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hi,

so i took a sharpie today and test-sketched out a design for this knock off strat body since it's completely disassembled and i have yet to remove the clear coat. the problem i ran into was how much of the "canvas" the pickguard covered, so i'm considering just painting the pickguard as well to keep continuity in the artwork. (of course, i'll be removing all attached items before starting.)

after the paint work is complete, is there something i can use to clear coat / candy coat / lacquer (or whatever) the body AND the pickguard to make it look clean (and also that won't easily chip on the pickguard as well)? i mean, it is just paint, so can't i just use the same finishing liquid (sorry for the lack of proper nomenclature) on the guitar body and the pickguard?

thanks,
shad

The type of paint you use might be important as far as adhesion and longevity goes. I wouldn't know what to recommend though.

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i thinking i'm going to tape and spray the entire thing. at first, i was considering brush work, but then i thought it would look cleaner if it was sprayed rather than tedious bristle work.

Yo shad,

I, me ?adma accord you your privilege to do what ever you want.

Simple eh!

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Why not cut a clear plexy pickguard that your paint on the body can show through?

yeah, i agree, but i was curious if anyone had preferred product suggestions.


because you could see the cutout for the electronics. that is one thing i really like about les paul hardbody designs ... everything is routed in on the back. if i ever cut my own guitar body from stock wood or order something from warmoth, it will definitely have all controls routed in on the back for this very reason.

I agree with the others.

But I will add is that for a Strat body, the pick guard is made to be removed for maintenance. So, also take into consideration what that will be like removing the pick guard after painting both. I've seen it done very well and it looked very good. So I'm not discouraging, just if I were to do it I would take some care to prevent burying the pick guard edges in lacquer or paint, or simply score the edge, or paint the scene then remove the pick guard and apply a clear coat separately before remounting the pick guard.

Also, I would decide whether to scrape or otherwise define the edge of the pick guard or not. Either way will add some artistic quality and either way looks good in its own way, to me anyway. Just imagine with or without that line. Maybe it matters, maybe not. Maybe it looks good with, maybe without.

you make some really good points and of which, some i've considered and some i haven't. the pickguard removal for maintenance scenario, i have considered and i like and agree with your approach @ "separately before remounting the pick guard."

can you explain what you mean? @ "Also, I would decide whether to scrape or otherwise define the edge of the pick guard or not." the edge of the pickguard is already beveled, right? what am i missing?

by the way, i have just finished watching this instructional playlist http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL82F87E351853722B of videos by a professional luthier and have learned a lot to add to what i already knew, so in regards to taking proper care of a finish, i am totally with you on the topic!

Well, if I paint with the pick guard on, and want to leave the bevel untouched, I mask the bevel since the pigment will cover the bevel and obscure that line. If not, I would need to scrape the pigment, like doing binding or the rosette of a steel string acoustic with a sunburst. I like scraping.

ooooh, okay, now i get what you mean! scraping ... wouldn't there be a risk of pulling the layer of paint off the face of the pickguard though?

Yes, there is a risk and I would test on scrap to see how easily it scraped.

I'm basing this on KTM9 and transtint dye. I expect it would be as easy to scrape thin coats of paint too. But I can imagine thicker acrylics or softer paints may tear easily. A sharp razor blade should be adequate if the paint or lacquer is hard enough.

But honestly, I would expect that if the color coat is too thick or soft to scrape, you are going to have a hard time removing the guard after applying the pigment anyway. A thin fully dry coat of color that comes loose easily with the pick guard should be ready to scrape easily as well.

The first problem will be pulling up the pick guard from the body of the guitar without messing up the body. If you can do that then scraping will probably be ok. If it's sticky then you will probably have trouble scraping.

Just apply thin on color, and practice first.

you make a really good point! @ "The first problem will be pulling up the pick guard from the body of the guitar without messing up the body." i may create some type of "T" shaped handle to fit inside a couple of the pickup slots to be able to lift straight up off the body. you're right, it's not going to be easy. alternatively, i could score it with a fresh blade after drying, but that could look cheap. thoughts?

Make sure the pickguard isn't made from PVC (ABS or plexiglas is fine) because nothing sticks to PVC without some special primer!

Clear pickguard with painting underneath is a great idea actually... just have to learn to work upside down... Then you can put something over that, and shielding over that, and the painting should be very resistant to handling.

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Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

oooh, upside-down! wow, what an approach. let me think about that one.

is there a way to tell if this current pickguard is pvc or not?

Well, nothing really sticks PVC except for PVC cement, so I guess one way to test it is to try and use acetone on it to see if it will dissolve... not sure if that is a definitive test though. I do know epoxy will absolutely not stick to PVC. Acetone will barely dissolve plexiglas and will dissolve polystyrene and celluloid easily.

_________________
Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

I doubt if any paint will adhere well to the plastic.
It seems like it paint would get scratched off since it is a "pick guard".
I think the best solution offered is to paint the under side of a clear guard.
Those white plastic Fender pick guards are really ugly.
I'd rather let the guitar finish get scratched off than use one of those guards.

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wah
Wah-wah-wah-wah
Wah

more and more people are suggesting painting backwards/upside down ... sighs ... lol. i know that it really shouldn't be an issue, since i'm a fine art artist ... i suppose i just need to suck it up and deal with it. lol ;P

by the way, i laughed out loud when i read your sig. @ "Measure with a digital caliper, mark with chalk, cut with an axe."

One possible solution is paint on some sort of a backing paper, and then glue it to the clear pickguard material with an adhesive that doesn't affect the paint or the transparency of the pickguard... Like if you can find a clear self adhesive pickguard thicker than acoustic guitar pickguard.

_________________
Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

i'm tired and therefore will not make a conclusive decision, but today throughout our dialog, i've been considering simply redesigning the mural to work better with the existing pickguard. this is not in concrete. i will get back to this thread.

i have decided to go with a different pickup selection, so being that i'll have to order a custom pickguard, i'm going to change up the mural just a bit to work with the available paintable "canvas".

thanks, everyone for your input!