What colour should I paint My ESP?

[opprobrium_9]

that's a beautiful top on that red one Benmartin.  I was not so critical about you buying the guitar, because obviously it is about the playability.  But it is just all these 80's suggestions to mod it  :roll: that gunmetal finish does look quite nice though.

There are some things you could do on your own that would cost less than 40 quid though, and i think, look cool.  You could sand down the body to take off the paint job and you could apply stain to it and keep sanding and staining until you get a nice antique look to the thing.  Or you could paint it with something else and do the same thing getting a "this guitar has been through WW III" look :twisted:. Or, you could sand it down and blow torch the fvcker then lacquer it and that would look hot!

[WezV]

There are some things you could do on your own that would cost less than 40 quid though, and i think, look cool.  You could sand down the body to take off the paint job and you could apply stain to it and keep sanding and staining until you get a nice antique look to the thing.  Or you could paint it with something else and do the same thing getting a "this guitar has been through WW III" look :twisted:. Or, you could sand it down and blow torch the fvcker then lacquer it and that would look hot!

some of these things are suprisingly difficult to get looking right...

and i always found using spray cans to be very expensive and difficult to get good results with them... but thats only if you are aiming for a good finish

although i must admit i brought some spray cans from here recently
http://www.manchesterguitartech.co.uk/lacquer.html

£15 a can but very good stuff  and much easier to get good results than using stuff from halfords

i brought i because they had burgundy mist, and someone mentioning burgundy mist had given me gas for a bass in said colour

[Philly Q]

You can get decent results with spraycan car paints, if you're patient and careful enough.  I wouldn't attempt a sunburst, but it's fine for solid colours.

Not the greatest pic, but this is a spraycan finish and it's still looking fine 20 years later:

[Jonny]

I did a burst finish on my Stratocaster copy. I thought the burst was good. I just didn't put any clear at the end though. But the bursting was easy (to me) and it is your own guitar, so whatever makes you happy.

although i must admit i brought some spray cans from here recently
http://www.manchesterguitartech.co.uk/lacquer.html

£15 a can but very good stuff  and much easier to get good results than using stuff from halfords

i brought i because they had burgundy mist, and someone mentioning burgundy mist had given me gas for a bass in said colour

They only have Halfords over here. :(

Don't trust those orange aproned B&Q people with their Plasti-kote stuff.

[gingataff]

Personally I like my superstrats as bright and garish as possible, your baby blue ESP is a bit mild for my tastes 8)

As an aside, does anyone remember those ESPs back in the 80s that had real Dollar bills under the clear finish? When I was a teenager they looked really cool, of course with inflation the way it is I'm sure they are worthless now

[noodleplugerine]

Quick google and look at this!!!

http://www.guitar-museum.com/guitar.php?ID=5544

[Jonny]

That's putting your money into your guitar to a whole new level.

[WezV]

You can get decent results with spraycan car paints, if you're patient and careful enough.

too true, its the patience that most people struggle with.    it can be a very slow process because of the amount of thinners in those lacquers... it feels dry in seconds but aint fully hard for ages and if you spray the next coat to soon the layer underneath is stopped from curing effectively.  If you take the 'wack it on' approach you can be waiting months or even years for it to be fully hard

those cans i pointed to have a few advantages, they are a bit thicker than standard spray cans  so cover better  and build nicer, but probably have a much shorter shelf life because of that.... but the big advantage is the fan shaped nozzle that makes it much easier to get an even coat without runs.

[opprobrium_9]

Quick google and look at this!!!

http://www.guitar-museum.com/guitar.php?ID=5544

interesting approach @ a guitar!

[Lazy_McDoesnothing]

Guess what my vote is:

Not the same but it has a lot of the same features.  I just wanted a chance to show off.  :o

[FELINEGUITARS]

This is Ben's other ESP that we renovated

[noodleplugerine]

This is Ben's other ESP that we renovated

And its gorgeous!!!