RI Mustang project

[ghostsurfer]

Well, I snagged this stang on CL, it was beat up pretty badly in a so called "Relic" attempt. I had to save it. I stripped it, tried to repair the damage and in the process of painting and buffing. I am using reranch paint. I did assemble it for a photo but I am not happy with the buff so I will probably take it apart again. Can't help it, never really happy with anything I paint.

[Ninja Mike 808]

Looks really good, I woulda done some comp. stripes on it, but tha's jus me bein' silly...

What kinda paint did you use?

[ohm-men]

Hmmm, looks nice. A very pretty colour. I like Mustangs in Sonic Blue or Dapne Blue a lot.

perhaps share a thing about the painting process, There's a lot of guys here who can help you out witht the buffing.

[Down Underground]

my 3 cents...I have refinished a few guitars and learned this....you must completely remove the old finish...away it must go...next sand the body smooth...then you need to apply a wood filler and seal the body....let dry a few days....next sand the body untill it's completely smooth!  no dings or anything like that...after shooting a few coats ( 5-7) of nitro let the body sit for a few weeks..the longer the better...a month is good....then comes the wet sanding! 600, 800, 1000. 1500, 2000 grit paper...be sure to use a sanding block! the paint should come alive around this time.  finish it off with some nitro clear coat. use the entire can....let the clear coat sit a few weeks! again the longer the better....repeat the wet sanding process and finish with some nice car wax! 

[ghostsurfer]

Looks really good, I woulda done some comp. stripes on it, but tha's jus me bein' silly...

What kinda paint did you use?

That is exactly what my plan was, I was going to lay the blue down and even bought the lake placid. Then my family saw the daphne blue one Dan Zane has (he is on playhouse disney)  and they all said "wow, do that to your guitar!"

here was my vision, I am 70% sure this is what I will do. opinions? Leave it?  Or competition stripes?

[ghostsurfer]

Hmmm, looks nice. A very pretty colour. I like Mustangs in Sonic Blue or Dapne Blue a lot.

perhaps share a thing about the painting process, There's a lot of guys here who can help you out witht the buffing.

Well, I had drill attachment buff pads from stwmac, but I have bought a maguiars  auto buffer from porter cable, so I though it would do a real bang up job, since it is a DA and has adjustable rpm's.

[ghostsurfer]

my 3 cents...I have refinished a few guitars and learned this....you must completely remove the old finish...away it must go...next sand the body smooth...then you need to apply a wood filler and seal the body....let dry a few days....next sand the body untill it's completely smooth!  no dings or anything like that...after shooting a few coats ( 5-7) of nitro let the body sit for a few weeks..the longer the better...a month is good....then comes the wet sanding! 600, 800, 1000. 1500, 2000 grit paper...be sure to use a sanding block! the paint should come alive around this time.  finish it off with some nitro clear coat. use the entire can....let the clear coat sit a few weeks! again the longer the better....repeat the wet sanding process and finish with some nice car wax! 

Great info. Do u think Alder still needs a grain fill? I skipped that part

[rickenmetal]

Competition stripes are usually on the contoured bodies, you seem to have the slab body 65 reissue. I don't much care for competition stripes, I like contoured bodies though, but that's just my opinion. In any case your guitar should be poplar and have better pickups than the earlier reissues.

Did the previous owner attempt to contour the top? Can't really tell from the pics. If he did, it wouldn't be original, but it adds to the playability.

[Ninja Mike 808]

You could even go opposite if you wanted to, like make the Lake Placid the comp stripe.

[Nord]

Alder typically does not require grain filling. You'd be able to see and feel if that piece of alder's grain is (rare) open (in which case grain filling would be required)

[-2N3904-]

Alder typically does not require grain filling. You'd be able to see and feel if that piece of alder's grain is (rare) open (in which case grain filling would be required)

CIJ mustangs are basswood though.

[rickenmetal]

65 RIs are poplar, unless the specs are wrong.

[-2N3904-]

Oh yea, i forgot...some are poplar too. i think its the 69's that are basswood.

[ghostsurfer]

You could even go opposite if you wanted to, like make the Lake Placid the comp stripe.

WOW, now that would be a cool look, not too original but very original does that make sense.

the previous owner attempted something with what looked like 36 grit!!!  not sure if it was a contour attempt
Based on my Junior high shop classes, I'm gonna say it was poplar.  but, that was a long time ago LOL

I do know that Ash needs filling