Old Arai ZZ - budget / home paint job ?

AK99 · July 2022

Started playing this again recently - having a bit of fun with the meaty Invader pickup in the bridge. Never liked the paint though. Somebody previous to me had hand-painted (badly) the tail edge and some chips on the horns, so I sanded them back in anticipation of getting them repainted.

Image: https://i.imgur.com/rt3aVi8l.jpg?1

I never did in the end. Seriously contemplating stripping it with a heat gun now, and painting the body black. Was wondering how difficult / easy that might be ... and also wondering what I should do with the blue/black paint and logo on the face of the headstock ?

I've no worries about disassembling the guitar, or actually stripping the paint btw - it's primarily worries about trying to get a decent finish at home without pro gear. and also the question of the aesthetics and logo on the headstock.

Any and all ideas or input gladly received

ICBM · July 2022

Either restore it to the original burst - there doesn't seem to be much if any damage outside the burst edges so that should be possible - or strip it and redo the body black... the headstock will still look fine with an all-black body.

Funkfingers · July 2022

What he said.

A skilled finisher should be able to make a decent job of tidying up the points and the edges where you have sanded.

Taking off all of the black, leaving just the blue is probably the best approach. The new application of black will determine where the crossfade will be. Further in might look better than the original.

The restoration will not be entirely invisible but, from a distance, nobody would see it.

Whilst the blue-to-black burst is not the prettiest finish known to humankind, it is instantly recognisable to gentlemen of a certain age, evoking their teens or early Twenties.

One argument in favour of ICBM's suggestion for a full body respray is that it creates an opportunity to change (or eliminate) the vibrato. (My choice would be a floating two-post system and locking machineheads.)

Deadman · July 2022

If it were me I’d strip it (heat gun method) and decide on the finish when I see what wood appearance I’m left with.

ICBM · July 2022

Deadman said:

If it were me I’d strip it (heat gun method) and decide on the finish when I see what wood appearance I’m left with.

It will be a multi-piece ‘butcher block’ body most likely, and not especially nice to look at. Despite the overall quality, Matsumoku did this a lot and usually hid it either under front and back veneers or solid paint colours. Even my sunburst Aria RS is a 5-piece body, with not especially matching grain.

Deadman · July 2022

I’d agree with you and say black all the way in that case.

Funkfingers · July 2022

ICBM said:
It will be a multi-piece ‘butcher block’ body most likely and not especially nice to look at. Despite the overall quality, Matsumoku did this a lot and usually hid it either under front and back veneers or solid paint colours. Even my sunburst Aria RS is a 5-piece body, with not especially matching grain.

Looking at the opening post photograph of the sanded long edge, it is possible to see three definite discontinuities in the end grain. There is a fourth possible join between the strap button and the output jack socket plate.

Next, you need to imagine whether the "spread" sections are glued together parallel to the string path or on a diagonal across the ZZ outline.

As an intellectual exercise/puzzle, sketch the ZZ outline on a piece of paper. Work out how many pieces are required to create a body blank that is not hugely wasteful of lumber. (Hint: Some pieces will be longer than others. On the other hand, longer pieces of presentable wood are more difficult/costly to obtain. They are unlikely to appear on a low to mid-price instrument.)

AK99 · July 2022

Had considered stripping it briefly, but I've seen a few stripped - and they are indeed not the prettiest:

And as Funkfingers points out - the stripped piece on the tail on mine shows you there's a number of different pieces of timber involved.

Funkfingers · July 2022

Thank you, AK99, for the new photograph. It confirms ICBM's assertion about the body construction.

I am still trying to visualise the composite body blank before it sees the CNC routing machine. (Two full length sections plus three stubby ones for the pointy corners, perhaps?) How and where would it be pinned down to the bench?

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Having the black burst edges resprayed retains the guitar's USP - its finish.

Stripping to respray in solid black would work. A metallic blue decal or colourful plastic hardware would preserve some of the original colour scheme, making better sense of the blueburst headstock.

The leftfield alternative is to borrow the Ibanez Midnight Sky idea.

Somebody, browsing photographs of Antigua finished Fender instruments, decided to see how they would look as colour negatives. RESULT - dark blue centre with cloudy white edges. This has since become an official Ibanez finish on selected instruments.

AK99 · July 2022

If I had the skillset - I'd love to go with the original two-colour diagonal split scheme..but not sure how it would work with the lighter maple neck:

WezV · July 2022

Do it, but flip the colours so black is closest to the neck

AK99 · July 2022

^ That's very astute Wez.. I really like the thought of that. (Damn ye...:) )

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Old Arai ZZ - budget / home paint job ?

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