How To Get The Best Sunburst Finish Of Your Life!

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Color Tone Liquid Stains: stewmac.sjv.io/yRQe6y
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LMI Lacquer Retarder: www.lmii.com/finishes/3082-lacquer-retarder-seagrave-1-pint16-oz.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjwrJOMBhCZARIsAGEd4VG712fMg2DUDUEbd9MhDGb2aPqggkymaHHUBTBNE1pShJUnSmK_iVsaAhGIEALw_wcB

[@DefenderTIM]

Looks fantastic! I'm also former USAF (F-16 crew chief). When I got in to building guitars the design, construction, and mechanical stuff came pretty easy; but I've got a long way to go and a lot to learn before I'm confident with my finishing. Since I'm only building these for myself I've just brushed the flaws off as "something I can live with".

[@ajkourafas]

Where did you go to tech school?

[@DefenderTIM]

@@ajkourafas Sheppard AFB, Summer 1996. Also went to MRT at Luke before my permanent assignment.

[@ajkourafas]

@@DefenderTIM I thought it was shepherd. I was there for AMMO. Got there Aug 2001... Tall about bad timing. Then went to Lakenheath.

[@borgonianevolution]

More then three visible flaws you can just call it "Mild Relic'd" these days and charger 30% more!!

[@rickypollock9100]

I customize motorcycles and have been air-brushing going on 45 years now. You're spot on with your technics. I want to use urethanenes on my tele body, but the process will be pretty much the same. Great job!! Thanks

[@markcallaghan843]

I know this sounds fake but today I am just about to paint a three tone burst on a jazzmaster I’ve made for my son. Like you Chris I’ve come from a car painting background but this is my first guitar I’ve made and painted. I was hoping he would go for a solid colour or a metallic but it had to be the three tone burst!! I’ve picked up some useful tips here so thanks very much for making this. Literally came at the perfect time!

[@PineMountainMusician]

Hey I know this is an old comment but I hope your son liked the jazzmaster!

[@dustdevilz4771]

Great demo and info. The points you made regarding the importance of using retarder, especially when shooting lacquer is right on. I like the fact that you’re getting these results while using a full size gun and not resorting to using an air brush type. I’m painting a Tele build today using my 16’x 24’ inflatable paint booth that I normally use to paint light aircraft projects. When done I fold it up and put it away.

[@RandyBelinda]

Absolutely beautiful! Your technique is flawless. Sunbursts are so hard to do well and you make it seem effortless. Thanks for a very entertaining video.

[@stewmac]

Looking good guys! 😎👍

[@DriftwoodGuitars]

Thanks! A little easier to do with an HVLP, than a spray can!

[@kennethhartman7425]

I really liked the video, and how you guys break down the building and finishing of the guitars. It makes me appreciate my guitars a little more.

[@bldallas]

Wow, really well done; just gorgeous!!! There is definitely a huge difference between a really well done sunburst finish and a halfassed sunburst finish. I’ve also always leaned toward “tobacco” bursts, vs. black/red/yellow traditional sunbursts. This looks really awesome! Great job.

[@jdotscott844]

Thanks gentlemen ... The clouds part and the sunbursts!!!

[@jipes]

Beautiful finish as you said the last clear coat reveal the beauty of the sunburst, if ever I do build an instrument I definitely follow all your wonderful tips !

[@el_nestorvgc]

I recently discover your channel, and I have to say I'm not only jealous of your technic or your craft but of your equipment and tools of your shop , damm is so satisfying and cool.

[@jlo2987]

You make it look so easy! WOW, I can’t wait until it’s finished and shining! Who doesn’t love a beautiful burst?!

[@angusmackay7281]

Thanks for being so incredibly generous with your hard won knowledge, Chris. Your bursts are amongst the best I've seen. Can I ask what ration of lacquer to thinners you spray for your sealer and top coats, please?

[@kevinbrown1833]

I believe the correct ratio is 70 % thinner and 30 lacquer and a few drop of your choice of dye

[@bdroneadventures2231]

I am new to this whole process. Until I watched your video, I was rather frightened. However, I just tried this technique on a guitar body that I just finished shaping and it works fantastically well. I do need to get better at evening out my spray patterns, but for a first check out the can, awesome. Thanks man.

[@amodelman7]

I’m loving this video!!! My father hand painted signs for over 50 years before switching to vinyl lettering. So I watched and learned how to letter and spray my entire childhood. What your describing about the ‘gradation’ can also be simplified by reducing the amount of color coming out of the gun promotes better atomization which allows you more time to spray more but with less paint thus giving you the opportunity to get the ‘gradation’ to the perfect place that you want it. I know, lots of fancy words. 🤣 please keep up the great work! I’d love to have a Tidalcaster one day, but I’m a lefty so it’d have to be a custom order. Winning the giveaway would be great as I’d auction it off and donate the funds to my county arts council’s music program.

[@mefirst4266]

WOW I am glad i found your channel. I am a shade tree painter. But you have shown me why my lacquer turns fussy. I could never figure it out. Thank you so much.

[@dougberry5003]

I really like your non traditional sunburst color, Love the grain that comes thru, very beautiful !!

[@pwhite102]

Looks great! I like how the gradient in the wood pushes the burst as well. Even without the dark brown on the edges it looked very cool

[@monday6524]

I’m with Matt…. You make this look very easy.

[@simpson6700]

finally someone knows what he's talking about. love the white trim.

[@michaelsilva3513]

Love the videos. My Dad was a amateur luthier and passed from Covid on thanksgiving past. He willed all his tools to me. I recently played my first completed guitar at church this week. Turned out great and more importantly sounded great. Using materials from his shop. He would be pleased. I honor him by carrying on the legacy. With videos like these the joy of making beautiful and great sounding instruments will continue. Thank you

[@allenmitchell09]

Sorry for your loss man but thanks for sharing such a beautiful story.

[@DriftwoodGuitars]

Man I’m so sorry to hear that. I’m sure he’s super proud of you and happy to see you carrying on with it! Keep it up, and thanks for watching.

[@MaartenAnna]

Wow, that's amazing honouring your dad that way. I hope to build a guitar together with my oldest this winter, 'cause building something together, builds memories, right?

[@markcallaghan843]

I’m so sorry for your loss. We live in very difficult times. I’m sure your Dad would be very proud that you are putting his tools and knowledge to good use. There will always be a little bit of him in every instrument you make. As a father myself I know how happy that would make me. Stay safe and keep building!

[@michaelsilva3513]

@@MaartenAnna a few years back we built a acoustic guitar together. He walked me thru how he did it. Priceless

[@bryantcochran5065]

Now that's what ive always thought a "burst" should look like!! Thanks for showing your technique, I'm stealing it by the way.

[@jeffreyjones4226]

on a trip to FL or as the Dave Loggings song "please come to Boston" ... Really enjoy your videos . New to building (5 yrs) Need a segment " share a Beer! "

[@alan4401]

Beautiful result - thanks for explaining it so well. Could you do the same thing with water based lacquer?

[@blinknlites1493]

Living my dreams guys keep up the amazing content. I’m really impressed your sharing your guitar building wisdom for free. Blows my mind, two decades worth of wisdom, lol. Forever grateful your work has inspired me to try building, wish me luck! Thank you.

[@mjc4art]

Absolutely beautiful! Would love to see you do one with a nice rich tobacco brown and black.

[@crispytech9182]

Thanks for this video. Although I am not a luthier, I have been building my skills at airbrushing. And any, and all information on spray painting is very helpful..... This just in. Gradiation is now officially a word :)

[@theariesexperiment4642]

I promise you if I had $4500 ??? I'd be ordering a Driftwood Titlecaster. Quick like. Just visited the site. Unreal craftsmanship taking place in this little shop. UNREAL. Ron Thorn has nothing on this man's inlay skills. Just WOW!! That Davinci is Smithsonian worthy along with those archtops. Beautiful stuff gentlemen. Top shelf.

[@DriftwoodGuitars]

Thank you so much!

[@KBorham]

Super nice. I wish I knew the color formula with Transtint AND with StewMac colors (just the color names). Thank you for sharing this technique.

[@MaartenAnna]

Thanks guys, r3ally enjoyed that. Great advice on scraping the binding. I thought I had enough time to do a rattle can aqua burst & scrape the binding, before picking up the kids from school. However, the paint hadn't dried enough yet; so I put the guitar in the cabinet I use for drying the guitars & picked up the kids. I didn't get round to the guitar for another 3 days, by that time the paint hardened (almost cured already), and started chipping when I scraped the binding. So, I'll remember not to rush that process in the future. Anyway, though not the look I was going for, it looked kinda cool, a little edgy (see what I did there? Edgy?). I decided to go even more extreme & go for the "wrong" clear coat, which resulted in the spray-paint crackling & the central flamed maple aqua blue stain almost literally bursting through. Wow, really pleased with the result. All I need to do now is make the baritone neck fit & add the electronics.

[@MaartenAnna]

By the way, the burst looks stunning! And all your videos are a HUGE inspiration (hence the essay style comments, 😉 )

[@borgonianevolution]

Wow that turned out awesome. It is still a little darker then I would like but personal preferences aside the mixing and how you blended the colors is nicely done. Having a proper booth and spray rig really helps your ability to do a good paint / stain / clear coat on anything. You guys would probably huddle in the corner shaking if you saw how I had to paint my GGBO entry this year. I did an entire Explorer using only a .5 air brush and an on demand 3-4 bar compressor. Two colors Bright White and Harley Davidson Jake Blue.

[@SkyscraperGuitars]

Bursts seem to bring all my painful painting memories back to the surface! LOL. I like your perspective on how the gradient is supposed to look. It's always fun to see the variation from one builder to another. Peace and chicken grease gents! (BTW, you should have a package on the way tomorrow. Been trying to crank out a couple guitars before the holiday, but I haven't forgotten you.)

[@DriftwoodGuitars]

Thanks man! Looking forward to it

[@timmotel5804]

Early comment: You just pulled the tape off. The back is stunning. Absolutely beautiful. Last comment: Such fine work. Thank you so much for showing and teaching your techniques and beautiful workmanship. I just found your site today. I'll stick around for more. P.S. A few days ago I ordered an American Ultra HSS Strat in Ultraburst from Fender. It should be here in several days. I'm presuming that Ultraburst and 3-tone sunburst are actually the same finish with a different name? Maybe not for Christmas, but my birthday is the end of February. That gives my wife a little time to think about another guitar... Thanks and best Regards.

[@Sci-Que]

Educational, practical, and entertaining. Thanks for this.

[@gregorylazorchak9388]

Great video. Man. you guys hit every price point I have for viewing pleasure. Thanks so much.

[@createlovehappy]

31:53 that scraping is so satisfying. kinda asmr looks beautiful.

[@deanallen927]

Reminds me of a couple finishes Heritage had until they were bought out called Autumn Burst and Chestnut Burst. Super nice.

[@chrisosseweijer2798]

Your`s provides a very natural look. Great job for sure.

[@lithiumcopper]

Just this week, I tried doing a sunburst on my first instrument. (Rattlecan method.) I'm happy with my results but I do see the particles Chris talked about. Edit: I meant the first instrument I built. CF Tenor Lute-ukulele.

[@pawwalton2157]

Great looking burst finish. Thanks for the instructions and insight.

[@CyrilViXP]

Beautiful work! Thank you for sharing your secrets!

[@richardspees841]

Thank you for sharing your technique on this. So many sunbursts look like something out of a My Little Pony cartoon episode. It looks really good and I love the gentle gradation (grey-dee-a-shun). :)

[@Osmorales90]

Wow... Amazing.😍😍.. I would love to buy one, but can't afford it yet... Will have to wait...

[@tdf445]

Absolutely beautiful! Would this work with water based products?

[@darrell3368]

Awesome looking job thanks for sharing and God’s blessings for you and all your family

[@Brennyv219]

That looks amazing. Can you get similar results to this with the rattle cans? If so, I would love to see that video.

[@slavkomakarovski1158]

Yes Chris I am a automotive spray painter for all this years and I had painted so many custom cars and projects which I had traveled to many issues along😄, but ☝️sprayed guitars gave me hell of challenge and rework especially candies, metal , flakes , bursts and what not even though I did ‘em drop dead gorgeous 👐if not more then the high end prestige cars and that 😂, and till this day I

[@slavkomakarovski1158]

Will never do it for someone because it’s not worth the effort , and why am I bringing this down is because nobody will pay the fair worth for the job 🙌

[@hon3yb3a]

Trust. The. Process. Great video!

[@andyt5559]

it didn't look that great! but after the clear went on! IT TOTALLY TRANSFORMED! 🤙💜

[@TavaresProject]

That looks perfect!!! My favorite burst!!!

[@ErnieB]

Thanks for the lesson in spraying a burst. That's a beautiful look. The puns were, ok, a little funny, but watching the two of you react to it had me guffawing. "Today's episode of Driftwood guitars is brought to you by the letter G."

[@hkguitar1984]

Great work, thank you for sharing.

[@jerryschlather2438]

Absolutely gorgeous! Excellent video! Would the technique work with 1) a conventional spray gun (non HVLP); 2) with water based finishes?

[@MarkGutierrez]

I'm not scared anymore. I'm gonna try HVLP spring now.

[@arcarioandsons]

Totally unrelated to this video.... Can you guys do another tiny workbench concert? I really enjoy listening to you make music, I think you sound really beautiful.

[@andrewdarnley4608]

The definitive burst master class on the net.

[@jo_boo]

Thank you for the excellent content! you guys are awesome and do outstanding work great job!!!

[@timothybrawley7909]

Great job. I wondered if in the beginning if you ever use any vinyl sealer or just clear lawyer? Thank you you for your time for these videos. Tim Brawley- N.C.

[@danherrick2310]

question - PRS stains their wood for their bursts, don't they? Aren't they like... the finish masters? Note: my painting and staining experience starts and ends with the interior walls of my home. Really enjoy your content

[@seancca]

PRS does some of it via stain but they still spray for bursts.

[@BudgetRC_Channel]

Awesome work, and thank you for your service.

[@josepheucolono]

Great Technique great eye for color

[@TyphonKrazilec]

Thats very good burst technique and the result is beautiful. Do you burst the neck too sometimes?

[@gilsolomon]

Hey Chris and Matt! First of all I love your videos and I am learning from you guys a lot!!!! I have a question - in some videos I've noticed that luthiers die the maple during pore\grain filling with a bit of gray\black and then sand back in order to emphasize the the flame pattern, is that something that you would recommend doing if I am using your method of sunbursting??

[@mikepalmieri3375]

Gorgeous! How long did you let lacquer dry between coats and how long before you level sand? Great job!

[@Megarobotsquadron]

That is a damn fine finish

[@BebetaYoPapaniKoka]

Awesome video guys. Thank you! How big is that spraybooth btw? (building a new one soon, so looking for inspiration)

[@hbengineer]

Absolutely beautiful work!!!

[@johngizzi2266]

I noticed you sprayed clear gloss without taping off the sides,but you said the back/sides were satain. Was the whole thing eventually sprayed gloss? BTW beautiful work !

[@murpsman]

I did custom candy OD paint jobs on officers jeeps in Viet Nam. Paint mix was 1/3 OD, 1/3 gloss black, and 1/3 mineral oil. Yowza, watch out VC here we come.

[@walterfiorentini230]

Hey this is good work. I notice that your technique gets the gun sideways and a little upside down at times. Do you experience any lapses in paint flow from that?

[@jamesdeananderson1411]

This channel is so awesome. An absolute Master Class on technique and process, (props on the scraping), while showing a greatly advanced understanding of color blending that WAY too many otherwise great guitars have been plagued by. (Seriously, why do they even paint that way?!) Thank you, so much, for this video. The results from the little guitar shop I'm starting with a friend, (who spent years painting high-end private aircraft), will NO DOUBT be vastly improved by this content. I don't do Patreon but if you have a Cash App ID, drop it in a comment. This was f'ing school in session. :)

[@mikeanderson-ns4vo]

Excellent Thank You.....I too come from coating background military planes.....will be doing a guitar tube amp cab😉👍🍻🍻

[@austinshaner]

Well done mate!

[@markgrimm3564]

could you tell us the set up on your gun material adjustment air pressure on the turban .what size tip on the gun your using for the lacquer thanks so much for your time in making these videos

[@fat-hand]

Amazing. If the top was just African mahogany, would you hit it with a thin coat of lacquer, then zpoxy pore filler, then color then clear?

[@gr6914]

lacquer with pigmented stain in it is called "toner", you are toning the wood.

[@johnnypk1963]

Looks great. What air pressure do u use?

[@dalgguitars]

Thank you so much for your videos!

[@jasonbrown6554]

Amazing work. Why lacquer the fretboard?

[@russellmcbride1242]

Very informative. 🙂🤘 Thank you! 🔥🔥🔥

[@Theonlyshaun]

This was super interesting guys!

[@CrapkinsTheBrave]

This guy is super smart

[@lizenwen]

Thank you, very interesting and usefull

[@sigfreed11]

Rose gold Tidalcaster!

[@larrycortner6321]

Do you guys sell hats and t shirts? I need to send you guys a check for all this valuable information .

[@craigkaschan4822]

I like the solid wood body. Not like the Strat I have with the 9 pieces of scrap wood glued together and ply on the front and back. Yes US Fenders with a painted body are multiple pieces of scrap wood. To get a 2 or 3 piece body you have to pay up for a custom shop or high end Fender. Fenders words not mine.

[@scottkidwellmusic9175]

Looking good, Billy Ray!

[@mwebb1690]

Feeling good Louis!

[@Acougar17]

Very nice but it's a pretty light burst, almost like a honey or sienna. Light bursts are much easier to get a good fade (even with rattle cans) should've done a dark tobacco burst to demonstrate the real trouble trying to get it to fade smoothly. Lighter color burst feather out pretty easy with decent technique, its the dark bursts where you usually see the hard fades, super hard to get a nice feathered fade on a darker burst.

[@christianstave6757]

When the raw wood is stained, You will get a very deep looking grain?

[@lousekoya1803]

Good day Sir , which spray gun should I get for a sunburst guitar ?

[@gogolfinvic]

Great video as always! What brand/type of retarder are you using or recommend?

[@DriftwoodGuitars]

I use the stuff they sell on LMi. I’m not sure of the brand. I think it may be McFaddin

[@gogolfinvic]

@@DriftwoodGuitars I now realize you covered it in the video. Whoops! Sorry about that. Keep up the great videos! Looking forward to the Breedlove guitar breakdown video.

[@metalmig]

Looks amazing! one question does this technique Work die acoustic Instruments?

[@DriftwoodGuitars]

Yes

[@GaryArmstrongmacgh]

I wish on these videos you'd say where you got these guitar bodies and necks.

[@Hiro.the.God.]

You don’t have a filter on that fan? Where I live they would shut that down.

[@Constantstate]

Stunning!

[@dirkg7062]

Nice job!

[@keithbordelon5378]

Looks good..however, by spraying a finish,your actually covering the figure as opposed to dying which gives you chatoyance...i.e. the 3D effect in figured maple

[@Terribleguitarist89]

Nice, fellow former flyboy myself.

[@mynonameyt]

What model of eye magnification are you using? Thanks

[@ajkourafas]

Interesting that you learned on cars/planes first. I thought you looked to be awful familiar with a paint gun for a dude who works wood... I was also USAF, AMMO... I didn't like ammo at all. Nor did i like Lackland, nor shepard but Lakenheath was cool... so.. That's something I guess. Anyways. I do a lot of paint work on motorcycles and cars... I work metal. Cant work wood to save my life. I buy my guitars but enjoy watching you build yours. . Keep it up.