NEED Pick-up

[Rob]

Hi gang . Would anyone in northern USA or Canada have a old under the soundboard pick-up and barrel jack they could sell me. Please drop me a e-mail. Huge thanks.
Also I am in the process of painting a acoustic Granada (dont laugh) with Dupont car paint which Ihear works well. Do I need three good coats and two coats of primer ? I also understand from what my Dupont supply store tells me for the finish coats instead of Laquer I need to use a acrylic urithane. Is this a water baseacrylic laquer Ishould be looking for as the Dupont store does not stock it in? How many coats of urithane will be needed Please? In the prcess of having a bracket made to hold the guitar at complete horizontal and also be able to turn at the same time with my free hand.
Huge thanks fr help on the soundboard pick-up so I can get to the painting stage. -Rob
Peterborough Ont Canada

[Donald A. Fortune]

Hi Rob-- I have used automotive paint to do solid body guitars and it worked well for me.
today, automotive paint has a urethane base and the flow rate is good.
here's what you do -- put a base color coat on first and cut it 50/50 with reducer and then rub it out with 1500 grit
wet paper and then put a clear coat, cut 50/50 also ( as many as needed) over that and sand it between coats with the same 1500 grit
wet paper.. Final rubbing should be done with 2000 grit wet paper and then a good rub out with polish and you're done.
stand back and admire you're handy work------
good luck with you're project.....
Peace,
Donald

PS sorry I cant help you with the pickup :-(

[Rob]

Thanks for the info at my attempt to paint my old can't hurt Granada axe!
Here is what the girl on the desk told me to do which sounds like she is bad guessing and doesn't no much more than me on the accual subject even though Itold her it was to do a guitar . Sold me Dupont gray primer and told me to sand with 320 then 400 dry sandpaper.Went out and bought it in wet as thats what I recall people saying Told her I was pretty sure should be doing at least three coats of the good midnight blue paint I have chose which Ihave not bought yet.
She then showed me a large can of acrylic urithane $17.00 which Ihave not bought yet. She said not to sand between coats so my guess is she is giving wrong info as sounds like you know your stuff. My guess is she is giving spraying a car info here.
How important is the reducer thing and should this auto paint supply store which mixes the can in large airissols have reducer? At $25.00 a pop should I buy one can mixed with a 50-50 reducer ,spray two thin coats doing your wet sanding grit suggestion then a final spray of the good paint mixed at full strength? Next the two coats of the acyrilic urithane with your 2000 wet sanding grit. Does it need to be cut with reducer that bad and what would the reducer be in arylic urithane-.....water ? What is the reason for reducer if you can explain to help get my head around the whole process.Can you by a 50-50 reducer mixed arrisol at Home Depot or can you buy it in a can and apply with a real good brush which sounds if-fee for a final finish?
Thanks for any advice!!!! -Rob

[Donald A. Fortune]

Hi Rob - The thing with people in the supply business is that they are sales people and are looking to make as much money as passable so you are liable to be told anything that makes them money.
The method that I explained in a former post is pretty much fool proof and the primer ( although it wont hurt anything, is not necessary)
Sanding in between coats is to insure that the next coat goes on a smooth surface as possible.
I realize that things work different for different people but that method works well for me.
Peace,
Donald

[Rob]

Thanks Donald for advice. Sounds like you know how to acheive a great finish!
With very limited working conditions to work with should I hang guitar tunning keys near floor ,then hang tunning pins up on the next coat? I had a special bracket made up so I could support the guitar perfect horizontal which can rotate at will with my free hand and be able to spray at 90 degrees at about ten inches away. Should I only spray vertcal? Is it a down to up position movement you use or both? Don should I be turnning end to end between coats?
Is the reducer urithane Don and should a good paint store be able to mix me up a 50-50 mix in arrisol cans?
Thanks again Don for your help. Would love to see some pics of your work using your method if you can e-mail me some! Rob

[Donald A. Fortune]

Hi Rob -- the reducer should be purchased by the supplier that you got the paint from, to avoid mixing something in the mix that might have an adverse effect.
I did a custom Jazzmaster guitar for my son in law and used my method and the thing came out with a finish so good you can see the shine from down town. LOL
I also use the same method on a custom soloist guitar that I make.
painted in a vertical or horizontal position is up to you, however spray a practice piece to see what works better for you.....
Peace,
Donald

[Rob]

Thank Don.
The reason for me to use a primer even though I realize that I am killing volume and possibly a bit on high end tone (high-E) is this. The thirty plus year old clunker (Granada),don't laugh had a wickid warpped soundboard right under the bridge. The bridge was also lifted right off the soundboard making playing brutal. To me the only way I could fixt his was cut out a 9x13 piece out and see what was going on inside which I knew would not be pretty. When I did I found a broken sound rib off the X brace. Removed the bridge off the piece removed and all the old glue. Was able to track down another old top from a local luither and cut a perfect fit piece to go back on. Glued it back onto all the braces and all around the edges and is looking very good indeed. Have the throway tunners removed with a almost new set given to me and a perfect clean strap pinhole for a L RBaggs I BEAM pick-up I plan to buy since can't seem To find a good used one anywhere. To help replace a bit of lost volume Ihave removed the old Martin style pickguard but decided to leave the rossetts around the soundhole since there is next to no thickness to them and don't think there would be any more gain on sound doing this. The fun continues -Rob.

[Donald A. Fortune]

Hi Rob -- sounds to me like you could get some serious experience in re building a
flat top guitar.
BTW -- spraying on a finish is not new to me since I was a high end cabinet maker for a lot of years before I got into making guitars, and I started with solid body's and then moved to flat top and classical guitars, and I'm having the time of my life.
dont be afraid of making a mistake because that's the way you learn.
"guitar making is a dance that you learn as you go "
Peace,
Donald