Want to do a paint job on my guitar....

yoyo1299 · #1 10-14-2007, 03:29 PM

hey all

i have a GSA60, and b4 you all laugh and tell me what a horrible guitar it is, i would just like to say that i know that the sound cna be improved, but as far as playability goes, i love it. i like the neck on it better than a lot of RG's i've played and jacksons. weird huh? but yeah, i love it, and it sounds decent to.

so because of that and because i don't like the black finish all too much, i wana do a paint job on it. i would like to paint it white, with maybe a black binding on it. i want to take out the middle pup completely and fill that hole somehow. i never use the middle pup, and it just gets in the way while i'm playing. i wana keep the pups black, but maybe change out the humbucker and the single coil to dimarzio's, don't know which ones yet. i would also change the volume controls to a black chrome finish, not silver or w.e it is.

do you know any places that will do this for me? how much do you think it'll cost? should i try to do it myself???

thanks all, i really like this guitar

Dee · #2 10-14-2007, 03:43 PM

If you want a pro job doing, see Patrick at Sims Custom Shop. You can finish using spray cans but it won't look ultra slick. There are probably loads of tutorials online - try a site such as www.projectguitar.com. White is actually an easy colour to work with, IMO.

I'm not sure if the guitar is worth the price of a pro job. Only you can decide that.

Pickups depend on the kind of tone you are looking for. What style/s do you play?

yoyo1299 · #3 10-14-2007, 10:57 PM

the guitar is worth the price. as i mentioned before. the playability on this thing is so nice, i'd rather spend money making it sound better, than getting another guitar is i don't feel as comfortable with, and isn't as easy to play. it's worth it. i've played a $1,000 S series guitar, and i loved the looks and the sound, but when it comes to playability, i just find the gsa60 easier. that doesn't mean i'm gonna JUST buy gsa60's and mod em. i wana get a SZ sometime in the nexzt/last 3 and a half years at home.

i play some metal, i lot of heavy distorted rhythm playing. i LOVE a good smooth sounding solo. something that is smooth, has good distortion, LOW noise. i'm not just open to dimarzio, anything's cool

.
thanks dee

Dee · #4 10-14-2007, 11:36 PM

Send the body over to Patrick. www.simscustomshop.com or email him to discuss it. You'll get a very good paint job.

Pickup-wise, I was looking at Dimarzio D-Activators recently. Could something like this work for you?

waylay00 · #5 10-14-2007, 11:57 PM

I'd go relatively lower output on the pickups. I've started to realize that higher output pickups don't sound that great, to my ears at least.

Dee · #6 10-15-2007, 12:03 AM

I should have said it's the 7-string variety I am looking into. I think 6-string pickups are a different beast entirely and I'd agree actually, I'm not keen on high-power pickups. Medium output or even low output can often sound amazing.

yoyo1299 · #7 10-15-2007, 10:45 AM

what other colors do you think i should think about painting this guitar? my sister says white is g*y but i don't entirely think so.... what do yall think?

jb4674 · #8 10-15-2007, 10:59 AM

put a hello kitty sticker on it

Jimmy

Dee · #9 10-15-2007, 11:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yoyo1299

what other colors do you think i should think about painting this guitar? my sister says white is g*y but i don't entirely think so.... what do yall think?

Is your sister homophobic? Sounds like she has issues she needs to get straightened out.

I like white, personally. What colour is the guitar right now?

andy7jem · #10 10-15-2007, 11:30 AM

Why not ask your sister

yoyo1299 · #11 10-15-2007, 11:52 AM

the guitar is black. i know, i REALLY like white. i'm wondering if it's just her... lol. she doesn't have problems, she's cool. she just has preferences....

Dee · #12 10-15-2007, 11:55 AM

White rocks. Do it.

andy7jem · #13 10-15-2007, 12:40 PM

Are you painting it for her though????

If you like white, paint it white

Hell....i just bought a yellow guitar

People think i'm nuts

Who cares....I LOVE IT

yoyo1299 · #14 10-15-2007, 01:18 PM

i like yellow guitars

yeah, i think it'll be white.... i don't know how soon i'll be able to do this tho.

how hard is it to paint it yourself?

Dee · #15 10-15-2007, 01:36 PM

It's a matter of sanding off the old finish (or use a heat gun carefully as not to burn the wood too badly), sanding it smooth as possible, then you need a few good coats of primer, more sanding, more primer, more sanding, then build up your finishing coats very lightly. Don't be impatient at this point, give the coats ample time to dry, keep sanding back with fine paper and steel wool, apply more coats until you have good coverage and no thin / thick areas. When it's all done you can seal it with coats of clear lacquer, and in between these coats you will probably need rubbing compound to remove the orange peel effect that is common with spray can finishes.

As I said, a tutorial would be a good thing to study first. You can get a pretty decent finish out of spray cans but you'll need to put in a lot of elbow grease to make it look reasonably good.