dominus
King Midas to Cheap Guitars
Just for those that want to play along at home, the quick and easy process -
Used Squier Strat - $100 or so
Disassemble completely.
Sand the logo off the headstock, sand *just* the shine off the body. Use a *fine* grain sanding pad. I use the ones from Harbor Freight, they come in a 10 pack for $6 (occasionally on sale for $3.29 or so.) No need to remove the paint completely, that's a lot of unnecessary work. One pad will do one guitar. Pitch it afterwards. If you're replacing the tuners, make sure they fit. A lot of Squier's have vintage sized holes. If you have to drill, drill from the front to the rear. Tearout on the back of the headstock is no big deal. On the front? It SUCKS!
Tape off the fretboard (at least the first 4 frets) on the neck with blue painter's tape.
I used to tape the edge around the headstock, but now I just sand the excess paint off *if* necessary.
When spraying, warm up the cans first. Just get a large tumbler and fill it halfway with the hottest tap water you have. (Don't boil it or warm it up in the microwave.) Let the can sit in there for 5 minutes. This helps with paint, then you don't have to shake it up as much. Put the can back in the cup in between passes. (When painting, do a light pass, put the can back in the cup for a few minutes, then do another pass, warm it again, then one more pass.) If you have a couple of tumblers, fill a few of them with hot water so you can keep the can as warm as possible.
Prime the headstock and body with primer. I used to use Krylon Fusion white, but they changed the formula and is NO LONGER COMPATIBLE WITH LACQUER. Usually do three thin coats to cover. Since most of the used Squier Strats I've picked up are black, you NEED to cover that up, otherwise you won't get your finish color to turn out the way you want. I ended up with burnt orange instead of bright orange once. That one is getting redone someday. Do one side in the morning, flip it and do the other side before bed. This is what I'm using now:
For painting the bodies, I get or stack large boxes about 2.5-3.0 feet high (a good sized combo amp box is large enough on it's side), and then put a large plastic lid from a storage bin on top of them. Put something in the boxes to give them a little weight so they don't tip over. I used packing foam and newspapers.
For standing the bodies up, I use long thin bolts and nuts.
Pick those up from the local hardware store.
To paint the rear of the body, I take 4 long bolts and stick two nuts on the end and screw them about an inch down. Use the nuts against each other to lock them into place. Two bolts go into the end neck pocket holes, the other two get screwed into the outer 2 bridge screw holes. (Alternatively, on Squier Standards, that have the two pivot bridges, you just stick the bolts in those two holes.)
To paint the front of the body, you can reuse the neck pocket bolts. Take two more bolts and 4 nuts, thread one nut on each bolt and stick it through the outer most string holes on a back plate. Then stick one nut on the other side to lock it on. Then take at least 2 or 4 screws to put the back plate on the body.
Just remember, it's balancing, so don't bump the stand. This is much quicker and easier than setting up a jig though.
Now you've got it primed. Time for color!
Gotta use a lacquer. Don't mess around with enamels. I've lost too much time and spent too much effort. Lacquers will level out nicely and they "bite" into the previous coat. If you go to the local hardware store, you'll typically find red, white, and black. Fine if you want to do an EVH guitar, but if you want something better, go to the auto parts store.
Hey, that just might be close enough for Lake Placid Blue.
One can *should* be enough, better grab two to be safe.
Plastikote is the other brand that does lacquers, and they have larger cans. They're not as well stocked at stores from what I've found.
After you get the color on (wait a day between sides), clearcoat it with a lacquer, again, one day per side. I use Plastikote, but Duplicolor is fine. Rustoleum isn't that great. I've heard good things about Deft, but haven't tried it. Let it sit for a few days.
Now reassemble. I'd replace the tuners, bridge, and electronics, but do what you want there.
If you enjoy it enough, eventually you'll end up with this:
Have fun!
Used Squier Strat - $100 or so
Disassemble completely.
Sand the logo off the headstock, sand *just* the shine off the body. Use a *fine* grain sanding pad. I use the ones from Harbor Freight, they come in a 10 pack for $6 (occasionally on sale for $3.29 or so.) No need to remove the paint completely, that's a lot of unnecessary work. One pad will do one guitar. Pitch it afterwards. If you're replacing the tuners, make sure they fit. A lot of Squier's have vintage sized holes. If you have to drill, drill from the front to the rear. Tearout on the back of the headstock is no big deal. On the front? It SUCKS!
Tape off the fretboard (at least the first 4 frets) on the neck with blue painter's tape.
I used to tape the edge around the headstock, but now I just sand the excess paint off *if* necessary.
When spraying, warm up the cans first. Just get a large tumbler and fill it halfway with the hottest tap water you have. (Don't boil it or warm it up in the microwave.) Let the can sit in there for 5 minutes. This helps with paint, then you don't have to shake it up as much. Put the can back in the cup in between passes. (When painting, do a light pass, put the can back in the cup for a few minutes, then do another pass, warm it again, then one more pass.) If you have a couple of tumblers, fill a few of them with hot water so you can keep the can as warm as possible.
Prime the headstock and body with primer. I used to use Krylon Fusion white, but they changed the formula and is NO LONGER COMPATIBLE WITH LACQUER. Usually do three thin coats to cover. Since most of the used Squier Strats I've picked up are black, you NEED to cover that up, otherwise you won't get your finish color to turn out the way you want. I ended up with burnt orange instead of bright orange once. That one is getting redone someday. Do one side in the morning, flip it and do the other side before bed. This is what I'm using now:
For painting the bodies, I get or stack large boxes about 2.5-3.0 feet high (a good sized combo amp box is large enough on it's side), and then put a large plastic lid from a storage bin on top of them. Put something in the boxes to give them a little weight so they don't tip over. I used packing foam and newspapers.
For standing the bodies up, I use long thin bolts and nuts.
Pick those up from the local hardware store.
To paint the rear of the body, I take 4 long bolts and stick two nuts on the end and screw them about an inch down. Use the nuts against each other to lock them into place. Two bolts go into the end neck pocket holes, the other two get screwed into the outer 2 bridge screw holes. (Alternatively, on Squier Standards, that have the two pivot bridges, you just stick the bolts in those two holes.)
To paint the front of the body, you can reuse the neck pocket bolts. Take two more bolts and 4 nuts, thread one nut on each bolt and stick it through the outer most string holes on a back plate. Then stick one nut on the other side to lock it on. Then take at least 2 or 4 screws to put the back plate on the body.
Just remember, it's balancing, so don't bump the stand. This is much quicker and easier than setting up a jig though.
Now you've got it primed. Time for color!
Gotta use a lacquer. Don't mess around with enamels. I've lost too much time and spent too much effort. Lacquers will level out nicely and they "bite" into the previous coat. If you go to the local hardware store, you'll typically find red, white, and black. Fine if you want to do an EVH guitar, but if you want something better, go to the auto parts store.
Hey, that just might be close enough for Lake Placid Blue.
One can *should* be enough, better grab two to be safe.Plastikote is the other brand that does lacquers, and they have larger cans. They're not as well stocked at stores from what I've found.
After you get the color on (wait a day between sides), clearcoat it with a lacquer, again, one day per side. I use Plastikote, but Duplicolor is fine. Rustoleum isn't that great. I've heard good things about Deft, but haven't tried it. Let it sit for a few days.
Now reassemble. I'd replace the tuners, bridge, and electronics, but do what you want there.
If you enjoy it enough, eventually you'll end up with this:
Have fun!
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