Wow Mari, thatās something else. Love the look. 
@Richard_close2u mine is still in progress @headsmell posted these photos, and they are definitely amazing!
@headsmell that looks spectacular! You changed the bridge/pickup selector/tuning pegs/etc to black I see, that looks great and I might have to do that too! Your paint job looks perfect.
I know nothing about woodworking but my friend does, I made note of your sanding grits and will talk to him. I think he said we could go all the way up to 600. I wasnāt thinking that any grain filler would be necessary after the sanding, so thanks for that tip.
I hope you donāt mind if I ask you a couple of questions ā¦
I looked at the Solo site and see the paint you used, so obviously you spray painted it. How many cans of paint did you use? You say this is a primer/paint so that means you sprayed it right on the sanded body? I see thereās also a Nitrocellulose Lacquer Primer, which is why Iām wondering. And, finally, what clearcoat did you use? It looks like Solo has cans not spray cans, but I guess you can still spray the clear coat on if you have the tools - or did you paint the clear coat?
My finishing plan is currently sand, grain filler, prime, spray paint (not sure how many coats), clear coat. Iām not planning a solid colour, and I also want to use a couple of stencils (still to be made) to add something else. I hope my plan works, and any input you have on your process would be great, thank you so much. (Plan B is to get a custom skin for the front of the body if the painting doesnāt work out, especially as I have never spray painted anything before. Always good to have a Plan B!) Iām going to the 2 biggest paint stores locally next weekend to see what they have. I hadnāt thought about ordering paint supplies from Solo but that could work. If I do that though I think I would wait for warmer temps, it canāt be good to ship spray paint in the cold weather weāre currently having in Northwestern Ontario.
Anyway your guitar looks truly spectacular. The printed image would have been very cool, but your Plan B worked out really really well and youāve got a great looking guitar. Now - when will we hear it!!!
Hi @mari
Thanks! Yeah for this project I wanted to learn how to build and wire a guitar so I replaced all the electronics from scratch. I used nextgenguitars.ca to source some inexpensive black hardware as solo make you but everything together. Be carful though with a new bridge, as it has different screw holes, so it will require filling the holes and redrilling. The tuners are solos locking tuners, which are pretty good and less expensive than other bigger name ones.
So I used a standard wood stain for the neck (any will do really) and sealed with polycrylic. This was from my plan A, but if I was to do it again I would have just used the clear Nitrocellulose Lacquer for the neck sealer.
From what you described for the finish on the body you will want to use grain filler (I just used one from home depot). Now if you want to use the Oxford Nitrocellulose Lacquer spray cans I would suggest getting all the ones you need and not mixing different brands/types of paint. My understanding is Nitrocellulose Lacquer āmeltsā into the previous layer. So itās best not to mix with a generic spray paint. I didnāt use the Oxford sanding sealer, so I cant really say if its needed. I used one spray can of white primer, one spray can of surf green color, and one spray can of clear coat matte finish. I could have used a second one of clear coat, if you want a glossy finish you should go for two and also get some polish to buff it to a nice shine.
Iāve never really spray painted before either, the most important thing is safety, defiantly wear a proper mask and glasses I made my own handle that is screwed to the body in the neck pocket so i can angle to the body to spray light coats on. I had something in my garage to hang the guitar from the handle so I could have it hanging to dry. You could just using a string through the body neck hole and hang it somewhere and spray-paint directly too. Always apply light coats, it will dry fairly fast. The finishing is just going to take a bit of time, so donāt try and rush it. Iād also let the body fully dry for a few weeks to after.
The temperature I dont think matters for the drying(unless you guys are super low atm), my understanding Nitrocellulose Lacquer just does not like humid environments, that will lead to blushing. However having a cold can will make the paint come out clumpy. I painted my in a 5 degree garage in Vancouver over the winter and it was fine. I just kept all the paint in the house and only brought them out when applying.
Hope that helps!
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Thanks so much @headsmell. Iāve watched a bunch of videos on spray painting and I saw 3 versions of something to hang the guitar on to angle it to spray paint (including the string idea), so I will definitely be hanging it up to spray paint it. In the videos that I watched today, trying to figure out how to spray paint different colours (without marking it off with tape, because the lines I want are not straight lines) I came across a guy painting his guitar by hand rubbing it, and I think thatās going to be how I need to paint it to get the look I want. I plan to spray paint white primer first, and then Iām pretty sure I will go with hand rubbing it to paint the rest. Iām going to practice all of this on plywood first though. I do have it in my head that it will take time between coats, so Iām expecting a longish process especially since I donāt have a workshop or garage at home, Iām going to do the painting at a friendās. I havenāt yet decided on painting the neck and headstock the same as the body, or staining it, gotta wait and see I think.
Same as you I also wanted to learn about how the guitar works, but no way am I starting from scratch on the wiring! (I even got the solderless kit so I could put it together to try it out without having to head over to a friendās to use his soldering kit.)
btw I only see 1 set of black locking tuners on Soloās site - if those are the ones you got thatās way out of my budget for this DIY project!!
Temps here have been pushing minus 30 in the mornings, but it looks like weāre heading into a warm spell (haha) of minus 10 to 15. I didnāt even think to ask my friend if his workshop / garage is heated or not, Iāll have to check that out with him.
Thanks again, all your input is so much appreciated.
And also, one more time, your guitar looks amazing!! Iāll be watching for a demo.
Yean no worries, best of luck with it. Practicing on a plywood first is a great way to dial in your technique and experiment! The internet has some amazing resources. Hehe yeah might want to wait till it warms up a bit.
Embrace a few mistakes along the way tooā¦ I had a few hair pulling moments, like spending more than a month on my plan A only to have it start flaking off in the end and starting allllllllll over again
Yep I spent more on after market parts than the kit itself, but for me it was a learning project.
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In this very long project (!), I am finally getting somewhere. Plans changed, I had intended to hand paint the sky and birds, but I wasnāt going to get the birds to look how I wanted based on my skill level and the materials I am working with. I therefore spray painted the body white and then went with a custom guitar skin for the front. I still have to finish the fretboard and headstock, and then put it together and play it!
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Looks terrific Mari, well done. 
How does the custom front skin fit onto the body?
Looking forward to hearing it once youāve finished.
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Wonderful Mari. Like the old saying goes, some of the best things are worth waiting. Looking stunning already.
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@sairfingers Gordon it was reasonably easy to put on. It comes as a big rectangular sticker basically, that you cut to fit. I had initially wanted to fold the sky over the edges too but that didnāt work. I had expected that and figured the white body would look fine. I was very happy to get the birds fitting just right, I thought I might lose part of 1 or 2 because the pickguard is so big. It wonāt take nearly as long to finish as it did to get this far!
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Looks stunning, great idea for a finish - itās a thing that I had thought about; still not made my mind up what to do with it 
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I had the finished look in mind from the start but had to modify my plan to achieve it. I think thereās lots of us interested in diy guitars 
Looks stunning Mari hopefully you got all air bubbles nicley out of the window 
canāt wait to see a final product! And to hear it!
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What an exciting project Mari, thanks for the update.
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That looks like an awesome guitar well done
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That is a brilliant looking guitar Mari and I canāt wait to hear you play it.
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That looks amazing, Mari. Tip my hat to you for giving this a go, not something Iād try my hand at.
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That looks fantastic, really well done. Did a similar project last year, never thought about a skin like that. Definitely makes it unique.
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7 months later, and Iām very thankful for friends as I could not have finished this without help from my friend Gord for the woodworking, and my friend Dan for the electronics. It is far from perfect - but I love it. Sound check at Open Mic 010
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At last a final effect! Not ideal?! Itās gorgeous I love it Mari, especially that blue is my fav colour! Will be interesting to hear how it roars 
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