Painting a headstock

Mammoth_Bass

Mammoth_Bass

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May 2, 2016
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#1
hi friends.

I have a jaguar parts bass I have recently assembled. I am a sucker for matching HS and would love for my jag to have one. The body is LPB from Warmoth. I am looking on some tips to completing this and also where I can get the paint. I am fairly handy and I’d like to give this a shot... OR if you know of someone in the southern NH/Boston area who could do this for me that might be the more logical route. Thanks in advance!
A739E1A4-71B2-4FA1-916F-C507EB199E1A.jpeg
15EE1B3E-F029-455E-AD64-71016B4053EB.jpeg
 
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#3
Do you have any experience painting or finishing things? Do you have a preference in terms of material or technique?

Giving us info like that will help people put their advice in context (vs guessing if we need to explain finishing from ground zero, or just give you some tips for this specific scenario).
 
#4
dwizum said:
Do you have any experience painting or finishing things? Do you have a preference in terms of material or technique?

Giving us info like that will help people put their advice in context (vs guessing if we need to explain finishing from ground zero, or just give you some tips for this specific scenario).
Click to expand...
No finishing experience for me so starting from ground zero would be best!
 
#5
That color looks like a pretty good match for Rust-Oleum metallic blue, that I used on this bass:
IMG_20190408_180259745~2.jpg

I sanded the body smooth, primed with Rust-Oleum primer, and shot several light coats of paint. My son actually did the bulk of the color coats and masking and I did the rest along with the clear coats. The clear was also Rust-Oleum but it's the kind that comes from the auto parts store in the red can. I think it's the enamel, not the lacquer. I did the headstock later when I changed necks and did the same procedure with the same products. This was the first time I had done this and while up close it's not perfect, it wasn't hard at all. I just masked off what I didn't want to be blue and went to work. Finished it in about three days or so, allowing for drying time.

Give it a try. It's fun to say you did it yourself!

BnB
 
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#6
Mammoth_Bass said:
I am looking on some tips to completing this and also where I can get the paint. I am fairly handy and I’d like to give this a shot.
Click to expand...

Nice bass. I'm diggin' the one piece pickguard/control plate.

Anyway, should be a pretty easy and straight forward process. I prefer to remove the neck. I have a friend that has to have all his basses with HS matching, and does not, but I feel just easier and less chance of whacking your bass while painting the headstock. You have to remove strings and all hardware as it is, so 4 more removing screws is a piece of cake. Once neck is off, I wrap the neck with paper and then mask off the edges and back of headstock. Then using a sanding block and 220 grit lightly sand just enough to break the shine of the gloss so your new finish has something to grab onto, and you won't need primer. Then spray your color. Back and forth motion and not too close. Its better to do a couple three lighter coats than try to cover in one heavy pass. This will also help prevent runs. Once you are satisfied with coverage, spray your clear in the same manner. You may have to wet sand between clear coats depending on how smooth the clear lays down. When you happy with the depth and shine, a final wet sand. I use 400 grit. The I go with some rubbing compound, and final with some polishing compound and buff out to a shine. Replace hardware and neck back on bass and your rocking your sweet Jag with matching HS.

As far as materials, Reranch sells Fender colors and clear lacquer. They also have good finishing tip/tutorial. The Guitar ReRanch Also youtube is your friend.

You got this, take your time and have fun. And... as always post pics when finished.
 
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#7
funkinbottom said:
Nice bass. I'm diggin' the one piece pickguard/control plate.

Anyway, should be a pretty easy and straight forward process. I prefer to remove the neck. I have a friend that has to have all his basses with HS matching, and does not, but I feel just easier and less chance of whacking your bass while painting the headstock. You have to remove strings and all hardware as it is, so 4 more removing screws is a piece of cake. Once neck is off, I wrap the neck with paper and then mask off the edges and back of headstock. Then using a sanding block and 220 grit lightly sand just enough to break the shine of the gloss so your new finish has something to grab onto, and you won't need primer. Then spray your color. Back and forth motion and not too close. Its better to do a couple three lighter coats than try to cover in one heavy pass. This will also help prevent runs. Once you are satisfied with coverage, spray your clear in the same manner. You may have to wet sand between clear coats depending on how smooth the clear lays down. When you happy with the depth and shine, a final wet sand. I use 400 grit. The I go with some rubbing compound, and final with some polishing compound and buff out to a shine. Replace hardware and neck back on bass and your rocking your sweet Jag with matching HS.

As far as materials, Reranch sells Fender colors and clear lacquer. They also have good finishing tip/tutorial. The Guitar ReRanch Also youtube is your friend.

You got this, take your time and have fun. And... as always post pics when finished.
Click to expand...
Thanks!! I looked on reranch but did not see a LPB or anything similar... I like the look of the one piece pick guard but the volume knob often gets in the way. I’m still experimenting with the whole bass to get it just right!
 
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#8
Painting a headstock is a great way to learn the basic refinishing process if you haven't tried it before. Worst case, you can sand it back to natural with minimal effort. However, matching the paint identically is going to be the trick here. I'd contact Warmoth first and ask what they use. If you can't get their formula, Reranch's LPB is probably going to be the closest match. It still may look a bit different, though.

Lake Placid Blue Metallic
 
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#10
Their site is temporarily down! :banghead:
friskinator said:
Painting a headstock is a great way to learn the basic refinishing process if you haven't tried it before. Worst case, you can sand it back to natural with minimal effort. However, matching the paint identically is going to be the trick here. I'd contact Warmoth first and ask what they use. If you can't get their formula, Reranch's LPB is probably going to be the closest match. It still may look a bit different, though.

Lake Placid Blue Metallic
Click to expand...

funkinbottom said:
Yeah, their site is a little weird to navigate. Here is a link to LPB and Clear.

Lake Placid Blue Metallic
Nitrocellulose Clear Coat Aerosol
Click to expand...
 
#18
Mammoth_Bass said:
hi friends.

I have a jaguar parts bass I have recently assembled. I am a sucker for matching HS and would love for my jag to have one. The body is LPB from Warmoth. I am looking on some tips to completing this and also where I can get the paint. I am fairly handy and I’d like to give this a shot... OR if you know of someone in the southern NH/Boston area who could do this for me that might be the more logical route. Thanks in advance!View attachment 3411921View attachment 3411922
Click to expand...



I did mine.

I changed to a paddle neck, had to paint it, came out fine.

The match of paint is important but not super critical as its not contiguous.

Scuff the clear with a 3M pad, wipe several times with iso alcohol so wax residue is gone and paint.

Wet sand if necessary.......decal optional?
 
#19
being a former cook, I buy the 500 foot box of plastic wrap from the restaurant supply store and use that to wrap the neck with before painting the headstock. I don't get a newspaper and any advertisements that come on news print gets used in the charcoal starter
personally I hate rustoleum, even for metal, so I would shy away from that and go with something intended for wood. I'm not the biggest fan of nitro lacquer (besides the bs about it magically giving the wood tone, it's not the most pleasant to work with and definitely not something i'd like too be inhaling)
don't skimp out on the tape for masking the vertical sides of the headstock. I picked up some orange phoenix brand tape from the paint store and it's the best friggin tape I've ever purchased. better be for seven bucks per roll

to be honest, after assembling a modest compressor + paint sprayer, I would never use rattle can again. so much more control

you may want to check out the local auto body shop. there's a chance they could do a professional-looking job for not much money
 
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#20
Thumpin6string said:
Another inexpensive way to do this and it is reversible, is to bring the neck to a place that does vinyl wraps. They probably have a color pretty close and it can be removed down the road if needed.
Click to expand...

Guitar Skins, Decals, Stickers & Wraps for Any Guitar!

I did this with a pickguard... super easy!

I'm not sure how badly you want the headstock to LPB, but matching the white stripe would probably be easier, and look just as cool...

... good luck, Sis!
 
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