Competition 1983 Fender Bullet Project

cooter · Post by **cooter** » Sat Jun 28, 2008 11:49 pm

Just getting started on my latest project and thought Iâ€™d share how things are going so far. Itâ€™s a 1983 Fender Bullet body that I got pretty cheap. Last weekend I took a heatgun to the original beat up black poly finish, then I sanded smooth, sprayed a few coats of sealer and then a good coat of white primer. Later in the week I sprayed what was left of a can of Reranch Sonic Blue making sure the lower bout of the body got a good coat.

Next, I sat down with some 3M blue painterâ€™s tape, a sheet of wax paper, a pencil, some scissors and a straight edge. I made a light line on the wax paper with a straight edge and ran a strip of painters tape along the line. Measured off my thin stripes and cut them out. The painters tape is Â¾â€� wide so I used that width for the middle stripe. Iâ€™m not sure what the actual width of the competition stripes should be. I guess I could have measured the stripes on my Cyclone II but I didnâ€™t. Anyway, these looked pleasing to me. The outside stripes are 0.30â€� wide and the inside stripe is 0.75â€� wide with 0.20â€� wide gaps in between.

I really liked the color that Cowbell used on his Bronco so I wanted to use that with the Sonic Blue because they look real nice together. After spraying about 2/3 can of Duplicolor Light Blue Metallic I let it sit for a few hours. I then lightly scored the edges of the tape with a razor any slowly removed the tape.

Iâ€™m going to let it hang until next weekend before I start the clear coats. Thereâ€™s a few tiny spots I want to touch up before spraying the clear.

Ninja Mike 808 · Post by **Ninja Mike 808** » Sat Jun 28, 2008 11:51 pm

Looks great. Only 1 thing I would like to see (having no clue if it would look good) is if the stripe went around the back, too!

Mages · Post by **Mages** » Sat Jun 28, 2008 11:54 pm

wow, that looks really cool man. and the fact that it's a bullet and not a normal strat makes it even cooler.

Ninja Mike 808 wrote:Looks great. Only 1 thing I would like to see (having no clue if it would look good) is if the stripe went around the back, too!

usually competition stripes don't go around the back.

Will · Post by **Will** » Sun Jun 29, 2008 12:20 am

I would give this an A+ except you went for comp blue instead of comp orange, so I'll take it down to an A.

cooter · Post by **cooter** » Sun Jun 29, 2008 12:45 am

DuoSonicBoy wrote:I would give this an A+ except you went for comp blue instead of comp orange, so I'll take it down to an A.

This is practice for the comp orange project waiting in the wings.

tribi9 · Post by **tribi9** » Sun Jun 29, 2008 12:57 am

Hot, Hot, Hot!

Ninja Mike 808 · Post by **Ninja Mike 808** » Sun Jun 29, 2008 1:21 am

mage wrote:wow, that looks really cool man. and the fact that it's a bullet and not a normal strat makes it even cooler.

Ninja Mike 808 wrote:Looks great. Only 1 thing I would like to see (having no clue if it would look good) is if the stripe went around the back, too!
usually competition stripes don't go around the back.

Yea, that's why I said i have no clue if it would look good or not, cause I've never seen it, but I wanna see it...

Mages · Post by **Mages** » Sun Jun 29, 2008 2:10 am

Ninja Mike 808 wrote:
mage wrote:
Ninja Mike 808 wrote:Looks great. Only 1 thing I would like to see (having no clue if it would look good) is if the stripe went around the back, too!
usually competition stripes don't go around the back.
Yea, that's why I said i have no clue if it would look good or not, cause I've never seen it, but I wanna see it...

oh ok. yeah, I wonder if it would look good... probably. would be hard to do though.

r40f · Post by **r40f** » Sun Jun 29, 2008 4:55 am

i really like that darker blue - great job

Post by **Mike** » Sun Jun 29, 2008 5:40 am

NIcely done!

James · Post by **James** » Sun Jun 29, 2008 10:41 am

I like it but I don't understand why you painted the whole body in daphne. Did you spray the darker blue on quite lightly so the daphne was needed all over? Also, that wasn't even a whole can? How big are those cans?!

cooter · Post by **cooter** » Sun Jun 29, 2008 11:24 am

James wrote:I like it but I don't understand why you painted the whole body in daphne. Did you spray the darker blue on quite lightly so the daphne was needed all over? Also, that wasn't even a whole can? How big are those cans?!

To be honest, when I did a little research that was the method used. I read through the "How to Paint Your Guitar" book, the one that shows you how to paint EVH's Frankenstein and Zakk Wylde's Bullseye and with each color they would mask off and paint the whole body. It may not have been necessary but it turned out quite nice and everything looks uniform. The cans are 11 oz. I've found that if you use sealer and primer and prep everything well it doesn't take that much color. I usually use about 3/4 of a can. Now when I start the clear I normally use about 1 1/2 - 2 cans of that.

ludger · Post by **ludger** » Sun Jun 29, 2008 3:11 pm

Tasty

James · Post by **James** » Sun Jun 29, 2008 3:29 pm

cooterfinger wrote:
James wrote:I like it but I don't understand why you painted the whole body in daphne. Did you spray the darker blue on quite lightly so the daphne was needed all over? Also, that wasn't even a whole can? How big are those cans?!
To be honest, when I did a little research that was the method used. I read through the "How to Paint Your Guitar" book, the one that shows you how to paint EVH's Frankenstein and Zakk Wylde's Bullseye and with each color they would mask off and paint the whole body. It may not have been necessary but it turned out quite nice and everything looks uniform. The cans are 11 oz. I've found that if you use sealer and primer and prep everything well it doesn't take that much color. I usually use about 3/4 of a can. Now when I start the clear I normally use about 1 1/2 - 2 cans of that.

It looks great. You defintely made the right choice going for the darker blue as the main colour.

More Cowbell · Post by **More Cowbell** » Sun Jun 29, 2008 3:29 pm

Great Job!

Ninja Mike 808 · Post by **Ninja Mike 808** » Sun Jun 29, 2008 8:50 pm

James wrote:
cooterfinger wrote:
James wrote:I like it but I don't understand why you painted the whole body in daphne. Did you spray the darker blue on quite lightly so the daphne was needed all over? Also, that wasn't even a whole can? How big are those cans?!
To be honest, when I did a little research that was the method used. I read through the "How to Paint Your Guitar" book, the one that shows you how to paint EVH's Frankenstein and Zakk Wylde's Bullseye and with each color they would mask off and paint the whole body. It may not have been necessary but it turned out quite nice and everything looks uniform. The cans are 11 oz. I've found that if you use sealer and primer and prep everything well it doesn't take that much color. I usually use about 3/4 of a can. Now when I start the clear I normally use about 1 1/2 - 2 cans of that.
It looks great. You defintely made the right choice going for the darker blue as the main colour.

I think the reason they ask you to paint the whole thing is to make sure it's even. This is just judging by car and motorcycle TV shows, though.

roachello · Post by **roachello** » Sun Jun 29, 2008 9:40 pm

Great job! Now clear it! I wanna see it shine

DGNR8 · Post by **DGNR8** » Sun Jun 29, 2008 11:55 pm

Look at that complex math--calculator, formulas on paper, and RAZORBLADE!

Tex-czech · Post by **Tex-czech** » Mon Jun 30, 2008 12:53 am

you have the metal pickguard/bridge all in one model?

cooter · Post by **cooter** » Mon Jun 30, 2008 1:08 am

Tex-czech wrote:you have the metal pickguard/bridge all in one model?

3 ply pickguard with separate hardtail bridge. The pickguard has been modded so I'll have to get a new one made.