Hey ya'll, I own an Ibanez SR800 Bass and I love it to death but I want to change the color on it. I bought it used and it has it's share of scratches and chiped places. Do ya'll have any suggestions for me, such as:

1. Best way to strip the old paint
2. Which paint works the best (I was planning on getting some automobile paint but I want ya'lls insight)
3. How much of a hassle it's going to be.

I'd love any insight on this. Thanks!!

There is a supplier called Guitar Ranch that has the most incredible line of in-the-can guitar finishes I have ever seen. They have a web site which I don't have the URL. I will post it when I get it. They even show examples of their finishes and they are remarkable. This stuff seems to be very easy to work with and you could even do awesome bursts witout much trouble. They even have the off-beat colors like pink and aquamarine.

I've usedthe automotive stuff and found it OK but it required a lot of work to make acceptable. As I think about it, since my last bass was painted black, it was even more work. Black is the hardest to make appear perfect. There will be a lot more posts to this thread since a bunch of us have been through this before.

First tip I can offer is to try to keep as much of the original sealing finish as possible. It will make the rest of the job easier.

I ahve a natural finish bass, which I was thinking of painting, so I would be very interested in some more info.

Well, you'da never found it by my first post cuz it's called the "Guitar ReRanch" Here is the URL:

http://home.flash.net/~guitars/index.htm

This site has tips, techniques, and lots of photos.

1. In sandpaper we trust. Use rougher paper in beginning,
the finish up with very smooth grade.
2. Woodwax I hear is the best. Atleast german manufacturer
called Osmo Color does it. Easy to spread with cloth and good finish.
3. Couple of days work, most of time goes waiting the paint to dry. Sanding takes perhaps 30-60mins and painting 20-30 mins at a time.

Trust me, I painted lot at school woodworkclasses :D

One word, Stickers. I have an old premeire bass that took a good amount of beating. So I covered it in stickers of my favorite bands and some other stuff, not only does it look pretty cool, but it makes it more of my own. Also, it's cheap. If you do something creative people will remember you by it.

My friend's band covered their guitars in porn.

I have pics of jelly babies on mine. original bassets ones, of course.