How to paint a guitar Pt.1 - Appetite for Destruction Telecaster

[whitbyjet65]

When you've completed a painting, what sort of final degreaser do you use please? I need something to clean my finished artwork before painting but I don't know what to use here in the UK.

[svee]

@whitbyjet65 I dont use anything mate, its too risky with water-based paints in my opinion. There are specific water-based degreasers that you can buy but i find prevention is the best cure. Just wear some latex gloves like the tattoo guys wear, then you wont get any greasy fingerprints on your work. Make sure they are the powder free gloves though, you dont want white powder all over your work lol ;)

[whitbyjet65]

@svee Thanks for that. I was worried that I'd have problems with the clearcoat if I didn't do a final clean before it's applied. Great artwork by the way.

[stevevairocks1]

Hey man, how long does it take for your lacquer to dry? Thanks mate :)

[svee]

@stevevairocks1 I normally give a guitar 4 wet coats of the shiny stuff then let that dry for 48 hours. Sand that smooth with 1200 wet and dry paper and then lay down another 4 wet coats leaving that to dry for around a week before doing the final flat and polish.

[stevevairocks1]

@svee Sweet thanks mate!

[squidgybidge]

Nice intro as to what needs to be done on the prep work. Blue/White tack is a good idea.

[blogtvpunk]

Add yt:stretch=16:9 to your tags, it should fix the stupid screen size problem.

[svee]

@blogtvpunk Awesome tip! Thanks mate.

[MXMSKustomShop]

laquer?? its called "clear coat" you are refferin to the shiny coating over the paing right i mean for holy sake speak english please!!!

[svee]

@MXMSKustomShop Taken from Google: "lacquer is a clear or coloured varnish that dries by solvent evaporation and often a curing process as well that produces a hard, durable finish, in any sheen level from ultra matte to high gloss and that can be further polished as required."

Before you attack someone for their use of the english language may i suggest you learn it yourself. I suppose i should start calling my chips fries, my trousers pants and my car has a hood and a trunk not a bonnet/boot!

[MXMSKustomShop]

@svee hahaha you bloody wanker you commented on my video. also as i am doing four things at once i think i am allowed two spelling errors/mistakes/ bloody fuck ups! so kiss my bloody "arse" petrol its gasoline and yes it is a hood/trunk not a bonnet/boot, i am a kustom (custom) painter as well if i told my customer i did true fire on his/her bonnet they'd look at me like i had a third eye and not sure if you know "lacquer" is also a type of paint... i.e enamel, polyurethane, and "lacquer"

[svee]

@MXMSKustomShop lol i couldnt resist commenting on your vid too ;) So nobody has ever asked you for true fire on their hat then? lol

Language is a slippery thing mate esp when it comes to us limeys lol.

Nitrocellulose is another form of "lacquer" that i use a lot that can be coloured too. Nasty shit though. Anyways, good luck with the you tube channel mate and keep up the good work ;)

[MXMSKustomShop]

@svee will do i will be posting up my latest project in which is what i was busy doing i Kustom mixed a green for this helmit and i am going to airbrush it ill post some of the vids its a step-by-step video still editing im not sure if i want to base/clear it first then lay down the art or just base/art/clear what do you think and how can i get a hold of you off of here?

[svee]

@MXMSKustomShop sounds cool. personally i would just base/art/clear but thats just the way i like to work. To get hold of me you can always just send me a message on here or email me direct on svee@sveeart.com dont worry if it takes me a few days to reply though, i get hundreds of emails every day, gets a bit time consuming sometimes lol ;)

[guitarslf132]

@MXMSKustomShop everyone i know here in england calls it laquer

[guitarslf132]

@MXMSKustomShop everyone i know here in england call it lacquer

[MXMSKustomShop]

@guitarslf132 thank you but i think svee n i have already discussed that so in return once again thank you but you are a day late and a euro short or as us "YANKS" say "a day late and a dollar short"

[guitarslf132]

@MXMSKustomShop we use pounds in england

[MXMSKustomShop]

@svee oh and yes chips are thin slices of potatos, while fries are like sticks major differance lol other than that keep up the good work i never knock another artists work just maybe their grammer lol

[Empladez]

Nice vids man!

Just started airbrushing and planned to paint my guitar with just some simple tribal flames. The guitar has no finish so it's straight wood. For the whole backside of the guitar and most of the front should i use another painting tool than an airbrush to cover the area? What type of paint do you recommend? Water based acrylic stuff? :)

[svee]

@Empladez Hi mate. If its bare wood you are going to need to smooth out the surface. For this you need a grain filler which you can spray on and sand smooth. Once you have done that you can prime it and paint it. For the painting you can use water-based acrylics like i do ;)

[svee]

@afrobrosstudios Not at all mate, its just easier to move around with the neck off. Also saves you from masking the neck off to protect it from overspray/lacquer.

[SCUBONZIES]

harder steenbeck better than iwata micron

[svee]

@SCUBONZIES no, they are totally different airbrushes mate. The Infinity isnt a micron.

[snipingcheese]

Hey svee,

Im thinking of working on a body that is basswood (by working i mean doing exactly what u did in these vids: stripping it back and paining on a new design - what design i dont know yet)

Is this a bad idea? Apparently basswood is weak, and soaks up the finish easily. What would i have to do to make it work?

Thanks mate

[danz3600]

What happens if the artist is dead? Who do you ask then ?

[svee]

Even if the original artist is dead, somebody somewhere will still own the copyright to his/her work mate ;)

[schecterGman]

luv ur laidback style.....

and ofcourse the artwork..

must be real nice to be so talented...

[puffal59]

hey svee

i was wondering if you have done a kirk hammet mummy guitar and if so have you got any high res pictures of it that you could send me

thanks in advance

[svee]

I have mate but it is one of my own guitars. I get asked to paint "mummy's" constantly (at least 1 a week) but Kirk Hammett has bought the rights to the image so if i were to make any money from that design i could be face to face with Kirk's lawyers.

Its a shame ESP dont offer it as they would make a killing! :)

You can see a pic of my mummy with one of my other guitars here...

w w w . s v e e a r t . c o . u k / f o r u m s t u f f / S v e e F a m i l y . j p g

(remove the spaces)

[puffal59]

oooooo link :)

wow that is emense yh esp would make loads of money from that

its a shame that it cannot be done on any more guitars as it would be awsome!!

and thanks for the link :)

[artu91ibanez]

dude what product do you use to take off the paint of the guitar?

[svee]

I dont remove the existing finish mate, i just paint on top of it. If you go back to bare wood it creates a shed load more work for you as you need to seal the wood and use various primers, sealers and stuff before you can start the painting.

Why do all that when its already been done eh hehe ;)

Check out the part two video of this project for how you prep the existing finish so that your paint doesnt come off ;)

[nimnestl]

"Why do all that when its already been done eh hehe ;)"

It's quite simple, really. The thicker the paint, the poorer the resonance of the wood, that's why one should do it. If you want to kill your tone, go right ahead and do it the lazy way. If you actually play the instrument and are concerned with tone, which you should be, then man up, put a bit of elbow grease in, and do it the right way.

[nimnestl]

However, if you're not concerned with the tonal qualities of the guitar and just want a "looker", then the lazy method is fine.

[svee]

Ive lost count how many times ive had this conversation with people. Its the same as the old argument of "you must use nitro lacquer". Yes, the more layers of paint/lacquer you add to the guitar the less responce you get from the wood. Thats why i dont paint acoustics.

I put plenty of "elbow grease" in. I may not remove the original finish but once ive finished sanding it im cutting through the lacquer to the paint below. Once ive finished my painting and lacquer its almost the same thickness.

[svee]

I do offer the "back to bare wood" option but because of the time involved it adds £££ to peoples quotes so 99% of the time people opt for painting on top of the original finish.

Airbrushing isnt like a rattle can, the paint layer is very thin if done properly.

Ive done guitars for pro musicians, Brian May guitars and most recently ESP and none of them said there was a change in tone. In fact, ESP said the guitars were great but they would like MORE lacquer on them.

[svee]

So yeah, you are right mate and thanks for the comment as its a very good point that i didnt cover. The more paint/lacquer you slap on the more chance you have of killing the "tone" of the guitar but if you are careful, sand down the existing finish but dont cut through the paint to the primer, dont drown it in paint and lacquer (but make sure there is enough on there to protect the artwork) the tone is fine in my/my customers opinion ;)

[joeyarkenstat02]

Hey Svee, Love the videos! I have a guitar body that I have already sanded down to the bare wood. What sealers should I use to get it to a point I can paint it? That would be a great help.

Thanks.

[wiifan62]

good to see you back svee! you do great work!

[RobChappers]

Awesome Burger, with fries