Painting just the top of an electric help

jdbwales

Just looking for some advice on this. I’ve got a Yamaha Revstar RS320 in copper red which sounds and plays right up there with the best Gibsons I’ve played and it’s my live backup to my LPC - however; I pretty much cannot stand the colour and it’s bugged me for years. 

I’m no stranger to guitar refinishing and I’m thinking I’d like to just refinish the top in cream/white (I once bought another of the same
model in white to get around this slightly OCD annoyance, and it was nowhere near as good as this one - like far worse - so this is a bit of a special Unicorn guitar which isn’t just easily replaced with one of the same in a different colour).

So, a few questions - is it advisable? I’d use probably Halfords spray acrylic and clear and scuff then paint, but these guitars don’t have binding so would it be an idea to drop slightly below the top and give the impression of binding to neaten it up? 

Has anyone done anything similar, just changed the top colour of a guitar? Would be interested to hear if so. 

For reference, the best quote for a complete refinish I’ve had so far is £300 which is twice what I paid for the guitar, so the top-only DIY refinish is both within budget and won’t mess with the neck feel/playability! 

Funkfingers

Stickers or Facelift peel-off thingy.

guitargeek62

Not advisable in terms of resale, but have you thought about vinyl-wrapping the top?

ICBM

Leave it alone. Even refinishing it could alter the sound of it, and once done there's no going back. You're quite right about some RS320s being dogs too - one I worked on is probably the worst Yamaha guitar I've ever played.

Get used to the colour. When I got my Rickenbacker 4001 bass, in Fireglo, it was probably my least favourite of the standard Rick colours, but I bought it anyway because it was such a good bass. After a while it started to grow on me, and now I honestly wouldn't have it in anything else.

HerrMetal

Deadman

If it’s what you want and you plan on keeping I’d do it, if it was me. You’d need careful consideration on extremely neat masking lines and what the two colours would look like ‘together’.  I wouldn’t want any steps in the finish so would probably flat the remaining red and lacquer the whole thing a couple of times to get a nice even blend. 

You say you’re no stranger to finishing so do it I’d say. And screw paying someone else 300 notes.

jdbwales

Thanks all - tried a vinyl wrap but I couldn’t get it any good at all really, I may give that one
more go before cracking out the spray paint. Alternatively I could get some black and white tape on it and VH the thing…

axisus

jdbwales said:

Thanks all - tried a vinyl wrap but I couldn’t get it any good at all really, I may give that one
more go before cracking out the spray paint. Alternatively I could get some black and white tape on it and VH the thing…

Looks relatively easy to do if you are just doing the top? I plan to do one or two myself but I'm not ready yet.

Funkfingers

HerrMetal said:

Is that a Loo Seal model?

paulnb57

Whatever you do if it were me I wouldn't use Halfords aerosols as they are utter shite, with the exception of the Satin and Matte finishes0. Lots of thinners, very little colour and it takes ages to dry, I detest the stuff 

Go to the place that supplies paint to repair shops, far superior in every way and a million different colours to choose from. the trade use aerosols far more often than you would imagine....

Funkfingers

jdbwales said:

I’ve got a Yamaha Revstar RS320 in copper red which sounds and plays right up there with the best Gibsons I’ve played and it’s my live backup to my LPC.

In which case, the conventional advice would be to leave it TF alone.

jdbwales said:

I pretty much cannot stand the colour and it’s bugged me for years.

That shade of metallic red is a Yamaha classic - especially on BB bass models. I concur with ICBM that the colour scheme is secondary to sound and playability. Live with it.

jdbwales said:

I could get some black and white tape on it and VH the thing.

You could achieve some of the same visual impact by changing some of the plastic parts. 

Are the humbucker mounting surrounds bevelled on their undersides to match the string path or are they perpendicular against the body top? 

Either way, it should be possible to up the bling factor by changing to metal or metallic effect surrounds. 

jdbwales

Funkfingers said:

jdbwales said:

I’ve got a Yamaha Revstar RS320 in copper red which sounds and plays right up there with the best Gibsons I’ve played and it’s my live backup to my LPC.

In which case, the conventional advice would be to leave it TF alone.

jdbwales said:

I pretty much cannot stand the colour and it’s bugged me for years.

That shade of metallic red is a Yamaha classic - especially on BB bass models. I concur with ICBM that the colour scheme is secondary to sound and playability. Live with it.

jdbwales said:

I could get some black and white tape on it and VH the thing.

You could achieve some of the same visual impact by changing some of the plastic parts. 

Are the humbucker mounting surrounds bevelled on their undersides to match the string path or are they perpendicular against the body top? 

Either way, it should be possible to up the bling factor by changing to metal or metallic effect surrounds. 

Not a bad shout on the metallic surrounds actually! They’re flat topped but quite tall, I’ll take to the parts sites for a look…