Interested in refinishing your guitar? Stick around as Brad Angove walks you through the steps to build this custom guitar for Darrel Braun, fellow YouTube guitar enthusiast. The tutorial takes you through the first to final step on how this Spalted Maple Les Paul build was born using a handful of products, including some Mohawk and Behlen guitar refinishing products. To watch the full video, click the image below.

First step- Make sure the neck and body from the guitar kit fit snuggly together. Since both assemble perfectly, Brad's ready to prep the surface for his custom finishes. Starting with a 600-grit sanding block to remove the existing sealer from the surface, Brad then cleans the area using some Wax Remover (available in aerosol and liquid in 1 quart and 1 gallon on our industrial website).

Next Brad goes in with masking tape and covers the areas he doesn't want the sealer to settle into. Now the guitar is ready for the finish. Don't forget to put on your face mask and gloves to protect yourself! Brad evenly applies Behlen Vinyl Sealer to the entire body of the guitar using a spray gun, which dries quickly and leaves a satin finish. No spray gun? Don't worry- Behlen Vinyl Sealer is available in a handy aerosol can for quick and even application.

After letting the sealer sit for a couple hours, Brad goes in with his sandpaper to ensure the surface is smooth and ready to be painted. Follow up with some Wax Remover, and your guitar is ready for color. Going off an image for inspiration, Brad sprays black acrylic to the back and sides of the guitar body creating the start of a sunburst finish.

To finish the sunburst design, Brad mixes Behlen Stringed Instrument Lacquer, liquid stain, and some aniline dye pigment. If you'd like to stick with pre-tinted aerosols, our Guitar Toner in Starcast Amber paired with Encore Brown achieve the same natural fade design. Need help tinting your lacquer? Brad has the answers.

What type of finish you want to use to protect your guitar is up to you. We recommend following up with several coats of Stringed Instrument Lacquer. In this instance, Brad decided that polyurethane would achieve a glossier and durable finish for his customer's intended use.

Onto the neck of the guitar- Using Tung Oil, evenly rub the product into the wood grain and repeat. The color begins to develop to a satin sheen that looks natural to the original wood color. With the 1500-grit paper, carefully sand the edges and sides of guitar for a smooth finish. Gradually increase your grit to up to 5000-grit so the guitar is ready for the polish.

Now THAT is one beautiful build. Thank you to Brad Angove for taking us along on this journey and getting to see firsthand how to achieve those dream custom guitars using some high-quality products, talent and hard work.

Interested in learning more about our guitar refinishing products? Head over to our Guitar Repair product page or email us at [email protected]. See you next time!

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