Sunburst finishes

[Mike Koss]

New here and new to building. Ive always been a sucker for a nice burst finish on both electric and acoustic guitars. I find limited info on how to actually achieve this type of finish. From what I understand the burst is not sprayed directly onto the wood but its done after the laquer is applied? For my first electric guitar build I am dead set on attempting a burst finish and would really love some advice as to how to actually go about it. In the future if I become proficient at this process I would like to refinish the top of an acoustic that i own and make it a sunburst finish also. Sorry if I'm asking a lot here.

Mike

[Mark Swanson]

Mike, it is natural for a new builder to have a lot of questions. The best thing you could do is become familiar with the MIMF Library. It is full of answers to most all of your questions, and there's a lot about doing a sunburst finish in there.

[Darren Galloway]

Mike,

Before you paint buy this book and read it cover to cover. http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Books,_plan ... -Step.html

Then search the MIMF library. There is a lot of great information on here that has been cover in depth.

[Mike Koss]

much appreciated guys.

[Eric Baack]

lots of videos on youtube as well, though some are better then others.

Plenty of ways to do a burst though. some feather the dye right to the wood, others spray the burst after spraying some form of clear that seals the wood.

[Michael Lewis]

Make a 'dummy' guitar body, even a cut out sheet of masonite will work. Spray it with a light color for a base coat and when it's dry you can practice spraying bursts until the cows come home. It is important to know what you need to do but it is also super important to practice. Get a compressor and spray gun and practice until you are confident you can do a good job on your guitar. You get a lot of practice cleaning the equipment, which is also very important. Spray cans are not nearly as controllable as a spray gun.