anyone finish a bass using automotive lacquer?

[Grinderman]

It seems as though in the mid to late '90s the term/s "nitro/nitro lacquer/nitrocellulose" were co-opted as nomenclature for gimmicky/sleight-of-hand marketing copy (I'm looking at Fender), coinciding with these terms becoming a broadly used and misunderstood by folks who would understandably not understand the broad subject matter of lacquer guitar finishes.

Since the early '90s I've done around half a dozen guitar finishing projects with lacquer, including acrylic, nitro, some combination of, so-called automotive lacquer, so-called instrument lacquer, etc/whatever... It's all lacquer.

 

[Thumpin6string]

I've been refinishing guitars for over 20 years. You can use pretty much ANY automotive finishes on a bass or guitar, but that doesn't mean you should. First off, I'm not a fan of any lacquers. I don't like nitro because of the difficulty of getting enough coats to be able to cut and buff. Also, the poor wearability. Acrylic lacquer can be applied pretty easy and can look nice when cut and buffed. The problem is that it is prone to pretty heavy checking as it ages. Also it can crack if applied too heavily. To me, the best finishes for ease of application and longevity are catalyzed urethanes. I prefer base coat/clear coat over single stage, even for solid colors, but that's just my preference. Most of the big name manufacturers used automotive paint and probably still do. Back in the day, Fender used Dupont Imron and PRS used RM urethanes.

 

[Grinderman]

A buddy of mine uses auto finishing supplies exclusively when finishing guitars and drums. His work looks great!

A finish can be disaster or look great or be anywhere between, no matter what the materials are. It comes down to application skills, techniques and process.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

I'll leave the whole VOC/Climate Change/Environmental discussion to your conscience, particularly since I've tried both traditional solvent based and water based finishes, and generally prefer solvent based, but the safety issues involved with any automotive finish are no joke. Any good body shop has some serious investment in a spray booth and full protective gear that the average amateur just can't provide. I've inhaled way more than my share of toxic crap of various types, and just can't do it anymore. The water based stuff gets better all the time, but I haven't used one yet that dries as hard as solvent based. I'm patiently waiting for that "Holy Grail" finish that hasn't arrived yet, but there are less toxic alternatives. Finding a non toxic finish in the colors you want is tough, short of mixing your own, which is do-able, but a bit of a PITA. No high horse here, I'm just about to start doing a bass in Minwax wipe-on Poly, which is definitely a VOC finish.

 

[Beej]

I had a car paint shop mix this color and some 2k clear into spray cans.
2020 Camero Rally Green Metallic
View attachment 4638948
View attachment 4638952 View attachment 4638953 View attachment 4638954 View attachment 4638955

That colour looks fantastic.

 

[Rip Van Dan]

***SNIP***
i guess the other would be olympic white, which is just any white.

I don't believe the Olympic White is just "any white". It behaves far differently than any other white that Fender uses. I have an Olympic White 1982 Jazz that I bought in 1985. It was in mint condition and the ashtray pickup covers not only had never been mounted, they were still in their plastic bags. there was not a lot of contrast between the body color and the white accents when I bought it. It was significantly whiter then than it is now and this Fender color of white is known to slowly yellow over the years, more so with the nitro finish than the polyurethane finish. My '82 would be a poly finish.

Fender also makes Arcitic White which is a lot starker white than the Olympic white. Here's a pretty good comparison I pulled up on Google. Even brand new they are much different colors. Evidently the Polar White is the same as the Arctic white.

And here's a shot of my Olympic White 1982 Jazz that I've used since 1985. The body pic is from ~2010, the full length from 2019.

 

[Dynacord]

they have all the fender colors, but they’re nitro unlike the original acrylic finishes. not a giant difference, but it’s interesting to note that this is really the only time i’ve ever found an (assumably) exact match of a fender custom color with acrylic lacquer. i guess the other would be olympic white, which is just any white.

Just for clarity, the metallics were acrylic lacquer - other than Sherwood Green which was nitro - and then clearcoated with nitro (I'm speaking up until '68). The non metallic colors were nitro lacquer (some debate on Olympic White). Non metallics were often/generally not clearcoated up until '63 and it's not uncommon to see some in the mid 60's where the clear was skipped (but the metallics were pretty much always clearcoated).

 

[Ggaa]

Yep, acrylic looks more plastic than nitro but it's easy to work with and tons of color chips. Pretty durable too.

 

[2112]

Here's an MIM body picked up recently from Bob Reverb that was done with auto paint & clearcoat. It's in my project hopper, thinking about loading it up with some leftover USA Geddy pups and MIM Geddy neck and a black pickguard.

I love this green, and and love how the paint is imperfect. Fits right into my current lust for "refins with character".

 

[JimB52]

I had a 1968 Kalamazoo bass body refinished at an auto body paint shop. Arctic white I think. Turned out very well, but no pictures handy.

 

[flojob]

That colour looks fantastic.

Thanks!

 

[2F/2F]

Acrylic lacquer is "vintage correct" for the color coats of Olympic White, and all metallics except Sherwood Green (which was nitro), but the clear coats over these were still nitrocellulose lacquer. Aside from Sunburst, Blonde, Candy Apple Red, black, and the rare translucent red (which were generic colors and processes), everything they sprayed back in the '60s was a specific car color first.

It won't be chemically the same exact DuPont Lucite that existed back in the '60s, but you can still get something called "acrylic lacquer." It can still be mixed in any color that an auto paint shop has a formula for – and usually put in an aerosol can for you.

 

[bon viesta]

Acrylic lacquer is "vintage correct" for the color coats of Olympic White, and all metallics except Sherwood Green (which was nitro), but the clear coats over these were still nitrocellulose lacquer. Aside from Sunburst, Blonde, Candy Apple Red, black, and the rare translucent red (which were generic colors and processes), everything they sprayed back in the '60s was a specific car color first.

It won't be chemically the same exact DuPont Lucite that existed back in the '60s, but you can still get something called "acrylic lacquer." It can still be mixed in any color that an auto paint shop has a formula for – and usually put in an aerosol can for you.

i’m looking for acrylic because i’m about done with a faux 65 p bass project and i want a finish like the old fender’s that will relic and age BUT i don’t want the color coat and white primer coat itself yellowing like would happen if it was something like reranch nitro. plus the other differences between nitro and acrylic lacquer. going for something accurate, and luckily it’s been found. nitro over the top is also planned.

 

[Grinderman]

they have all the fender colors, but they’re nitro unlike the original acrylic finishes. not a giant difference, but it’s interesting to note that this is really the only time i’ve ever found an (assumably) exact match of a fender custom color with acrylic lacquer. i guess the other would be olympic white, which is just any white.

Nah, simply not so.

 

[Grinderman]

I don't believe the Olympic White is just "any white". It behaves far differently than any other white that Fender uses. I have an Olympic White 1982 Jazz that I bought in 1985. It was in mint condition and the ashtray pickup covers not only had never been mounted, they were still in their plastic bags. there was not a lot of contrast between the body color and the white accents when I bought it. It was significantly whiter then than it is now and this Fender color of white is known to slowly yellow over the years, more so with the nitro finish than the polyurethane finish. My '82 would be a poly finish.

Fender also makes Arcitic White which is a lot starker white than the Olympic white. Here's a pretty good comparison I pulled up on Google. Even brand new they are much different colors. Evidently the Polar White is the same as the Arctic white.
View attachment 4639185

And here's a shot of my Olympic White 1982 Jazz that I've used since 1985. The body pic is from ~2010, the full length from 2019.
View attachment 4639174 View attachment 4639175

I'll have you know that Any White was the Pantone color of the year in 1973.

J.K.

 

[2F/2F]

i guess the other would be olympic white, which is just any white.

Olympic White is not just any white. It's a specific Cadillac color that appeared in 1958, and was originally formulated as a single stage acrylic lacquer (and that is how Fender applied it at first, but they soon switched to clear coating it with nitrocellulose lacquer). It is a slightly cool white, when factory fresh. Over time, the color becomes neutral and slightly darker, then yellows to make any variation from neutral white to banana yellow. But "true" Olympic White, as it was originally engineered, for GM, is a single stage acrylic lacquer that is ever so slightly bluish (and doesn't yellow much, because it's single stage).

Arctic White is closer to being "any white." But that is a more modern Fender color.

 

[bassbrad]

When I was building guitars (and a few basses) at Lightning I had a deal with a paint shop that did custom colored auto paint. I always had a few primed and taped bodies at their shop that they could shoot with any paint left in sprayers. I would love to see how well those have aged.

 

[pie_man_25]

I did it in high school with one of those old saga guitar kits. The manual actually recommended automotive rattle cans since they were durable, for the outdoor use that cars get.

In all frankness I think the quality of the resulting finish will always be more of a testament to the person prepping, applying, and sanding it than it would be the fault of the material you start with.

 

[mikewalker]

I remember our drummer taking his Slingerlands to the auto-body shop back in the late-70s, and last I heard ( a couple years ago) they are still looking brand-new.

Basslab uses automotive finishes to very nice effect

 

[Rip Van Dan]

I'll have you know that Any White was the Pantone color of the year in 1973.

J.K.

LOL.... That's Great...not whant I thought you meant of course!

Thanks!