How much do you guys think it would cost to have just the top of the guitar body below (with the sides masked) finished in a sort of dye black? (in other words, keeping the same texture & approximate feel of the wood, just, well, black)
Question about guitar finishing...
- Thread starter Metaltastic
- Start date
It's actually pretty easy to do yourself man. I've refinished a Warwick and a Spector bass before. Both had transparent finishes, the Spector had a quilted top. The guy with the Warwick wanted a lighter color and the Spector had a purple finish, the guy wanted a dark brown like Warwicks usually are. Took about a day of sanding for both (maybe 20 hours total) to get it right and smooth, and then staining them is easy work. Materials and stain for both altogether was ~$50.
www.projectguitar.com was an invaluable resource for me.
~006
www.projectguitar.com was an invaluable resource for me.
~006
Thanks Broodwich for the chuckle and 006 for the actual tangible suggestions - staining was the word I was looking for, thank you, and your right, on a natural finish guitar like that it doesn't seem like it'd be difficult at all, though I'm curious: did you put clear coats on after you finished those above two basses? I would think some kind of sealant would be a good idea, but since I'd only be sanding and staining the top, I dunno if there'd be an issue with the sealants not interacting well or something...
Loren Littlejohn
Lover of all boobage.
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You really should put some acrylic or finish on it. Will look 1000 times better. But then you will kind of need an airbrush to apply it.
I refinished the drums in my sig. I think they had four layers of acrylic finishing.
I refinished the drums in my sig. I think they had four layers of acrylic finishing.
I put clear sealant on it made by MinWax, I don't remember exactly what it was called anymore. You can actually get clear in a spray can and get awesome results, believe it or not. Just gotta wet sand and buff each coat. I have a PDF for finishing a guitar with spray cans that I bought a looooong time ago, my friend used it to paint his Strat and it came out as good as a factory finish. I'll see if I can dig that up for you.
~006
~006
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I suggest you use a Wipe-On Poly instead of messing with spray cans. Its take a couple more coats to get a thicker finish, but its easy to work with. It won't leave streaks or anything because the finish actually flattens out after you apply it. Plus, you don't have to sand between each coat when using it.
Polyurethane, you mean? Well the thing is, the original finish is a satin natural wood finish, and I'd want to keep that after I stained it, so poly seems like it'd be too glossy
You can get rub-in type of seals for a satin finish from MinWax, I used that kind on the Warwick I refinished since it had the satin type before. The Spector got about 7 coats of high gloss though, really made the maple top pop when I was done buffing it. It really did come out like a factory finish, I was completely surprised to be honest, lol. I thought the PDF was a joke, but for $15 I didn't care either way.
It appears that the link to download it has been changed, so I e-mailed the guy last night about being able to download it again. Still waiting for a response. I will PM you as soon as I hear word.
~006
It appears that the link to download it has been changed, so I e-mailed the guy last night about being able to download it again. Still waiting for a response. I will PM you as soon as I hear word.
~006
grywolf627
Member
Just use a satin finish poly. Or if you want just a little shine, a semi-glossy poly will do the trick. And as mentioned, be sure to rub down and polish each layer (fine steel wool works well).
