is it a wise idea to have a car bodyshop clearcoat my guitar?

[vklobucar]

I want to have a guitar clearcoated as it will soon be stripped to its natural wood state. I was wondering if I need to go to some high end (read-smokin' expensive) luthier for that or just give it to my mate at the local bodyshop.

Anything that I need to know before it is sprayed?

What I mean by that is can I just strip the finish and clearcoat right away or do I need some grain filler and stuff like that?

[nhspike]

I had a body shop friend clear coat two of my guitars.
One I wet-sanded and left matte finish, cuz I liked the look.
The other I left just as I got it from him.

I would give each about a C+

Maybe that's him, maybe that's just what kind of product he used, how much time he took, my prep work, or what his perception of "good enough/perfect" is.

I think I'm a ton more picky than he is.

I would conclude my rambling by saying that if your guy is a perfectionist, have at it.

If he's not, then save your pennies for a while.

Can't offer any advice on grain-fillers, etc., sorry!

[nhspike]

One more thought... tung oil
Real nice for a natural finish, and you can do it yourself.

[Model1VH2]

If you decide to take it to a bodyshop, I wouldn't expect them to do any more than apply the clearcoat. That means it's up to you to prep and seal the body before taking it to the bodyshop and to wetsand and buff afterwards. The bodyshop is only performing one of many steps required to acheive a nice factory finish.

If you decide to do a natural oil finish, I'd recommend Tru-Oil.
It provides a harder finish than Tung-Oil IMO.

Here's a Padauk body I finished in Tru-Oil.
I applied several thin coats, while using 0000 super fine steel wool between each coat.
I then applied BeesWax in the final stage.





Whichever method you choose, GOOD body prep will be key.

[Learn Guitars]

Clearing is probably the least difficult or important aspect of painting a guitar. It is all in the sealing and prep work. Oil finishes are great options if you have a decent piece of wood to deal with. If not, and you are going to paint it on your own, you will be surprised at the costs of materials. It ads up. That is why you will see the prices you see for refinishing.

[rjohnstone]

That's why I'm leaving all my paintwork to the pros.
I can do natural wood and oil finishes pretty well.
Paint... not so good.
My father-in-laws setup for painting cars cost a small mint before the first drop of paint was even purchased.
I've had him clear guitars for me in the past... hell, he even painted one once.
Wood is nowhere near as forgiving as sheet metal, even he gave up on guitars.

Mike.. that call will be coming next week.

[bibz]

I got a local bodyshop to do my project and it cost the same as the materials for painting it myself. I dont have a booth or baking setup, or years of experience so it was a no brainer. I found the prep easy, aslong as you don't take any shortcuts.

[Speiro]

If you decide to take it to a bodyshop, I wouldn't expect them to do any more than apply the clearcoat. That means it's up to you to prep and seal the body before taking it to the bodyshop and to wetsand and buff afterwards. The bodyshop is only performing one of many steps required to acheive a nice factory finish.

If you decide to do a natural oil finish, I'd recommend Tru-Oil.
It provides a harder finish than Tung-Oil IMO.

Here's a Padauk body I finished in Tru-Oil.
I applied several thin coats, while using 0000 super fine steel wool between each coat.
I then applied BeesWax in the final stage.





Whichever method you choose, GOOD body prep will be key.

That looks sweet. I have a body that I finished with finished with Tung oil, is it possible to use Tru oil on top of the Tung? The tung oil was applied a couple of years ago now.

[nhspike]

+1

That's just killer looking man!!!

[Ayrton]

I finish raw wood bodes with Tru Oil.

Easy to apply yourself, and inexpensive.

[Grandturk]

That is a sweet looking guitar Model1VH2.

[gregthatshreds]

that is awesome, looks better than the natural finish charvels at music zoo

[Dogbone]

Since I own a Bodyshop, and was a painter, I would say, let an actual guitar guy (luthier) such as Mike do the job... Crazy as that may sound, painting a car, and a guitar are two different things... I've painted guitars in the past for people, and they turned out fine. The big issue most body shops have with doing something like a guitar is, for one, it's awkward, we are not setup to paint guitars... So we make do the best we can, and usually hang the body with wire, so you can imagine, the body has a tendency to swing... The angles can be a pain to get to without being able to flip the body upside down (so it may have light coverage)... Myself, I used to use a piece of wood to mount in the neck pocket so that I could hold the body while spraying... but being a guitar player, I care a little bit more than the average painter...
Another problem... Bodyshops do have buffers... but not mounted on a stand. It's not a good time to try and hold a body while polishing... In fact, its really easy to screw up...
The biggest problem... even though it's just a body... it slows down the production in the paint shop... the body still needs to go in the booth... plus hung up... paint needs to be mixed, cleared, baked... It can actually take longer than painting a spot on a vehicle... And if the painter is being paid flat rate, he's not going to spend much time on it...
So needless to say... Even though I do what I do for a living... I have been in contact with Mike about doing some paint work on one of my guitars
To me it is money well spent to turn it over to him instead of attempting to do it myself, even though I have the facility and ablities to do it...