Good times and new guitar project
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TonyFlyingSquirrel
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Living in the Seattle area can be a challenge for folks who do their own finish. I know a few guitar manufacturers who rent space in a pro-paint shop due to the cost and space of building your own paint shop.
Unless you live in Arizona or New Mexico where you can pretty much paint all year long, professional space is a treasured commodity in the building process.
Unless you live in Arizona or New Mexico where you can pretty much paint all year long, professional space is a treasured commodity in the building process.
Cagey
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No doubt. There's a substantial cost involved with creating a proper atmosphere for both the instruments and the humans involved. Depending on what you shoot, you can get into some very real costs, or you can limit your availability. or both. That's why I've been saying for years that Warmoth's finishes are a bargain. You can get AAAAA grade poly for less than what most would charge for lacquer, and you can get it any time you want, and in both cases both for less than any "boutique" shooter will charge. The only reason to do it yourself is if you want something they just won't offer, or if you somehow end up with an unfinished body. Maybe you built it yourself, or bought it that way from somebody who finally figured out they made a mistake.
You can shoot lacquer yourself fairly easily and get excellent results, but it's a lotta work by the time you're done. You can do the oil thing, but that's an obvious home finish from a mile away and it won't last long. Or, you can spend a jillion dollars on a proper booth and shoot poly, which is relatively easy if you've got the talent and the capital to get into it. Long story short, unless you're going to do a lot of finishing, it's best to stay out that activity if you can. Always better to let the guys who are committed to it do it.
Ambient temperature, humidity and ventilation are critical, no matter what you do. Getting those things right is usually not easy.
You can shoot lacquer yourself fairly easily and get excellent results, but it's a lotta work by the time you're done. You can do the oil thing, but that's an obvious home finish from a mile away and it won't last long. Or, you can spend a jillion dollars on a proper booth and shoot poly, which is relatively easy if you've got the talent and the capital to get into it. Long story short, unless you're going to do a lot of finishing, it's best to stay out that activity if you can. Always better to let the guys who are committed to it do it.
Ambient temperature, humidity and ventilation are critical, no matter what you do. Getting those things right is usually not easy.
zebra
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Considering certain trends...do you thing there might eventually grow a larger acceptance of "home" finishes as legitimate, as people might perhaps attach greater value to customization and ecological considerations? Most finishing techniques that replicate the vintage aesthetic are pretty expensive and complicated, making them optimized for large scale production - not to mention, quite toxic. But as people here and there get more into the "non-corporate/homemade/bespoke" notion of things, as well as environmental awareness, those sorts of homemade finishes might come more into vogue....I'm currently obsessed with the bodies coming out of Luxxtone, and they seem - albeit not necessarily easy, something that can be accomplished at home, ecologically, and to beautiful, if not historically nostalgic results...
It will be interesting to see what happens as the baby-boomers who fell in love with the guitars of the 50s decide they own enough guitars, and then next generation starts opening its wallets to pay for what they decide they want...
It will be interesting to see what happens as the baby-boomers who fell in love with the guitars of the 50s decide they own enough guitars, and then next generation starts opening its wallets to pay for what they decide they want...
OK here are some pics. I took parts off my other guitar to test her out and man I'm happy as heck. The bridge pickup is a GFS VEH which sounds nice and bright. Through Amplitube its pretty easy to get some Van Haga-ish tones which is what I'm looking for. The neck pickup is a GFS Crunchy Rails bridge humbucker, it was the only other pickup I have not being used so to test here she lies. I'll be switching them out with GFS Dream 180 in the bridge and a Dream 90 in the neck.
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