Help with painting a guitar

[Raven]

Hey Guys,

I'm hoping that someone can offer some sage advice about guitar painting. I just acquired a nice Charvel guitar - but I really HATE the color - it's a sick metallic yellow. I visited a site called Guitar ReRanch that discusses the how-to of repainting and refinishing. Obviously, totally doing it yourself from scratch will be the least expensive way - I think - but you also run the risk of fucking-up the paint job. And of course having a luthier or guitar shop do the work will be very expensive - but you can count on the work being done correctly.

So I'm wondering if there is a middle ground...for example, could I take the guitar body to an automotive body shop and have them paint it for me? I could take care of stripping the varnish and paint - fill in the gaps with putty - do the sanding, etc ... and then take it to them to do the actual painting. Maybe I’m delusional in thinking that an automotive body shop might be cheaper than a guitar shop – but who knows?

Any advice or suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for your comments.

[Dave G 5150]

i've done a couple of replicas just using spray paint...
now before you laugh, just remember, it's not just the paint, but how well you work your surfaces, including prep work and finishing...
i've seen some "krylon" jobs that have been fine sanded, buffed, and polished that look damn near show quality...
i'm convinced that the quality of the finish is 90% in the prep and finishing...
i also subscribe to the theory that it's just a piece of wood, and any part can be fixed or replaced...
plus, if you don't like what you've done, you can always sand it off and start over...

that's my take on it... have fun...

...Dave

[Raven]

Thanks for the reply, Dave. I'll let you know how it goes.