Lefty Mustang Project - need some input

wetbelly · Post by **wetbelly** » Thu Aug 02, 2012 9:06 am

Hey there, I've got a Mustang project going, getting close to painting it, but can't decide what color or if I should put comp. stripes to it. I'm leaning toward Sherwood Green with matching headstock, but a Coral color sounds appealing as well. It's got fairly decent grain, so a natural finish isn't out of the question either. What does everyone think?

wetbelly · Post by **wetbelly** » Thu Aug 02, 2012 9:22 am

Pretty much have to do a matching headstock to take care of the enlarged peg head holes and few chips in the wood.

Johnny Noir · Post by **Johnny Noir** » Thu Aug 02, 2012 10:48 am

i think Ocean Turquoise Metallic is the best color on a mustang. Sherwood green is better on a jaguar.

wetbelly · Post by **wetbelly** » Thu Aug 02, 2012 9:10 pm

OTM is nice looking, especially with stripes.... I was thinking maybe Desert Sand stripes over the SGM would look choice as well. Or regular Comp. Orange, always loved the look of that.

frettedlefty · Post by **frettedlefty** » Wed Aug 15, 2012 11:31 pm

So how is this coming along?

MagnetInMyHead · Post by **MagnetInMyHead** » Fri Aug 17, 2012 6:00 am

You've probably decided by now, but the coral colour is telling me to tell you that it is awesome.

wetbelly · Post by **wetbelly** » Fri Aug 17, 2012 9:09 am

frettedlefty wrote:So how is this coming along?

Still in indecision mode. I've ben modding a Squier Mini Strat for my son, so that's my latest paint project. But after seeing the CompDuoStang thread here, I'm thinking hard about doing Comp Orange with this.

wetbelly · Post by **wetbelly** » Tue Oct 30, 2012 4:37 am

Well, I finally decided on Comp. Orange, and here's the progress so far:

I still need to do some wet sanding, clear coats and more wet sanding, but I like the way it's coming along.

Thom · Post by **Thom** » Tue Oct 30, 2012 5:38 am

Looking good.

paul_ · Post by **paul_** » Tue Oct 30, 2012 7:20 am

BANGIN

Nice work on the stripes

othomas2 · Post by **othomas2** » Tue Oct 30, 2012 11:43 am

Good Job !! What rail pickup did you opt for ?

wetbelly · Post by **wetbelly** » Tue Oct 30, 2012 12:55 pm

othomas2 wrote:Good Job !! What rail pickup did you opt for ?

To be honest with you, I found a great deal on some bulk guitar project pickups and hardware, so I'm not quite sure what the SD pickup is. I figure if I don't like it I can always swap it out, but I'm sure it will sound alright.

taylornutt · Post by **taylornutt** » Tue Oct 30, 2012 4:27 pm

wetbelly wrote:Well, I finally decided on Comp. Orange, and here's the progress so far:

I still need to do some wet sanding, clear coats and more wet sanding, but I like the way it's coming along.

Question about the matching headstock. Was the rest of the neck raw or already finished? I am about to paint a matching headstock and the neck is completely raw. I am assuming I want to paint the matching headstock, Clear it, and then apply regular and tinted clear to rest of the neck. Does that sequence sound right? What I am trying to figure is whether to paint the headstock first or finish the rest of the neck first.

DGNR8 · Post by **DGNR8** » Tue Oct 30, 2012 8:18 pm

You probably shouldn't wet sand until after you have shot clears and let it cure--whether for a few days or six weeks.

You can spray the neck clears in any sequence. You can also layer the tint anywhere in the sequence and it will give you the look you want. Better to get your surface built with regular clear, then spray tinted. Then more regular clears, so when you wet sand, the tinted is near the top so it looks like aged clear. Too close to the top and you sand it off.

I would tape the fretboard and spray clear on the entire neck. That way you seal the color under clear that goes all the way around. Once you have a few coats of clear on the color you can drop the decal, then bury the whole guitar in clear. Looks like you already know what you are doing. Looks like you are kicking ASS!

And honestly, I have wet sanded color when I got dust, drips, touch ups, or sunburn bubbles (in black). Just make sure you have a clean dry surface when you resume painting. I use mineral or baby oil to wet sand, so I use naptha to clean before spraying. Water just isn't slippery enough for me, and I wouldn't want to get any in the wood.

wetbelly · Post by **wetbelly** » Tue Oct 30, 2012 8:28 pm

Yeah, I was only gonna lightly wet sand where I got a few dust particles in the finish. Then it's on to clear coats. I don't think I'm gonna do any tinted clear on this one, really loving the natural color of the orange and stripes.

This neck was an already finished MIJ Jag neck, so I just sanded the headstock face to give the primer coat something to stick to, and taped off everything else. I'll put up a few more pictures as it comes along, should be wrapping it up in the next few weeks.

othomas2 · Post by **othomas2** » Tue Oct 30, 2012 8:38 pm

wetbelly wrote:
othomas2 wrote:Good Job !! What rail pickup did you opt for ?
To be honest with you, I found a great deal on some bulk guitar project pickups and hardware, so I'm not quite sure what the SD pickup is. I figure if I don't like it I can always swap it out, but I'm sure it will sound alright.

Ah coolio, I only ask because I put these type of pickups in my Stangs and Jaguars. No one ever seems to take my advice when I recommend them the Cool Rails when they're after something a little hotter... they always seem to opt for other alternatives which I've tried and tested, and not liked. Haven't tried the Hotrails though, which this could be also...

The project is looking great, can't wait to see it finished !!

wetbelly · Post by **wetbelly** » Tue Nov 13, 2012 8:18 am

Just waiting on my Fender "F" neck plate and I'll string it up and let it rip!