Talk me out of painting my formica black.....

[Jon Light]

There is NOTHING that Sharpies won't make better.
But if you want the absolutely best idea:



Flocking! The whole guitar. Spray the adhesive. Spray the flock. Mask off the strings? Mask off the undercarriage? Meh. That's for babies.
.
.

[James Mayer]

Flocking could work. So could black electrical tape. That would be a unique look. (seriously, I have thought about this black tape idea more than I should)

Ok, I know this is going off the rails but I just imagined covering it with the copper tape that's commonly used to shield the inside of guitar cavities.

That could look unique and great. Wouldn't get me the black I was seeking, but would probably look great in the style of video I'm working on.

What would be the issue with that?

[Tucker Jackson]

The concept of tape is good... it's the same idea as auto wrap, but it's probably easier to do yourself.

But doesn't using something with a copper sheen (or any other option that's highly reflective) defeat your purpose? For camera or video work, I wouldn't personally want anything too reflective. Don't even want my favorite color (electric-red Marlen) to call too much attention, so use a black one as the default since it's neutral and isn't going to clash with anything in the shot. But you know a lot more about videography and your requirements there.

Taken to the extreme with the reflective thing, somebody on the Forum had a guitar with a mirror on the front apron. Looked cool and very one-of-a-kind. But can you imagine how annoyed some poor guy in the audience was when the spotlight hit it a certain way?

[Jon Light]

Unless you can source very wide rolls of that tape, it's only what, 2"-3" wide? Meaning there will be seams. I've worked with that tape in pickup cavities. Those seams will (IMO) get funky, fast, pulling up and getting ragged.

My vision for my newest Williams was a mica pattern of rusting iron. From the online samples, it was going to look pretty awesome. The sample chips from Wilsonart looked like crap. Oh well.

[James Mayer]

The concept of tape is good... it's the same idea as auto wrap, but it's probably easier to do yourself.

But doesn't using something with a copper sheen (or any other option that's highly reflective) defeat your purpose? For camera or video, I don't personally want anything too reflective. Don't even want my favorite color (electric-red Marlen) to call too much attention, so use a black one as the default since it's neutral and isn't going to clash with anything in the shot. But you know a lot more about videography and your requirements there.

Taken to the extreme with the reflective thing, somebody on the Forum had a guitar with a mirror on the front apron. Looked cool and very one-of-a-kind. But can you imagine how annoyed some poor guy in the audience was when the spotlight hit it a certain way?

Yeah, it does defeat my original purpose. It's become a brainstorming session. I happen to like the look of copper but it will be very blingy in the videography.
The plus to that is it's very easy to test and remove if it doesn't work out.

Would still look better than the blue, I think.

I'm wondering if this copper tape could be made to petina/darken quickly?

I made this out of spare plumbing parts and love the way it turned out. It darkened quickly, within a couple of weeks of riding.

https://www.bikeforums.net/general-cycling-discussion/1195443-weekend-functional-art-project-copper-basket-rack.html

[James Mayer]

Unless you can source very wide rolls of that tape, it's only what, 2"-3" wide? Meaning there will be seams. I've worked with that tape in pickup cavities. Those seams will (IMO) get funky, fast, pulling up and getting ragged.

My vision for my newest Williams was a mica pattern of rusting iron. From the online samples, it was going to look pretty awesome. The sample chips from Wilsonart looked like crap. Oh well.

I was thinking seams would be part of the look, but the "pulling up and getting ragged" does not sound so great. What if it was covered in a brushed-on finish?

Black electrical tape would stay down better, I imagine.

[Jon Light]

I once painted a whole inside door with copper paint and then painted over it with random brushwork with a chemical that oxidizes it into that green-gray patina. It looked fantastic (to my taste). This might be a hobby shop item. I will look for a photo of this.

[Tucker Jackson]

I'm wondering if this copper tape could be made to petina/darken quickly?

I made this out of spare plumbing parts and love the way it turned out. It darkened quickly, within a couple of weeks of riding.

https://www.bikeforums.net/general-cycling-discussion/1195443-weekend-functional-art-project-copper-basket-rack.html

It might very well get a patina... if you took the steel out for some bike rides in the rain.

Jon makes a good point about seams. I measured the front apron of one guitar, and it looks like a 3"-wide roll would potentially work there (thanks to the aluminum trim pieces taking up some of the space.)

[Jon Light]

The problem with this as an example is that the door was already distressed by scraping the underlying paint to create texture. But this is a look that I love.
(the pedalboard that was the reason for this photo has been obscured to avoid topic drift).

[Jon Light]

This roll of tape is maybe 35 years old. Adhesive, not surprisingly, is not very tacky. With firm burnishing, the edges seem fairly secure. But it does peel off easily once I get a nail under it. The laminate surface was not cleaned & prepped at all.
Quite inconclusive as to how it would perform with a fresh roll and a thoroughly degreased surface.

[James Mayer]

When I built that copper bike basket, the big warning I got was to use stainless screws to attach to the fork with a spacer as to not let the aluminum fork and copper make contact with each other. I'm thinking that this added neck is made of aluminum. Doesn't look chromed.

Disregard: that basket had the other factor of water/rain serving as the corrosive electrolyte. I don't sweat much at all so this shouldn't be an issue.

Check this out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdnlKBQbs7Y

This could be really cool if there's a good way to seal it so the edges don't come up. I think I would make it a point to tape randomly instead of worrying about even seam lines.

[J. David Carrera]

Flocking could work. So could black electrical tape. That would be a unique look. (seriously, I have thought about this black tape idea more than I should)

Ok, I know this is going off the rails but I just imagined covering it with the copper tape that's commonly used to shield the inside of guitar cavities.

That could look unique and great. Wouldn't get me the black I was seeking, but would probably look great in the style of video I'm working on.

What would be the issue with that?

I cannot believe I'm not the only person who has had this wild idea.

I did exactly this to my GS-10 earlier this year.

I do like the look but sometimes I feel it's a bit obnoxious. It would be better if the copper dulled a bit, which is has started to in some spots. Would give it another shot with bronze tape if I could find it. Eitherway it's better than bowling ball brown.

Also I ran out of tape for the pedal board, need to get more.

Unfortunately I don't keep this guitar at home with me and this is the best photo of it I have on hand.




EDIT: was able to pull this from video:

[Jon Light]

J. David Carrera -- I dig it! I do have to believe that all those seams are fragile though. Handle. With. Care.

This got me revisiting this photoshop mock-up I did using the online mica sample. I was totally going to get this mica sent to Williams for my new guitar. Then the actual sample came in the mail per my request and it just looked like shit. Oh well. I still ended up with one of the prettiest lacquer guitars I've ever seen.

[Mike Ritchie]

I'm thinking camouflage? Since there are so many different opinions and variations in taste, why not camo? Only you will know it's there and that's all that really matters, right?

[Gary Patterson]

A few years back, I covered one with a faux carbon fiber stick-on material purchased at an auto parts store. Looks good if you do a good job.

[James Mayer]

Flocking could work. So could black electrical tape. That would be a unique look. (seriously, I have thought about this black tape idea more than I should)

Ok, I know this is going off the rails but I just imagined covering it with the copper tape that's commonly used to shield the inside of guitar cavities.

That could look unique and great. Wouldn't get me the black I was seeking, but would probably look great in the style of video I'm working on.

What would be the issue with that?

I cannot believe I'm not the only person who has had this wild idea.

I did exactly this to my GS-10 earlier this year.

I do like the look but sometimes I feel it's a bit obnoxious. It would be better if the copper dulled a bit, which is has started to in some spots. Would give it another shot with bronze tape if I could find it. Eitherway it's better than bowling ball brown.

Cool! That's a bit to bright and blingy. I'm wondering if some light brushing with that patina sauce (that I posted in the video above) would darken it without getting to the full blue-green patina. Funny, I was searching for bronze tape and it doesn't exist, apparently. The only thing I found was bronze colored "mashi" paper tape.

I'm thinking along the lines of this:
https://www.vintageandrare.com/product/Nik-Huber-Guitars-Redwood-Copper-Code-52150

Can you comment on how careful you have to be not to disrupt the tape edges? Mine is a homebound instrument.

[Ron Hogan]

Wrapped guitars

https://www.rvinyl.com/Guitar-Skins

[Dave Mudgett]

Yeah, this removable matte wrap from the site Ron linked looks pretty interesting:

https://www.rvinyl.com/Matte-Removable-Guitar-Skin.html

Cheap and easily removable, which ought to make it go on easier too. Might be a good way to see what you like. Lots of colors too. Not sure if it's a long-term solution or not. But some of the other wraps look cool too, and probably more long-lasting.

Yep, only the chrome would show up, pretty much just like your profile photo.

Yep, but nothing in that picture was actually black. Actually, the mica on that guitar wasn't even very dark. It's just a B&W photo. Everything is dark because it was dark and shot to make it look like that.

[Ron Shalita]

Black guitars just sound better!

[James Mayer]

I still haven't reached a decision, but I wouldn't have had it finished before this recording was completed. I applied some bright saturation to make it look more like 1960's film and I kinda think the blue looks pretty cool in this context. Maybe I'm coming around to it.....

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=3007756#3007756

[Dave Mudgett]

I think it looks cool, especially with the foam green JJ Baritone (I had one exactly like it 20+ yrs ago, what a fool I was to sell it). And sounds cool.

I still think the removable skin would be cool to give the blackout option.

[James Mayer]

I think it looks cool, especially with the foam green JJ Baritone (I had one exactly like it 20+ yrs ago, what a fool I was to sell it). And sounds cool.

I still think the removable skin would be cool to give the blackout option.

The JJ baritone is the best sounding electric guitar I've ever played. It just never fails me in the tone and twang department. I never plan to sell it, though the resell value keeps going up.

[Don Poland]

10' roll, I'd imagine that would cover most any PSG. For the cost, you can't hardly go wrong.
I have vinyl cutters and have used Oracal quite frequently. The brand is about as good as it gets.

https://www.amazon.com/Black-Oracal-Vin ... 119&sr=8-2

[Michael Lester]

This is my guitar... the original faceplate color is close to the turquoise of the pedal on the floor.

I'm not a fan of the turquoise color but didn't want to change anything permanently. We use this self adhesive vinyl for a bunch of stuff in our business. It's removable and quite easy to install.