Prep guitar body for painting

[JimiH]

Hey, thinking of letting my dad do some painting on my Charvel. I only want the front doing, so what prep should I do to prepare the surface for painting? Do I need to go down to the wood or just remove the top lacquer ?

im going for this which VR kindly provided a close up via Twitter 😀

Geoff

[Steve Haynie]

Do not go down to the wood!  You will have to replace the sealer coats. 

Find out what kind of finish is on your Charvel first. 

[JimiH]

It's MIJ in the nineties so that would make it polyurethane I guess? Details are sketchy on the web I have found. 

[Jem]

What colour is the guitar at the moment - because if it isn't black then i'd be inclined to do the whole thing. If it is black then just knock the whole thing back with 600 grit so it's totally flat and then start with your graphics depending on what paint you're planning to use - if using something like Auto Air, it's waterbased so no worries at all and if solvent like H.O.K. just go easy and light to build things up.

 

Dare say Ben might weigh in with the definitive.

[Lockbody]

I'd rough up the existing finish like previously mentioned, fill any imperfections if desired, spray your primer coats, and sand flat. Then you're good for whatever.

The prep work is the most important step in getting a pro-like finish.

 

 

[JimiH]

It's dark blue

this looks like the process for it

 

[JimiH]

This is the guitar