference I could hear. The rust-o black I mentioned caused me to paint and repaint that particular guitar several times. I must have had 12-14 coats on it by the time I was done. It sounded great afterwards so in my personal experience with only one heavily painted guitar I can't say it affected it much. Others may have had different experiences.

[ajb]

thanks for the help