Paint question...

[T.L.]

I'm gonna show my ignorance here, but what kind of paint is used to paint modern guitars (not talking about nitrocellulose), and were is it sold?

I had a guitar painted a few years ago with automotive paint, and it somehow "hydrated" the body, which caused it to crack in 5 places. I had to scrap that one. It was made of basswood, and was a cheaper model to begin with.

I want to have my paint guy paint my Warmoth project, but I wanna make sure I use the right paint this time...

 

[dbw]

Warmoth uses poly.  I think Fender used to put automotive paint on strats, so I can't imagine how it could destroy the body like that....

 

[willyk]

Surface preparation is all important in any painting scenario. Your basswood body was probably the victim of what went on or didn't go on more than the type of paint. Most modern guitars use poly, like Warmoth use. Nitrocellulose lacquer is preferred by the purists.

 

[T.L.]

I noticed that the stuff Stew-Mac sells is lacquer. Is that stuff any good?

 

[jackthehack]

The StewMac nitro lacquer is good stuff, but you can get basically the same thing cheaper from WalMart/WoodCraft/Ace or TrueValue hardware and other retail outlets under the Deft brand for about 1/2 the price. Most of these outlets will have the Deft nitro sanding sealer as well.