Painting on a CE22 with acrylic paint

[AoutoCooper]

hi guys! i've got a CE22 (older model, not from this year.) and i wanted to draw paintings on it with acrylic paint.
i'm not talking about sanding off the current paint and re-finishing it, i'm talking painting straight on the guitar body with acrylic. kinda like what Kevin Parker (tame impala) did:

http://www.premierguitar.com/ext/re..._2004_DSC_1977_Photo-by-Rich-Osweiler_WEB.jpg

i understand PRS do not use lacquer but a Poly based paint, so i wanted to know if the finish will get damaged, how bad will it be damaged IF it would be damaged, and whether or not the acrylic could be removed (since it won't "sink" into the wood).
BTW i'm talking about a pretty high quality paint, I'm a painter and this is what i use in my paintings. I'm not talking about any "industrial grade" paint.
thanks for the answers!

 

[rugerpc]

Using any kind of paint is probably going to affect the original finish adversely.

If you are hoping to be able to remove whatever you put on your guitar and return it to its pre-painted condition, I think you are going to be very disappointed.

 

[AoutoCooper]

are you sure? i mean acrylic paint is water based, with plastic-glue as a thickener, so there's no way it will be absorbed by the guitar's finish. all that could happen is the acrylic will stick to the guitar (because of the glue) and would probably peel off with time. from my experience, whenever i got my wooden, lacquer-coated table with some acrylic paint i could easily take it off, even when it was already dry. same thing with my parquet floor.

 

[toothace]

I concur with Ruger...depending on what your intentions are. If this is going to always be "your" guitar and you are looking to customize with paints(or someone has specifically asked you to do this for them), go for it and mod the Sh&t out of it. My concern would be your paint adhering to the finish and then maintaining the new paint job whilst still using the instrument. Either way, SEND PROGRESS PICS!!

 

[AoutoCooper]

well yeah i plan on keeping it forever, it's my first electric. but who knows what will happen and i'd really hate ruining it.

 

[toothace]

It's not "ruined" if you turn it into something you want

In other words, if you make modifications to "make it more yours", then you aren't ruining it

 

[rugerpc]

I'm pretty sure it will permanently affect the finish.

The finish on a PRS guitar is exceedingly thin. It is meant to protect the guitar from dust and dirt and light moisture like sweaty hands. Even then, it takes constant care to maintain properly, such as dusting and wiping down to remove grease and moisture after playing.

Parquet floors and finished furniture like table tops are meant for much rougher duty. A floor can withstand people walking on the finish, even with grimy, muddy boots and still be polished back to a shine. The finish on both are THICK.

Do you think you could walk on the finish of your guitar with muddy boots and have the same resilience???

But, as toothace says, it's your guitar, paint it however you like and make it yours.

I'm just warning that it is unlikely to be reversible.

 

[AoutoCooper]

ok... and what are the damages that you are talking about? like the original paint looking washed out or dull? or serious wood and tonality problems?

 

[rugerpc]

A ruined finish including hazing, cracking, delaminating, gouging, wood swelling, permanent discoloration, softening of glue joints and generalized mayhem!

I would expect your guitar to need nothing short of a complete stripping, re-sanding and refinishing.

Do any of these methods to remove acrylic paint look benign to you?.

http://hubpages.com/art/various-ways-to-remove-dried-acrylic-paint

 

[Furtive]

From a $ perspective - much of a guitar's value is tied to the finish being original. If you don't want to ruin your guit, first figure out what your definition of ruined is. A CE22 isn't the most expensive PRS, but it's worth a lot more than my beat up and routed SE Soapbar II. So if you plan to hang on to your first guitar and have any doubts about permanently changing it's appearance - find a beater guitar to use as your test bed.

My opinion is that once you put one coating (paint) over another coating - good luck getting that top coat off without any impact to the base coat once it cures.

 

[rugerpc]

About tone.

Th finish on PRS guitars is as thin as practical to enhance tone. Thickening that finish WILL change the tone of your guitar.

 

[CantankerousCarl]

A ruined finish including hazing, cracking, delaminating, gouging, wood swelling, permanent discoloration, softening of glue joints and generalized mayhem!

Dogs and cats sleeping together, the end of the world as we know it...

Yeah, I'm not that adventurous. Good luck though!

 

[AoutoCooper]

A ruined finish including hazing, cracking, delaminating, gouging, wood swelling, permanent discoloration, softening of glue joints and generalized mayhem!

I would expect your guitar to need nothing short of a complete stripping, re-sanding and refinishing.

Do any of these methods to remove acrylic paint look benign to you?.

http://hubpages.com/art/various-ways-to-remove-dried-acrylic-paint

oooo that sounds painful... i think i'll pass. i'll try to find something to cover the guitar with before painting on it. any ideas what i could use?

 

[László]

Clapton's SG from 1966-67, called "The Fool" because it was painted by a Dutch art collective of the same name. I say DO IT!