Water Based Sunburst Paint on Guitar

[@jeffyoung2890]

Wow Gene, awesome job man! You gave me a great idea, since I live in a small place! See you in the next video...

[@DIYGene]

Jeff Young, Thanks so much for watching.

[@rafsza]

Thanks for the inspiration. I tried shellac, I tried tru-oil and now I want to try this water-based idea on my next project, which seems to be also more environment-friendly and less demanding.

[@DIYGene]

Rafael Szabo , I’m always looking for less toxic ways of doing things in my little shop. Thanks so much for watching.

[@dino4820]

what is the most glossy?

[@Scorhos]

A relaxed guy doing a relaxed tutorial. This is the deal. This basswood is quite pretty.

[@DIYGene]

I so enjoyed doing this project. Thanks so much for watching.

[@Scorhos]

@@DIYGene i have a brazilian brand strat although built in China that im doing a make over, upgrades, you know, and im researching for projects as yours to learn. This one you did is perfect to take the steps because is a basswood guitar as mine. Im looking for ways to improve the wood pattern in front before painting. To look more a quilted maple,sort of think.. what you think? It's possible?

[@DIYGene]

Making basswood look like quilted maple could be a challenge. I would experiment on something else first. But you could try a few different things like rolling a rag that has a darker stain on it and roll it over the wood to see if that makes the pattern your looking for or possibly a torn up sponge and dab it with the stain. I don’t know if that makes any sense. But I hope that helps.

[@pamcarr4003]

Wow! Great job Gene! And thanks for bringing back the theme! It's you!

[@DIYGene]

pam carr, See I’m listening. Thanks for watching.

[@pamcarr4003]

😊

[@davidtrevi2914]

Dang it Gene, You've done it again! Great work! Tele's make a statement. Your workmanship makes it so. I can't wait for you to finish the build!

[@DIYGene]

David Trevi, Thanks so much. I hope to have the finished guitar video up early next week. Thanks again for watching.

[@melinda1189]

Awesome tutorial! Looks amazing and can’t wait to see it all put together in the next video!

[@DIYGene]

Thanks so much for watching!

[@GuyCampo]

Thank you for the vid! I decided to use acrylic paint for my first build (ES335 - 12 string) as well. Very touchy stuff in that it applies like liquid plastic. I had to figure out that I had to add water to dilute the "ready pour" paint. My binding had the same problem as you did and used a razor to clean it up. I also had to sand the binding area to make the paint flush between the binding and the body. I found that alcohol will clean it up but use it sparingly because it really reacts fast with acrylic paint. I LOVE your pinstriping idea. I think I'll use it for my next build. Thanks again!

[@DIYGene]

Thanks so much. I will have to try the alcohol next time. Great suggestion. I would love to see how your 12 string turns out. Thanks again for watching.

[@declanmurphy729]

Thank you this is very helpful. I'm putting together a thinline telecaster but without all the expensive equipment this like a great way to do it at home. Gonna try a tobacco sunburst.

[@rockybruce3750]

Nice work Gene. Just getting ready to try my first dye on a custom guitar I am building. I am surprised to see I could have just used water based paint. That's amazing. Thanks for the great video!

[@DIYGene]

Rocky Bruce, Thanks so much for watching.

[@sog6289]

Dude, I wish I had seen this video earlier. This could save me from waiting for summer or spring to spray paint

[@DIYGene]

Thanks for watching

[@MrMetalclay]

Awesome! I don't have a place to spray and using a basement to spray is on my "never do that again" list. I especially like the pinstripe idea.

[@DIYGene]

MrMetalclay, I sprayed in the attached garage once. I thought I would never hear the end of it. Thanks so much for watching.

[@CJ-rf9jm]

Cool beans. Hope to see the rest of this guitar come together in another video or 2 if possible.

[@DIYGene]

CJ99, I will be putting out another video very soon on the finish build. Thanks so much for watching.

[@ryanasmarino]

Great videos! Starting my first kit this month, building a strat type

[@DIYGene]

I hope you enjoy building that strat as much as I enjoyed building this. It’s a lot of fun and I learned a lot as well. Thanks for watching.

[@electricgeorge5589]

Looks great. Thanks

[@DIYGene]

Electric George, Thanks so much for watching.

[@jackpijjin4088]

The pinstripe tape idea is... really clever, honestly. I'm working on painting a vintage catalog electric guitar (but I want to have a dark brown burst on an orange base) and I could imagine the pinstripe tape look to have been around at the time, heh. Seems appropriate.

[@DIYGene]

@@jackpijjin4088 , Sounds like it would look great. Thanks for watching.

[@francisbegbie1008]

Good work Gene 👍

[@DIYGene]

francis begbie , thanks for watching!

[@OdysseusPI]

Awesome, I've spent the last few months tryin to find advice on using acrylics as a guitar finish

[@thenativeghoul5707]

Thank you for your videos Gene I was inspired to try your acrylic paint method on my current project hope it turns out as well as your guitars did.

[@DIYGene]

I have to say, it turned out really well. I didn’t think I could get that good of results from all water based and no spraying. Thanks for watching.

[@wildmutha9336]

Yeah Gene * * Great Job with Acrylic colors * * * Top Finish * Cheers, Wil :)=

[@DIYGene]

Thanks so much for watching.

[@blakerunkle6994]

Love your videos Gene. Youre very nice and you make projects like this very practical and effective.

[@DIYGene]

Thanks so much and thanks for watching.

[@ilciavo]

Hi Gene, I also want to apply acrylic on my guitar. I’ve tested on a sample and I see that it works differently on oiled wood. I like to see the grain of the wood. Could I leave the surface mat without varnish?

[@DIYGene]

You could get a mat finish in the clear coat and still protect the wood. Thanks so much for watching.

[@ilciavo]

@@DIYGene thanks, the factory said one needs to be careful mixing products, because they can react in the long term. Personally, I prefer not worrying about long term effects in my lungs or skin 😅. cheers

[@DIYGene]

@@ilciavo me too!

[@jbw5923]

Gene, is there a reason you didn't use a primer before you painted? Not being jerky, I just don't know and wanted to ask. Thanks

[@DIYGene]

That’s a good question. I did not use primer because I wanted the grain of the wood to still show. So I was really staining more than painting. I hope that helps. Thanks for watching.

[@thesteelstrummer2307]

Amazing again!

[@DIYGene]

Thanks again!

[@junglemast3r]

would a water based stain work the same way?

[@DIYGene]

I think so. Good idea.

[@davidsudmeier2949]

Nice work with the fade on the front! I wonder if applying a grain filler like AquaCoat would have given you a smoother surface for the clear? Also, have you tried CrystaLac Bright Tone clear coat? I’m considering it for a project.

[@DIYGene]

David Sudmeier, I have not tried that. I will definitely look in to it. Thanks for watching.

[@99gprix]

Hi Gene! Are you more of a woodworking fella? Learned a bunch from ya! Enjoy watching the videos 😁

[@DIYGene]

99gprix , I am more of a woodworking or even just love to build things. I hope to do a lot of different kinds of projects besides guitars. Thanks for watching.

[@99gprix]

@@DIYGene welcome! Doing 3 guitars myself at the moment, and picked up a few tips from ya! Keep the videos coming!

[@joesask857]

thanks

[@parallax_review]

Thanks for your great videos, Gene. I also want to build a guitar kit using this method (instead of spray cans). I basically want to have the body in one color, but add a simple shape (a star) in a darker color. Would this be possible with your method? Could I simply color the body first, then use masking sheet and apply the second color? Or would I have to use a different method?

[@DIYGene]

It definitely is possible. I’m thinking of doing the same method and do flames on the guitar. You could mask out the area where you want the star and cut it out with an xacto knife or just hand paint it. I would love to see how it turns out. Thanks so much for watching.

[@parallax_review]

DIY Gene thanks! Now I just need to find the time to give it a try!

[@yazzminka9850]

Hi Gene, I found your video because I recently bought my first diy kit and I want to use water based paint on it. Can you please tell me how long the dry times are between the different paints you are using?

[@DIYGene]

Wow, that is a tough question. It depends on the time of year and the temps. With water base, they do dry faster and can second coated within an hour. But if you need to sand between then you need to give it more time. Like overnight. Touch it to see how dry it feels. It is better to wait longer than to mess it up because you are impatient. I hope that helps. Thanks for watching.

[@Jason-rt4lv]

Soaking the wet/dry paper in paint thinner?!? Presumably that's not some water-based thinner, is it? One could just use some soapy water, right? Would the dried clear coat protect the water-based paint underneath?

[@ValSchnitzel]

In which situations would you use a primer first? And is it possible to use a primer without a spray?

[@DIYGene]

Youval S, I have found that if you want to see some of the wood grain then do not prime and thin the acrylic down like stain. If you want a solid color then primer can help to achieve that. But the acrylic paint I was using adheres really well to the wood and you can apply enough coats without primer. Or use white acrylic as the primer. I hope that helps and didn’t confuse you. Thanks so much for watching.

[@ronald_ap160]

I want to ask, what do you opinion the diffrent paint waterbased vs nitro paint to the tone of wood. What is nitro still the best or not. Because I saw the rest of dried paint of waterbased such a film plastic. That why in my opinion a film plastic can impact to the sustain of tone wood. I need your opinion..Thankyou..

[@DIYGene]

I am not a luthier but I don’t believe the two would have a noticeable tone difference. But it would be interesting to see. Thanks for watching.

[@Jason-rt4lv]

Thanks for the video! I live in a tiny urban apartment with no private outdoor space. Are you saying that, with these paints and finishing materials, I could do it ALL inside and not, you know...die?

[@DIYGene]

Yes! My shop is in my attached garage with the gas furnace and hot water heater so I do anything with the open flames in the same space. Plus my wife would not be happy with the toxic smells. So yes it works great. I hope that helps. Thanks for watching.

[@Jason-rt4lv]

​@@DIYGene Quick follow up as I get close to painting my own project: If I were to use this method but have the grain show through more, do you think using a dark grain filler before applying the paint would accomplish that? Or is the acrylic paint just too opaque? Maybe not if I add more water to the mix? Thanks!

[@DIYGene]

@@Jason-rt4lv, I would think the dark grain filler would help bring out the grain. And you can definitely thin the paint to show more grain. I hope that helps.

[@Jason-rt4lv]

@@DIYGene I'll be sure to let you know!

[@jazzydog]

Hi Gene that is an awesome work on the guitar. Did you make the yellow dry before put the red color? or just straight after?. Thanks.

[@jazzydog]

One more question if you don't mind, for sanding between the coats, how long did you wait the first coat dry before sanding it? Thank you.

[@DIYGene]

Yes, I started with 100% yellow, then I added a few drops of red. I keep doing this after each approach until was using 10% red around the outer edges. I hope that helps explain better. Thanks for watching.

[@DIYGene]

On the tru-oil I let it dry 24 hours between coats. But I live in an area that has pretty high humidity.

[@jazzydog]

@@DIYGene Great! got it!. Thanks for the quick reply.

[@jazzydog]

Learn a lot from your video. Thank you.

[@hobiecat901]

Gene, I need some know How on Lacquer. Have you painted a guitar body with lacquer? Just wondering on " The Step I need to know?

[@DIYGene]

I have used lacquer on other projects in the past, but have not used it in years because of my small shop and the fumes. I would suggest Brad Angove’s channel. He covers a lot on finishing guitars with lacquer. Here is a link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZmSsaaysbLCgbNE Thanks so much for watching.

[@hobiecat901]

Gene, I am painting my first guitar body and would like to know why on the other video, you sprayed primer and on this one you didn't. I am just doing a one solid color for I feel like I'm not ready for a 3 tone yet like you are doing here. How about some advice on this matter. Thank You Gene.

[@DIYGene]

+russell hill, If you are doing a solid color I would recommend a primer. But on this video, I wanted the wood grains to show through. I hope that helps. Thanks so much for watching.

[@hobiecat901]

Thanks again Gene, will do.

[@Garrett-In-Canada]

what grit were you using to to sand the clear coats

[@DIYGene]

I used 220 and then 400 grit. I hope that helps. Thanks for watching.

[@Garrett-In-Canada]

@@DIYGene I just finished mine turned out great thanks for the video lesson

[@DIYGene]

@@Garrett-In-Canada, That’s fantastic! I would love to see how it turned out.

[@Garrett-In-Canada]

@@DIYGene i have it in this video i should make a video about the bass though kzbin.info/www/bejne/r4StiHl8rZ6NeM0

[@Natalie_Blazyn]

Quick question, did you paint in the f hole? It looks black in the finished product. I was wondering how you did that. Loved the vid, thanks 😊

[@DIYGene]

I did paint in the hole. I mixed up a dark brown to almost a watery stain and used a small brush. If you do this after you have finished the body including the clear finish, you will be able to wipe off any drops that may occur on the face. Thanks so much for watching.

[@Natalie_Blazyn]

@@DIYGene thank you! I should be getting the slimline body soon and was wondering what to do first. That makes a lot of sense. Thanks again ☺️🎶

[@jamesthe-doctor8981]

I’ve been really enjoying your videos and learn at least one or two things from every one, and...I hope this doesn’t offend you because it’s in NO WAY a reflection on the quality of your content, but I just have to say, my favorite part of them is that spinning logo with the “Batman-esque” horn fanfare you use to transition from your intro to the main video. It’s just cool, plus, it takes me back to my childhood, hahaa!

[@DIYGene]

James TheDoctor Duncan , I liked it too but started thinking it was getting a bit much. Thanks so much for watching.

[@jamesthe-doctor8981]

DIY Gene it may be because I’ve only seen it a few times but it doesn’t seem like a bit much to me. Maybe after I’ve seen it several more times..?😂

[@engleharddinglefester4285]

That didn't come out half bad.

[@DIYGene]

For being all water based products that you can do in your home, I am super happy with it. Thanks so much for watching.

[@strategicthinker8899]

An oil finish would have been much, much smoother. Everything to that point was great.

[@DIYGene]

Thanks for watching.

[@johnbiermaniv4577]

Binding is the word. Try milk paint!

[@DIYGene]

John Bierman IV, I made a mess of the binding. Thanks for watching.

[@terryjohinke8065]

Good to see a Yank actually use his hands.

[@DIYGene]

Well I using my hands but it doesn’t mean I know what I’m doing. LOL Thanks for watching.

[@tufalike1796]

@@DIYGene Awesome response Gene, love it. Hugs from Belgium.