Painting Stringmaster Necks

[Tony Oresteen]

I've painted a number of "regular" solid body guitars with great results. Here's a double neck I built & painted in Lake Placid Blue:




So, now I have a couple of Stringmaster necks to paint. I looked but I can't find a neck pocket any where to screw a paint handle into

For those who have done it, what's the best workflow for painting a Stringmaster neck? How did Leo do it?

Any and all tips are most welcomed!


Thanks!

[Kevin Skrla]

This is a Hudson kit, but same thing basically. Nails in the screw holes. I sprayed the top (side with the nails) first, then flipped it over to rest on the nails. The tuner pan route and pickup route give you a good place to pick it up to flip it.
Just make sure each coat is good and dry before putting it top side up again.
Pretty sure this is how Fender did them, but with a lazy Susan to spin them on.

[Tony Oresteen]

Thanks Kevin!

Looks like a great way to do it!

[Bob Stone]

Yes, the early Fender method involved using a lazy susan turntable, with the guitar body elevated by nails in the pickup cavities. You can see a quick shot at about 10:07 in the video below. To be period correct you really should take your shirt off.

Having the body surface horizontal allows the lacquer to flow better. You probably wont find a lazy susan large enough to accommodate the long body of a lap steel, but that is easily remedied by placing a long board under the lap steel body. There are oodles of lazy susans on Amazon for less than $20.

Fender shop tour video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxXBQCTNDc0

[Tony Oresteen]

Bob,

Nice video! Thanks!

At 9:49, 11:09, 11:23, 12:40 you can see lap steels. At 17:40 you can see Noel Boggs with a Quad Stringmaster and a Fender 1000 PSG.

Fun to watch!