This is the best no BS non long-winded video about painting a guitar I've seen this is exactly what I was looking for thank you. all the other tutorials I've seen assume that you have a professional paint booth in your house somewhere tucked off in your secret underground production plant or something.
Amazing job Gene, all your tips are great along with the very smooth and clear point narration.This gave me the motivation to finally finish a custom guitar project I've been putting off for a while.
Thanks David, i Love approaching projects a little differently. I will be posting the complete Jazz Bass build this week. It has a unique custom twist. Thanks so much for watching.
Thanks Jeff, I hope you get something out of the videos, It’s comments like your’s that keep me making them. Thanks again, and let me know if you have any ideas for upcoming episodes.
You've got a lot of patience Gene your beautiful work shows it ! This inspires me to do a couple of projects in the near future. Going to binge watch to see the build ! subbed and looking forward to seeing more vids ! All the Best !
Was wondering how I was gonna paint my guitar. Your color looking amazing after final touches. I'm gonna paint my Telecaster Cobalt Blue. Thanks for the know how. Awesome job!!!.
You couldn't have timed this video any better! I built the same bass kit and I also built a Start body from scratch. I'm just waiting for the first warm day to paint both. After seeing the tru oil finish, I believe I'll give it a try. Thanks!👍😎🎸🎶
Thanks Gene I'm in Australia and waiting for my bits and peices to arrive to do your method.Ive tried rattle cans but not much luck So i'm exited to use your method, Thanks mate.
I've seen more then a few videos on here and this one gave me the idea on how to go about my project I'm starting. But going with an antique/Vintage White 50's look for my stratocaster project. This is really good. Thank you for sharing.
I see you've stepped it up a notch with that spray gun, I've seen another of your vids where you did everything by hand. I never thought my Apple Barrel acrylics could work on wood like this. I will give this a try on my next build. Kudos my friend, nicely done.
Cy Brunel, Thanks but I’m back at it again with doing it all by hand. I just finished a video where I used all water based acrylics and water based clear and apply them all without spraying. Oh and it’s a sunburst. Here is the link let me know what you think. ua-cam.com/video/5gYCvC_Arq4/v-deo.html Thanks so much for watching.
If you are planning to add a clear coat on it, I would definitely test it to make sure the spray paint and the clear coat are compatible. Also the spray paint will need to be flat or not glossy for the clear to stick. I hope that helps. Thanks for watching.
Me too. I’m pretty excited about this one. The jazz bass came out in 1960 so I am modeling this bass after the 1960 Corvette. That’s also why the bright red paint . Thanks so much for watching.
Great to see you building guitars, but show off a little bit more on the final product. Sound is depending on the quality of internet, but even tough it was enough for me ... but was it for everybody? Keep up the good work. I'm a starting builder from the Netherlands in a covid-19 time but learning a lot from you, thanks Gene!
Hello in Netherlands! I will try to do better on showing and playing the final product. I feel the public is probably sick of me by the time they get to the end. I hope you are staying safe and thanks so much for watching!
Agreed with the comments below.. Easy step by step way to HOME paint your guitar.. Took the concern out of taking on this project and having it turn out good..
Very nice, I’m very interested in the fact you are using water base acrylic on top of the primer . I’m going to change it up and start again to follow,your method . Thank you
Thanks gene next year I'm planning on making a Tele as my first kit and I've heard alot of different opinions on how to paint a guitar but yours made sense
That's all fine and dandy if you have a garage and those kinds of tools, I'm an average guy and i'm using rattle cans and a tarp with help from the wall.
I have a cheap harbor freight spray gun. Can anyone tell me if it has the correct tip for this application? I’m not familiar at all with spray guns but I’ve seen on UA-cam where they talk about different nozzles for different type paint, but I can’t find anything about water based acrylic. Any help would be appreciated. I have bought everything else to paint my guitar using this method , and thank you Gene for some really good videos.
Working Man , I use a cheap Harbor Freight gun too! I would just test it out on some scrap then go for it. The Tru-Oil will help level out the spray. I hope that helps. Thanks so much for watching.
That's a classy finish. I like the idea of using acrylics, I'm much more comfortable with water-based materials, well used to artist's acrylics especially. I have to assume that some of the tools etc you use might not be available so easily outside the States, but overall I would be happy to use your method. Hopefully I'll get the chance soon!
Err... do I need an air compressor for this spray paint gun? Any recommendations on cheap air compressors? I also want to use it for blowing away debris from my column drill.
Da Qoraxxx, I got a small pancake compresser from Harbor Freight for about $40. I also did a video on doing a guitar body without spraying. Here is a link. ua-cam.com/video/5gYCvC_Arq4/v-deo.html Thanks so much for watching.
Awesome video! I'm going to try this method! can I ask how did the finish hold up? I've read on some forums that it is not recommended to apply tru oil on acrylics but your results look stunning!
Thanks for the video - the general idea set me going perfectly A couple of comments - I found I needed to sand the primer a bit, I am surprised you did not Maybe it is because it is a hot day but I am finding the tru oil too thick and gets tacky too fast - I am thinning it with a little mineral spirits and it seems to really work better -on my fifth coat now and looking great!
Hello Gene thanks so much for sharing your step by step painting videos, this really gave me a good idea of how to get a factory finish. Gene I do have a couple of questions for you and the first one is how long does it takes for the water paint to dry. and the second question is if you used a semi gloss to a gloss spray would that give a even more of a shine. I don't know I never built a guitar of painted one so I'm just asking questions. Thanks, Thumbs-Up!!!!
Depending on temperature it usually only takes a couple of hours. But to be safe I let it dry overnight. Using semi gloss or gloss for the color won’t help, because you would need to sand off the shine. The clear coating adheres better to a flat surface. I hope that helps. Thanks so much for watching.
@@DIYGene I have two coats on it now... I am thinking of sanding it off and spraying a water base poly... Hopefully I can buff it out to look as good as the Truoil... Great method by the way!
I just bought a short scale offset bass kit from fretwire.com and I can’t decide on what finish I want to go with, I know I want to do this exact shade of red you’re using, but I want it to be more matte/flat and look like the vintage nitro fiesta red fenders. This was a great step-by-step video and the finished product looks great. I might have to just copy your instructions .thanks gene!
Thanks for this Gene... very informative. I primed a maple top on a TL kit and after sanding looking at applying artist oil paint for color - rubbed/thinned with Japan Dryer. I was then going to apply the Crystalac Brite-Tone Top Coat. Have you ever used that water-based clear coat w/o spraying? Looking forward to seeing your other vids that you recommended here. Thanks again!
John Kozyn, I have used water based clear. Here is a link to a guitar body that I finished everything in water based. ua-cam.com/video/5gYCvC_Arq4/v-deo.html Thanks for watching.
Hello Gene, I have one quesrion for you and that is if i have a 24' guitar neck uf i was measuring frim the back of the nut to the bridge what should my measurements be.? And would the measurement be in gront of the bridge or right in the middle of the bridge or at the back of the bridge. Im replacing a 22" guitar neck wit a 24" Thanks.
You know, that is something I have struggled with. I am by no means a guitar expert, but what I did find was a fret calculator on Stewmacs web site. here is the link: www.stewmac.com/fretcalculator.html I hope that helps and thanks for watching.
You must measure neck to determine your scale length. measure your nut to the 12th fret , now double that measurement, that is your nut to bridge length, also called your scale length. Now you know where to drill your bridge. Place the measurement in center of bridge, so you can go shorter and longer, for intonation.
Changing a 22" to a 24" inch neck, might not work without having to move your bridge. You might have to adjust your neck pocket ,but the only way you would know for sure is to calculate to overall scale length. (Nut to bridge length)
Gene - I love your videos. This one has encouraged me to repaint a bass. My question is, when you mounted the board in the neck pocket, did you use existing screw holes? I'm trying to figure out how to not bore out my neck holes but still fix the board to the body. Thanks!
You could use a little larger screw or you could add candle wax to the screws. Bhutto something else you could try is adding two additional angle neck screws. Here is a link to my friend at “Gun N Guitars” and if you go to about 3:50 minutes you can see what I am talking about. ua-cam.com/video/lOQTGwUHv3Y/v-deo.html I hope this helps. Thanks so much for watching.
Sorry to be so late to the party (you did this vid a while ago). Thanks for posting this = I enjoy your diy vids. I love that you use a lot of acrylic/water based paints - big fan of those in my other non-guitar projects, great to see they have a use here too. Totally unfamiliar with True Oil as a top coat - how does durability compare to other clear coat finishes?
I have been really impressed with Tru-Oil. It is actually designed for refinishing gun stocks so it has to be durable. I have used it for several years and it holds up really well. Thanks for watching. Gene
That is an excellent question. Is there room to set a couple of shorter screws that would not be seen? I’m going to do a little research on that. Thanks for watching.
Hi, I'm enjoying watching your videos. I was wondering how did you put wood piece to a body to make work easier and stuff.. did you screw it? but I don't see any screws... And What's your thought of putting polyurethane for the coating after painting? thankyou
Hi Gene apologies for all the comments from me but your video is great. Should you apply another layer when polishing as you change grade of stick on polish pads ? Thanks again
I just polish until I get the finish I want. If it’s shiny and smooth you don’t need to add another coat. I do think the more coats the better. Then finish with polishing. I hope that helps.
Hi Gene 👋, nice job on this video and I'm glad I ran into it. I've been custom painting guitars & basses with Createx water based acrylic paints & candies for quite some time. I've always used 2k clearcoat as a final finish, for it's brilliance, durability and gloss. I've seen guy's use Tru-oil on natural finishes but this is the 1st time I've seen someone use it over a water based acrylic paint as their gloss coat. You've blown my mind! I've got to say I'm surprised that the true oil didn't make the acrylic paint bleed at all? WOW. Also taking out the risk to my health due to the toxicity of 2k products is a huge plus in your method, not to mention being able to safely do this indoors, so thank you for sharing this video 🙏. One question ❓ How much True-oil did you use on this project? I'd like to do some testing of this myself on a scrape guitar body, before I dive into a customer's project.
Hello, Denny, I probably used 1/2 of a 3oz bottle of Tru-Oil so you will have plenty to experiment with and still finish a guitar. I usually do 7 or 8 coats. The Tru-Oil holds up really well and I have been really happy with it. I hope that helps. Let me know how it works for you and if you like it. Thanks for watching.
@@DIYGene I'm sold on the idea of testing this out Gene. I Read dozens of reviews on Amazon (your link) and besides a few negatives the overall response is very positive. Bought a 3oz to use for my test Thanks again for a really good demo, I'm sure I'll revisit this video. If my tests turn out positive, I'll post a video on UA-cam and the many FB groups I belong too, with a reference and credit to your video!
Great job Gene! I've always used automotive paint which is very expensive! Also very smelly and bad for you. Recently I too have been experimenting with water base paints too . There's a bit of learning curve but working out good. I've used the minwax polycoat which reduces well with water though not recommended...but it turns into like a wipe on poly.. I want to try the Birchwood casies oil but haven't yet ..
Its quite impressive!! Is it possible to use hand with water paint instead of spray gun? And how about using poster color products instead of acrylic paint.
FEELYOURBLUES NOW, you can use hand application. Not sure about the poster paint because I’m not sure if it might break down with the clear. I just posted a new video on using all water based paint and clear coat without spraying. Here’s a link: ua-cam.com/video/5gYCvC_Arq4/v-deo.html Thanks for watching.
Try-Oil is actually made for gun stocks and that’s how I first found it. It makes a very hard surface and I have done 3 guitars with it and they hold up very well. Thanks so much for watching.
Great option, could you please tell us how much time did this take you? It looks like you did all of this in a day! Other videos/ options are around 20 days!
The work doesn’t take long but the dry time between coats of the Tru-Oil can very depending on temperatures. At least a couple of hours between coats or if you can let sit over night. I hope that helps. Thanks for watching.
@@jcmartiz So much depends on how many coats of clear you want. I basically go by how I like the way the finish is looking. But I have to say. The Tru-Oil is really holding up well.
Hi gene, not sure of this question has been answered here but if we dont have acces to a sprayer, what is the next best (cheapest) option? Water based spray paint?
That’s a great question. I have used the same paint and process by brushing on the acrylic. Here is a link to another video that I brushed and wiped on the finish. ua-cam.com/video/ac-YSnAcMCg/v-deo.htmlsi=xRuWd6KpworYD4qW I hope this helps.
Question. I've followed you with paint and true oil on my kit guitar and was wondering do I wet sand, scuff with 800 grit sandpaper one final time and then wax? Or do I true oil dry and apply wax?
@@JTJINX001, I would apply about 8 coats of True-Oil and on the last few wet sand and then apply one more coat of Tru-Oil. Then if you feel it needs it buff and polish it. I hope that helps.
Im a little late to watching this video. But fantastic job on the finish! I paint guitars as well and use such a lengthy process to get as close to a professional finish as I can. This is such a simple but effective process! Well done
I'm looking to build my first guitar and want to make a rebel flag guitar like zakk wylde do you have and tips never done such a project thank you Scott
Hi Scott, I would start out with painting the guitar white. Then mask out the white to spray on the blue bands and stars. After that dries, I would mask over the blue and white then spray on the red. Then finish it all with the clear coat of your choice. I would use Tru-Oil. I hope this helps.
Hi Gene I'm waiting on my next order of tru oil but in the meantime ive got my hands on some tung oil from our hardware shop. Would you know if tung oil would do the same thing as tru oil. Many thanks Dave
Hi Dave, Unfortunately tung oil will not work the same way. True-Oil actually dries to a hard glassy finish. While tung oil can give wood a beautiful finish, it is more of a penetrating oil which low to no gloss and may even change the color of the guitar.
Just sand it first then lay down a good coat of primer. If you can still see the wood, I would sand lightly and spray prime again. The primer is pretty good at filling in the grain. I hope this helped. Have fun with it!
@@l1ntkingofska, I cut the paint about 20%. But it also depends on the air pressure you are using. Test it out on some scrap first. And yes this works great with 2 or even more colors like a sunburst. I would suggest putting on the lightest colors first then the darker last. I hope this helps. Thanks for watching.
@@DIYGenethanks soo much. I’ve seen videos that say 1:1 ratio, another did 5mL paint and 12.5mL water. I plan to paint a guitar body yellow with a black stencil. I’m thinking of using frog tape and cutting the design into the tape, then praying the black layer over that.
Hey gene got a question I'm building a les paul and I had some deaths in my family so I thought instead of a color paint job maybe I could put my parents and sisters pictures on the guitar and some how clear over them and then I could see them all the time and it would be a great keepsake of my loved ones any advice would be appreciated thanks gene
That sounds like a beautiful tribute to your family. I think you could make that work. But I think you would want to use something like an epoxy finish so the photos would be locked in under a deep clear surface.
What grit sand paper are you using. You might want to go to a finer grit then try buffing it out. Also the longer it dries, the harder it gets. I hope this helps.
Gene, I’ve been using your methods to redo my strat, however, when I get to the point where you use 5-600 grit sand paper it almost leave a haze or an imprint on the finish and didn’t want to take the gloss away. But, I didn’t notice once you apply more tru oil the haze goes away! Thoughts?
Not sure, if you are getting the gloss you want. Don’t mess with it. But you should be able to buff it out. Let it set for 24 hours and you could even add furniture wax. I hope that helps.
Hi Gene. Just had a couple of questions. I am getting ready to do a telecaster project pretty soon here. I have a mini detail spray gun from harbor freight that is similar to the one you used. I know my air compressor i am using is good enough for the the gun. I was just wondering what psi setting you had the compressor set at and how did the finish hold up over time
I sprayed at about 70psi. But I would adjust that along with the thickness of your paint to get a smooth spray with good coverage. After the Tru-Oil will put a really hard finish on the body. The finish is holding up fantastic. I hope this helps. Thanks for watching.
@@DIYGene Awesome! I am using Solarez I Can't Believe It's Not Lacquer which is a UV cureable clear coat to seal the wood grain which is alder. The finish cures in normal sunlight in about 3 minutes and then it is ready to level sand. I am then going to use a Grey AutoBorne Sealer by Createx as my ground coat followed up with Wicked Colors Pearl Red by Createx as my basecoat. The clear coat is going to be Crystalac Brite Tone Instrument Finish. I could do this whole project in my house if I wanted because the Solarez has no odor and no VOC's and and the Crystalac Clear and Createx paints are all water based but I am still going to spray in my garage. I will let you know how it turns out. Thank you so much for your help. I appreciate it.
Thanks for the info. I want to find out more on Solarez. It sounds great. That was the whole reason I went with the products too. I had to work in my garage, in winter with a furnace and a hot water heater. I would love to see how your guitar turns out. Please keep me informed. Thanks again!
@@DIYGene ua-cam.com/video/HjK1e2nFrxw/v-deo.html Chris at Highline Guitars does a good job explaining the product and showing the results in this video. The cool thing is they sell it in a brushable and sprayable formula
Hey Gene. Here is a brief video of the Telecaster project I told you about. It is 2/3 done but I go into detail what products I used. Sorry if I am a little repetitive in the video lol. ua-cam.com/video/RDmshwIK0zY/v-deo.html
Hi David, you should be able to pick up an inexpensive pancake compressor to handle the job. You can thin down the paint a little to make it work well.
Forget spraying. Sand with 200 then with 600, wipe the surfaces, rub on acrylic paint straight on the wood around 3 coats for full coverage and 1-2 coats for translucent finish. Finish with 3 coats of tru-oil, sand with 1000 grit, mix mineral spirits with the tru-oil and do 2 more coats. It will look amazing.
This is the best no BS non long-winded video about painting a guitar I've seen this is exactly what I was looking for thank you. all the other tutorials I've seen assume that you have a professional paint booth in your house somewhere tucked off in your secret underground production plant or something.
LOL, I hope it helps. Thanks so much for watching.
When you first popped up on screen, I thought you were Wolverine. Great video, very informative.
I’m cool with that! I had someone that said I looked liked Conan O’Brian. Thanks so much for watching.
Same
You look like wolverine that has a late night show.
To be more precise > Brian Cranston with Conan meets wolverine vibes. Nice paint job.
Rewind your clock back to the 70’s, that is Clint Eastwood… Magnum Force.
The bass kit looks amazing with the red acrylic paint and the tongue oil and paste wax. It's beautiful. Great job 👍.
@@tonydevalt9932, Thanks so much for watching.
Amazing job Gene, all your tips are great along with the very smooth and clear point narration.This gave me the motivation to finally finish a custom guitar project I've been putting off for a while.
That is fantastic. I had so much fun learning as I go. Thanks for watching.
Gene, that's a darn good job! Love it when you build guitars! More More!
Thanks David, i Love approaching projects a little differently. I will be posting the complete Jazz Bass build this week. It has a unique custom twist. Thanks so much for watching.
You did an awesome job Gene. Thanks as always for showing us how much fun this is!!!
Thanks Jeff, I hope you get something out of the videos, It’s comments like your’s that keep me making them. Thanks again, and let me know if you have any ideas for upcoming episodes.
Planning on using this method to give my old unfinished strat a much deserved paint job, thanks a lot
Hey Gene, this is the first video of yours I've seen, it's really good and down to earth, a very canny tone to it!
Thank you and thanks for watching.
The Tru oil is amazing stuff, I've done a few of my older guitars with it and they look fabulous. Thanks for putting me onto it Gene
Hi David,
I’m so glad it worked well for you. I love the stuff.
@@DIYGene ye such a simple thing made all the difference
You've got a lot of patience Gene your beautiful work shows it ! This inspires me to do a couple of projects in the near future. Going to binge watch to see the build ! subbed and looking forward to seeing more vids ! All the Best !
Hi Rick, thanks so much for watching and subscribing.
Was wondering how I was gonna paint my guitar. Your color looking amazing after final touches. I'm gonna paint my Telecaster Cobalt Blue. Thanks for the know how. Awesome job!!!.
@@wesleyhall7153, i hope it helped. Let me know how it turns out. Thanks for watching.
You couldn't have timed this video any better! I built the same bass kit and I also built a Start body from scratch. I'm just waiting for the first warm day to paint both. After seeing the tru oil finish, I believe I'll give it a try. Thanks!👍😎🎸🎶
That’s great. I really tru-oil and is a great alternative to spraying. Thanks for watching.
@@DIYGene yep!☺
Awesome video!! The finished product looks so sleek and amazing!
Thanks so much for watching.
Thanks Gene I'm in Australia and waiting for my bits and peices to arrive to do your method.Ive tried rattle cans but not much luck
So i'm exited to use your method, Thanks mate.
I hope it works well for you. What kind of a clear coat will you use on it?
@@DIYGene ive ordered tru oil which is what you used, I dont think we have tru oil in OZ it could be called somthing else here.
@@davidarkinstall6675 , I was wondering that. Be careful that it is the same stuff.
@@DIYGene yes it should be the correct stuff, tru oil there's surplyers in Australia i cheked it out
Oh good. You are going to love the stuff.
Another great video Gene, keep up the great work! I love these guitar videos
Thanks Anthony, this has been fun project. I’m excited to finish it.
Great job on this! Very excited to start my replica Explorer with all these steps you laid out. Cheers!
I've seen more then a few videos on here and this one gave me the idea on how to go about my project I'm starting. But going with an antique/Vintage White 50's look for my stratocaster project. This is really good. Thank you for sharing.
Tim Munsey, Thanks so much for watching.
Thank you for this video,I'm buying a flying v kit and found this video very clear and helpful for when I paint the flying v body thanks.
I hope it helps. Thanks so much for watching.
Thank you very much for that
Thanks so much for watching.
great video. I love the derp rich color your process yields.
This is a very good tutorial on this method. I appreciate this, as it's the method I will use on my guitar kit. Thank you.
I’m so glad you found it helpful. I. Was very happy with this method and the finish has held up really well. Thanks again for watching.
I see you've stepped it up a notch with that spray gun, I've seen another of your vids where you did everything by hand. I never thought my Apple Barrel acrylics could work on wood like this. I will give this a try on my next build. Kudos my friend, nicely done.
Cy Brunel, Thanks but I’m back at it again with doing it all by hand. I just finished a video where I used all water based acrylics and water based clear and apply them all without spraying. Oh and it’s a sunburst. Here is the link let me know what you think. ua-cam.com/video/5gYCvC_Arq4/v-deo.html
Thanks so much for watching.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience; that was informative.
Thanks so much for watching
Fantastic video. It inspires me to try this on my own soon
That is fantastic. Please let me know how it turns out
hello! i just ordered my first costuem bass and i want to ask.. can i use a normal spray paint on it too?
If you are planning to add a clear coat on it, I would definitely test it to make sure the spray paint and the clear coat are compatible. Also the spray paint will need to be flat or not glossy for the clear to stick. I hope that helps. Thanks for watching.
@@DIYGene thanks!
I like how you paint the classic way with acrylics. No spray paint or anything! Keep it up :)
Looks excellent so far Hope the rest comes soon.
Me too. I’m pretty excited about this one. The jazz bass came out in 1960 so I am modeling this bass after the 1960 Corvette. That’s also why the bright red paint . Thanks so much for watching.
Great lesson, thank you Gene.
Thanks so much for watching.
Great to see you building guitars, but show off a little bit more on the final product. Sound is depending on the quality of internet, but even tough it was enough for me ... but was it for everybody? Keep up the good work. I'm a starting builder from the Netherlands in a covid-19 time but learning a lot from you, thanks Gene!
Hello in Netherlands! I will try to do better on showing and playing the final product. I feel the public is probably sick of me by the time they get to the end. I hope you are staying safe and thanks so much for watching!
@@DIYGene No defo show it off!!! Another fan from Wales!
Agreed with the comments below.. Easy step by step way to HOME paint your guitar.. Took the concern out of taking on this project and having it turn out good..
I hope it helps. It may even save your marriage LOL. Thanks for watching.
Very nice, I’m very interested in the fact you are using water base acrylic on top of the primer . I’m going to change it up and start again to follow,your method .
Thank you
JON Gergeceff , I hope it works as well for you as it has for me. These finishes are holding up really well. Thanks for watching.
Thanks gene next year I'm planning on making a Tele as my first kit and I've heard alot of different opinions on how to paint a guitar but yours made sense
Thanks so much. I hope it is helpful. Thanks again for watching.
That's all fine and dandy if you have a garage and those kinds of tools, I'm an average guy and i'm using rattle cans and a tarp with help from the wall.
Straight forward and easy, thanks :)
+Kasper Knutsen , thanks so much for watching.
Very helpful. Thanks for this.
Glad you found it useful. Thanks for watching.
great video man, love the finish, cant wait to see the finish build
I have a cheap harbor freight spray gun. Can anyone tell me if it has the correct tip for this application? I’m not familiar at all with spray guns but I’ve seen on UA-cam where they talk about different nozzles for different type paint, but I can’t find anything about water based acrylic. Any help would be appreciated. I have bought everything else to paint my guitar using this method , and thank you Gene for some really good videos.
Working Man , I use a cheap Harbor Freight gun too! I would just test it out on some scrap then go for it. The Tru-Oil will help level out the spray. I hope that helps. Thanks so much for watching.
Clint Eastwood,,
are ya feeling lucky punk ! 😊
a very good video thanks Clint.
Go ahead, you made my day!
That's a classy finish. I like the idea of using acrylics, I'm much more comfortable with water-based materials, well used to artist's acrylics especially. I have to assume that some of the tools etc you use might not be available so easily outside the States, but overall I would be happy to use your method. Hopefully I'll get the chance soon!
Thank you so much. The finish has worn well and I am very happy with it. Thanks so much for watching.
Err... do I need an air compressor for this spray paint gun?
Any recommendations on cheap air compressors?
I also want to use it for blowing away debris from my column drill.
Da Qoraxxx, I got a small pancake compresser from Harbor Freight for about $40. I also did a video on doing a guitar body without spraying. Here is a link. ua-cam.com/video/5gYCvC_Arq4/v-deo.html
Thanks so much for watching.
@Nik Reynolds lol? Sounds like pumping an air mattress lol
@Nik Reynolds Looool! 😂
Awesome video! I'm going to try this method! can I ask how did the finish hold up? I've read on some forums that it is not recommended to apply tru oil on acrylics but your results look stunning!
Thanks for the video - the general idea set me going perfectly
A couple of comments - I found I needed to sand the primer a bit, I am surprised you
did not
Maybe it is because it is a hot day but I am finding the tru oil too thick and gets tacky too fast - I am thinning it with a little mineral spirits and it seems to really work better -on my fifth coat now and looking great!
Glad you found the right consistency. It is a good product. Thanks so much for watching.
Great job Gene
Thanks Mark. How is the new shop coming?
@@DIYGene slow going, we are moving house as well so its all a bit manic at the moment. hope to have the workshop setup by early April
Sounds like a big job. Best of luck.
Great job Gene.
Thanks for watching.
Hello Gene thanks so much for sharing your step by step painting videos, this really gave me a good idea of how to get a factory finish. Gene I do have a couple of questions for you and the first one is how long does it takes for the water paint to dry. and the second question is if you used a semi gloss to a gloss spray would that give a even more of a shine. I don't know I never built a guitar of painted one so I'm just asking questions.
Thanks,
Thumbs-Up!!!!
Depending on temperature it usually only takes a couple of hours. But to be safe I let it dry overnight. Using semi gloss or gloss for the color won’t help, because you would need to sand off the shine. The clear coating adheres better to a flat surface. I hope that helps. Thanks so much for watching.
@@DIYGene het Gene, thanks so much for the quick response. And thanks for the information that was very informative
gods that paint is glorious!
Fantastic! Thanks! 🎸🎶
Thanks so much for watching.
Looks good, nice. Thanks
Thanks for watching.
This was REALLY helpful!
I so glad it helps. Thanks so much for watching.
I am building a blue Tele... found the perfect color to match my drum set... The Truoil has a tint in it and it turned my blue into a seafoam green!
Oh wow, the Tru-Oil does have a slight tint to it. Are you going to sand it off and use something else?
@@DIYGene I have two coats on it now... I am thinking of sanding it off and spraying a water base poly... Hopefully I can buff it out to look as good as the Truoil... Great method by the way!
Super sharp
Great technique, thanks for sharing
Thanks so much for watching.
Would love to see you do a diy metallic finish with the acrylic paint, dollar store eyeshadow, and tru oil for the topcoat. Great videos!!!
John Morris , That is really worth looking into. Thanks for the suggestion.
I just bought a short scale offset bass kit from fretwire.com and I can’t decide on what finish I want to go with, I know I want to do this exact shade of red you’re using, but I want it to be more matte/flat and look like the vintage nitro fiesta red fenders. This was a great step-by-step video and the finished product looks great. I might have to just copy your instructions .thanks gene!
Thanks so much for watching.
Thank you for a great video!
Thanks for this Gene... very informative. I primed a maple top on a TL kit and after sanding looking at applying artist oil paint for color - rubbed/thinned with Japan Dryer. I was then going to apply the Crystalac Brite-Tone Top Coat. Have you ever used that water-based clear coat w/o spraying? Looking forward to seeing your other vids that you recommended here. Thanks again!
John Kozyn, I have used water based clear. Here is a link to a guitar body that I finished everything in water based. ua-cam.com/video/5gYCvC_Arq4/v-deo.html
Thanks for watching.
Hello Gene, I have one quesrion for you and that is if i have a 24' guitar neck uf i was measuring frim the back of the nut to the bridge what should my measurements be.? And would the measurement be in gront of the bridge or right in the middle of the bridge or at the back of the bridge. Im replacing a 22" guitar neck wit a 24"
Thanks.
You know, that is something I have struggled with. I am by no means a guitar expert, but what I did find was a fret calculator on Stewmacs web site. here is the link: www.stewmac.com/fretcalculator.html
I hope that helps and thanks for watching.
You must measure neck to determine your scale length. measure your nut to the 12th fret , now double that measurement, that is your nut to bridge length, also called your scale length. Now you know where to drill your bridge. Place the measurement in center of bridge, so you can go shorter and longer, for intonation.
Changing a 22" to a 24" inch neck, might not work without having to move your bridge. You might have to adjust your neck pocket ,but the only way you would know for sure is to calculate to overall scale length. (Nut to bridge length)
Some good ideas thanks
Obviously you know what you are about. I love your video very nice approach. Thumbs up man.
And what do I do about adding wood in place of the real fretboard? Thank you
very helpful. Thank you
Hey, just wondering if there would be any way to paint without the gravity feed?
Yes, you can do it with hand applied. Here is a link to one I did: ua-cam.com/video/ac-YSnAcMCg/v-deo.html
Thanks for watching.
Looks good!
Always good to see safer alternatives to nitro.
Especially if you are doing it in your home or garage. Thanks so much for watching.
Gene - I love your videos. This one has encouraged me to repaint a bass.
My question is, when you mounted the board in the neck pocket, did you use existing screw holes? I'm trying to figure out how to not bore out my neck holes but still fix the board to the body.
Thanks!
You could use a little larger screw or you could add candle wax to the screws. Bhutto something else you could try is adding two additional angle neck screws. Here is a link to my friend at “Gun N Guitars” and if you go to about 3:50 minutes you can see what I am talking about. ua-cam.com/video/lOQTGwUHv3Y/v-deo.html
I hope this helps. Thanks so much for watching.
Sorry to be so late to the party (you did this vid a while ago). Thanks for posting this = I enjoy your diy vids. I love that you use a lot of acrylic/water based paints - big fan of those in my other non-guitar projects, great to see they have a use here too. Totally unfamiliar with True Oil as a top coat - how does durability compare to other clear coat finishes?
I have been really impressed with Tru-Oil. It is actually designed for refinishing gun stocks so it has to be durable. I have used it for several years and it holds up really well. Thanks for watching.
Gene
@@DIYGene Thanks! I have a guitar body I'm about to start work on - will definitely look into tru-oil.
Gene, great video. Very informative. How would you recommend securing a board to your body if you have a glue on neck?
That is an excellent question. Is there room to set a couple of shorter screws that would not be seen? I’m going to do a little research on that. Thanks for watching.
Can I use Tru Oil with non water based paints?
@@CronicasRetro, Yes but I would test it first to make sure it doesn’t affect the paint.
Hi, I'm enjoying watching your videos. I was wondering how did you put wood piece to a body to make work easier and stuff.. did you screw it? but I don't see any screws...
And What's your thought of putting polyurethane for the coating after painting?
thankyou
I screwed it ti the board using the holes provided for attaching the neck. Polyurethane will work great. Thanks for watching.
Hi Gene apologies for all the comments from me but your video is great. Should you apply another layer when polishing as you change grade of stick on polish pads ? Thanks again
I just polish until I get the finish I want. If it’s shiny and smooth you don’t need to add another coat. I do think the more coats the better. Then finish with polishing. I hope that helps.
Should you buff after putting Tru oil on or just leave ?
@@deshonosgar1 I would light sand between try-oil coats then buff your final coat.
Hi Gene 👋, nice job on this video and I'm glad I ran into it.
I've been custom painting guitars & basses with Createx water based acrylic paints & candies for quite some time. I've always used 2k clearcoat as a final finish, for it's brilliance, durability and gloss.
I've seen guy's use Tru-oil on natural finishes but this is the 1st time I've seen someone use it over a water based acrylic paint as their gloss coat. You've blown my mind!
I've got to say I'm surprised that the true oil didn't make the acrylic paint bleed at all? WOW.
Also taking out the risk to my health due to the toxicity of 2k products is a huge plus in your method, not to mention being able to safely do this indoors, so thank you for sharing this video 🙏.
One question ❓
How much True-oil did you use on this project? I'd like to do some testing of this myself on a scrape guitar body, before I dive into a customer's project.
Hello, Denny, I probably used 1/2 of a 3oz bottle of Tru-Oil so you will have plenty to experiment with and still finish a guitar. I usually do 7 or 8 coats. The Tru-Oil holds up really well and I have been really happy with it. I hope that helps. Let me know how it works for you and if you like it. Thanks for watching.
@@DIYGene I'm sold on the idea of testing this out Gene.
I Read dozens of reviews on Amazon (your link) and besides a few negatives the overall response is very positive.
Bought a 3oz to use for my test
Thanks again for a really good demo, I'm sure I'll revisit this video. If my tests turn out positive, I'll post a video on UA-cam and the many FB groups I belong too, with a reference and credit to your video!
@@dennyps1, thanks so much. And I will check out your channel too.
Great job Gene! I've always used automotive paint which is very expensive! Also very smelly and bad for you. Recently I too have been experimenting with water base paints too . There's a bit of learning curve but working out good. I've used the minwax polycoat which reduces well with water though not recommended...but it turns into like a wipe on poly.. I want to try the Birchwood casies oil but haven't yet ..
I have had really good luck with the Tru-Oil and like you, I was looking for a way to work on these projects without stinking up the entire house.
Its quite impressive!! Is it possible to use hand with water paint instead of spray gun? And how about using poster color products instead of acrylic paint.
FEELYOURBLUES NOW, you can use hand application. Not sure about the poster paint because I’m not sure if it might break down with the clear. I just posted a new video on using all water based paint and clear coat without spraying. Here’s a link: ua-cam.com/video/5gYCvC_Arq4/v-deo.html
Thanks for watching.
Fantastic job man! Can you put tru-oil over acrylic based paints like posca pens? thanks!
Very good I wonder how hard wearing it is?
Try-Oil is actually made for gun stocks and that’s how I first found it. It makes a very hard surface and I have done 3 guitars with it and they hold up very well. Thanks so much for watching.
Great video!!
@@albertobassi8028,Thanks so much for watching.
thanks gene. rock on
Thanks for watching!
Great video, but I wish a good air compressor didn't cost so much. Can I do it with a roller and then sand it flat?
You absolutely can. But I actually used a $35 pancake compressor from Harbor Freight.
Great video! I'm actually going to do the acrylic burst from your other video and finish it with the tru oil. So the tru oil soaks into the paint?
Amazing! Thanks for the video! Hello from Russia!
Hello and thanks so much for watching.
Great option, could you please tell us how much time did this take you? It looks like you did all of this in a day! Other videos/ options are around 20 days!
The work doesn’t take long but the dry time between coats of the Tru-Oil can very depending on temperatures. At least a couple of hours between coats or if you can let sit over night. I hope that helps. Thanks for watching.
@@DIYGene yes, incredible option I got scared after I saw the 21 day painting process on other videos
@@jcmartiz So much depends on how many coats of clear you want. I basically go by how I like the way the finish is looking. But I have to say. The Tru-Oil is really holding up well.
Thx. Great vid. I wish I had seen this about a year ago.
Thanks for watching.
Hi gene, not sure of this question has been answered here but if we dont have acces to a sprayer, what is the next best (cheapest) option? Water based spray paint?
That’s a great question. I have used the same paint and process by brushing on the acrylic. Here is a link to another video that I brushed and wiped on the finish. ua-cam.com/video/ac-YSnAcMCg/v-deo.htmlsi=xRuWd6KpworYD4qW
I hope this helps.
Question. I've followed you with paint and true oil on my kit guitar and was wondering do I wet sand, scuff with 800 grit sandpaper one final time and then wax? Or do I true oil dry and apply wax?
@@JTJINX001, I would apply about 8 coats of True-Oil and on the last few wet sand and then apply one more coat of Tru-Oil. Then if you feel it needs it buff and polish it. I hope that helps.
@@DIYGene thank you
Im a little late to watching this video. But fantastic job on the finish! I paint guitars as well and use such a lengthy process to get as close to a professional finish as I can. This is such a simple but effective process! Well done
Thank you. I wanted to create something that could be done in the home, without expensive equipment. Thanks so much for watching.
I'm looking to build my first guitar and want to make a rebel flag guitar like zakk wylde do you have and tips never done such a project thank you Scott
Hi Scott, I would start out with painting the guitar white. Then mask out the white to spray on the blue bands and stars. After that dries, I would mask over the blue and white then spray on the red. Then finish it all with the clear coat of your choice. I would use Tru-Oil. I hope this helps.
@DIYGene hey thank you so much I really appreciate it sincerely scott
Hi Gene. Great video. Thanks for posting.
Can you use tru oil with regular spray paint cans?
I would test it first. To make sure it doesn’t lift the paint. It works fine on stains.
Hi Gene I'm waiting on my next order of tru oil but in the meantime ive got my hands on some tung oil from our hardware shop. Would you know if tung oil would do the same thing as tru oil. Many thanks Dave
Hi Dave, Unfortunately tung oil will not work the same way. True-Oil actually dries to a hard glassy finish. While tung oil can give wood a beautiful finish, it is more of a penetrating oil which low to no gloss and may even change the color of the guitar.
Thanks so much I'm glad I asked you Im taking it back now I havnt used it, I'll just wait for the Tru oil to arrive@@DIYGene
Great video, thanks!
Thanks so much for watching.
Hi Gene is there a way to remove those peaky light scratches after light sanding between coats? So light they might buff out with compound ?
Yes that works or go to a finer sandpaper
Using only a primer like you did, do the wood grains disappear completely (in order to get a solid finish)??
Great video, keep it up!
Just sand it first then lay down a good coat of primer. If you can still see the wood, I would sand lightly and spray prime again. The primer is pretty good at filling in the grain. I hope this helped. Have fun with it!
What is the ratio of acrylic paint to water dilution? And can this painting process work with doing a 2nd color on top of the base color?
@@l1ntkingofska, I cut the paint about 20%. But it also depends on the air pressure you are using. Test it out on some scrap first. And yes this works great with 2 or even more colors like a sunburst. I would suggest putting on the lightest colors first then the darker last. I hope this helps. Thanks for watching.
@@DIYGenethanks soo much. I’ve seen videos that say 1:1 ratio, another did 5mL paint and 12.5mL water. I plan to paint a guitar body yellow with a black stencil. I’m thinking of using frog tape and cutting the design into the tape, then praying the black layer over that.
@, I would love to see how that turns out.
Hey gene got a question I'm building a les paul and I had some deaths in my family so I thought instead of a color paint job maybe I could put my parents and sisters pictures on the guitar and some how clear over them and then I could see them all the time and it would be a great keepsake of my loved ones any advice would be appreciated thanks gene
That sounds like a beautiful tribute to your family. I think you could make that work. But I think you would want to use something like an epoxy finish so the photos would be locked in under a deep clear surface.
@@DIYGene would you happen to know some good stuff to use since this is my first guitar build thank you sincerely Scott Thomas
How do you not mess up the truoil finish when sanding? I need to get some tiny dust particles sanded down but it started to scratch the finish.
What grit sand paper are you using. You might want to go to a finer grit then try buffing it out. Also the longer it dries, the harder it gets. I hope this helps.
Gene, I’ve been using your methods to redo my strat, however, when I get to the point where you use 5-600 grit sand paper it almost leave a haze or an imprint on the finish and didn’t want to take the gloss away. But, I didn’t notice once you apply more tru oil the haze goes away!
Thoughts?
Not sure, if you are getting the gloss you want. Don’t mess with it. But you should be able to buff it out. Let it set for 24 hours and you could even add furniture wax. I hope that helps.
It looks like an orange peel but the haze I’m talking about almost looks like a scuffing afterwards.
Hi Gene. Just had a couple of questions. I am getting ready to do a telecaster project pretty soon here. I have a mini detail spray gun from harbor freight that is similar to the one you used. I know my air compressor i am using is good enough for the the gun. I was just wondering what psi setting you had the compressor set at and how did the finish hold up over time
I sprayed at about 70psi. But I would adjust that along with the thickness of your paint to get a smooth spray with good coverage. After the Tru-Oil will put a really hard finish on the body. The finish is holding up fantastic. I hope this helps. Thanks for watching.
@@DIYGene Awesome! I am using Solarez I Can't Believe It's Not Lacquer which is a UV cureable clear coat to seal the wood grain which is alder. The finish cures in normal sunlight in about 3 minutes and then it is ready to level sand. I am then going to use a Grey AutoBorne Sealer by Createx as my ground coat followed up with Wicked Colors Pearl Red by Createx as my basecoat. The clear coat is going to be Crystalac Brite Tone Instrument Finish. I could do this whole project in my house if I wanted because the Solarez has no odor and no VOC's and and the Crystalac Clear and Createx paints are all water based but I am still going to spray in my garage. I will let you know how it turns out. Thank you so much for your help. I appreciate it.
Thanks for the info. I want to find out more on Solarez. It sounds great. That was the whole reason I went with the products too. I had to work in my garage, in winter with a furnace and a hot water heater. I would love to see how your guitar turns out. Please keep me informed. Thanks again!
@@DIYGene ua-cam.com/video/HjK1e2nFrxw/v-deo.html
Chris at Highline Guitars does a good job explaining the product and showing the results in this video. The cool thing is they sell it in a brushable and sprayable formula
Hey Gene. Here is a brief video of the Telecaster project I told you about. It is 2/3 done but I go into detail what products I used. Sorry if I am a little repetitive in the video lol.
ua-cam.com/video/RDmshwIK0zY/v-deo.html
Hey Gene what sort of air compresser do I need for one of those gravity fed spray guns ? Thanks Dave
Hi David, you should be able to pick up an inexpensive pancake compressor to handle the job. You can thin down the paint a little to make it work well.
@@DIYGene OK gotcha Thanks Gene will look them up
Do you know how to do a matte finish?
How long to dry after first acrylic coat?
How long between the acrylic coats?
Depending on temperatures in your area it dries fast and flat. So when the gloss is gone you are good to go. I hope that helps. Thanks for watching.
Forget spraying. Sand with 200 then with 600, wipe the surfaces, rub on acrylic paint straight on the wood around 3 coats for full coverage and 1-2 coats for translucent finish. Finish with 3 coats of tru-oil, sand with 1000 grit, mix mineral spirits with the tru-oil and do 2 more coats. It will look amazing.
Strategic Thinker , Fantastic advice. Thanks so much for watching.