The Preparation Stages

Preparing the guitar body for painting.

The guitar shown here is a very well used Ibanez RG570 which is about to get a serious makeover. There are two options when preparing a guitar like this for repainting - either strip the guitar body right back down to the wood, or, rub down, prime and fill the guitar. Here the guitar body is rubbed down, the chips and dents filled and the body primed ready for paint.

This particular guitar had obviously been very well used and carried the scars of some serious thrashing.

An example of one of the deep chips in the guitar body.

The process of filling and rubbing down starts with the obvious dents.

After the initial obvious dents are filled and rubbed down the first primer coat can be applied.

 

Before any paint is applied to the guitar - the main cavities of the guitar body are masked off. There will inevitably be a lot of primer, paint and many layers of lacquer applied to this guitar before it is finished. If the bridge, pickup and neck seating cavities were not masked off, the build up of paint through the process of painting could affect the refitting of these parts after painting.

 

The first coat of primer is applied and the guitar is seen here in the process of being rubbed down with 1000 grade wet and dry paper. This shows up any flaws in the guitar surface not always visible before this stage.

 

Some of the small holes, cracks and dents made visible at this stage.

 

Filled, ready for rubbing down.

 

After going through this process of priming, rubbing down, filling, rubbing down and repriming another two times, the final primer coat is applied.

 

Finally after another coat of primer thats the guitar body smooth, primed and ready for the drawing to be laid up.

 

Preparation Stage - Transferring the Image - Hard and Soft Masking

Airbrushing Stages - Painting the Neck

 

Custom built, custom finished quality guitars - for those that want something 'a bit special'.

 

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