There is a limitation when you buy a low-budget guitar: you don’t have many color choices and must choose among the available colors and designs. When you buy a guitar, whose color is not what you wanted, you can repaint it and design it into something you like. If you are looking for a method to repaint a guitar, you are reading the right article. It gives you complete guidelines about how to repaint a guitar and what accessories you must prepare before repainting a guitar.
The process of repainting a guitar is simple and requires some basic steps. If you have a guitar that you once liked but are tired of playing with it and want to change how it looks, go nowhere else. This article can help you repaint your guitar. A step-by-step guide is given to you through which you can repaint a guitar and have it look like a new one. Refinishing or repainting a guitar is more complex than repainting any other wooden object. So, follow the given guide carefully and read the complete article.
Things You Will Need While Repainting Your Guitar
Before repainting your guitar, ensure you have all the supplies at home. Do not rush into the process; sit back, read the space carefully, and follow each step with concentration. Objects required for the repainting include:
- Your Guitar
- Vacuum Cleaner
- Cloths
- Orbital Sander
- Fine grit and coarse sandpaper.
- Dust mask and eyeglasses
- Mineral spirits
- Spray cans
- Clear color coats
- Spray Gun
- Allen Wrenches
- Screwdriver
- Masking tape
- Ultra-fine sandpaper pads
- Wire cutters
- Soldering iron
- Sanding paper or sponge
- White primer
After collecting all these materials, align them in a single place. If you are doing this for the first time, you must be very careful and watch a few videos before the project. The step-by-step guide given below is here for your rescue. Follow each step precisely and don’t rush, as rushing into this can ruin your whole guitar, which can be a massive loss, as buying good guitars is not easy these days.
10 Steps | How To Repaint a Guitar
If you are thinking about how to repaint a guitar acoustic, you can repaint it by following these steps:
1) Disassemble Your Guitar
Disassemble your guitar before starting the procedure of repainting. To disassemble, remove the strings of your guitar, and clip the strings away with the help of wire clippers. You can also use string clippers to restring the guitars. With the strings attached, there is no chance that you can repaint a guitar.
After unstring your guitar, you can easily repaint it; you will also have to adjust your truss rod once again when you put the guitar back together. Removing the strings of your guitar will help you to overspray on them.
Along with the strings, you will also need to take the guitar apart by disassembling other pieces, such as screws and hardware, and put them in the correct order or add small labels on them that will let you know their location while putting back after the spray. Remove the strings from the tuning pegs and unwrap them from the post. Take the ball ends out of the bridge and slowly discard the old strings.
2) Remove the Neck of the Guitar
After disassembling your guitar and removing the strings, it is time to remove the neck of the guitar. There are two guitar neck attachments: bolt-on neck, which is pretty easy to remove. It would help if you unscrewed the bolts on the neck and neck joints; now remove the neck gently. After a gentle wiggle, your guitar will be neck free.
But, if the guitar’s neck is glued on, they do not remove it, and you have to repaint the guitar with the neck on. In this case, you will have to repaint the neck, which will help in rematching the paint to make it look even on the body. So, when you enter the market to buy a guitar, ensure buying the bolt Guitar that you can remove easily to pain it separately.
3) Remove the Hardware of Your Guitar
After you have successfully removed the neck, it is also time to remove the guitar’s hardware. Use an Allen wrench or screwdriver and remove the hardware of the guitar. You must remove the bridge, strap buttons, pickups, output jack, knobs, and pickguard. Before removing all the hardware, ensure you know how to put it back in place.
After removing the hardware, remove the bridge studs, if any. It might be challenging to remove the bridge stud; you can try heating the wood with a soldering iron. After you have removed everything from the guitar, including all the hardware, strings, and bridge studs, arrange them with labels, so you will not forget how to assemble them later.
4) Remove the Old Guitar Paint with Sanding Paper
After removing the hardware, it is time to remove the guitar painted with the help of sanding paper. Sand away all the guitar finish if the new color is different, or you can sand away roughly if the color is of the same family. Avoid a thick coat of paint and finish; this can permanently ruin your guitar.
5) Use an Orbit Sander
After using the sanding paper on the guitar, it is time to sand away most of the finish and use an orbit sander. Apply circular and smooth strokes to take the old finish off completely.
6) Vacuum the Surface and Use Grain Filler
After using multiple sandpapers and an orbit sander, it is time to use the vacuum to clean up the mess after all the sanding-away. Use a grain filler before guitar body painting if the body is mahogany and other porous wood. This grain filler will add a filled look to your guitar and gives you an even surface to start painting.
6) Apply the Mineral Spirits
After finishing the grain filler, use the mineral spirits to remove the oil from the guitar’s body. After adding the spirits, please don’t touch the guitar and wait for the spirit to dry before you touch it. Now place your guitar in a large box and prepare each area for painting.
7) Select Your Paint or Spray
Select the spray or paint for guitar bodies. If you are looking for a long-lasting color, go for the paint. Spray paint is also a fantastic option; it is convenient, easy, and dries out quickly. After selecting your spray, select the primer to help adjust the pain beforehand. Apply thin coats of this spray and ensure the primer dries appropriately.
8) Start Staining
After painting the electric guitar front, take the other side and start staining. The guitar’s body must be wet before adding the stain; this will also avoid blemishes on your guitar. Apply as many coats as written on the spray and let it dry. After drying the stain and paint for a week, it is time to apply a clear coat on the guitar. Start applying the coat on the guitar and the second coat after drying the first coat. You might need to add a dozen coats to make it look your desired color.
9) Polish the Finish of the Guitar
Use a wet sanding technique and polish the guitar; take wet sandpaper and polish it with it. Please start with the 400-fin grit and then take it to roughly 2000. You can take the gripping process from 400 to 2000 with increasing 200 grits at a time. Do not miss the scratches; use the polish evenly on the whole surface.
10) Reassemble your Guitar
When all the pain is dried, sanding is complete, and you can see your desired color on the guitar, it is time you put all the labeled hardware back and assemble the guitar completely. You can also think about replacing any old components with new ones.
The starting cost of repainting a guitar is about $200 for the body, but if you try to customize each part of the guitar, it can cost you $600 as well. The cost merely depends on the quality of paint or spray you use.
Yes, repainting a guitar can be challenging for people doing it for the first time. But it is easy for people who are used to doing it. If you follow the steps mentioned above, you can do it quickly.
You can paint an electric guitar without taking it apart, but it will be a little tricky as the paint can accumulate on the strings and neck and make it look unprofessional. If you are new to painting, you should not take the risk.
Yes, you can spray paint a guitar; you can do this with the help of spray paint and add a coat on the guitar. After the first coat dries, use the second coat. Make sure you let the paint dry before reassembling it.
You can spray paint an electric guitar just like any other guitar by removing the strings and hardware, then applying spray paint and letting it dry for a week.
Repainting your guitar is not easy; it might take many coats to gain your desired color finally. One good thing about dissembling the guitar is that you can replace the parts with new ones. Try using quality spray paint to make it look like an expensive guitar.
Final Thoughts
