Natural top to Sunburst
 

Crazy question perhaps...but is it possible to decorate the top of an already natural spruce acoustic guitar top with say, a sunburst finish after the fact?

If possible...would it require the luthier to remove the top of the guitar to do the work?

I haven't heard of this being done - I'm sure it is possible but I suspect that most luthiers would turn the job down.

It wouldn't require the top to be removed (oh no!) but I suspect the bridge would need to be removed (?) and possibly the binding, and the current finish would need to be sanded off (tricky). The rest of the guitar including the internals wold need to be well covered, and latterly refinished.

Of course, you'd get the burst he/she does and that's it. The value of the instrument would probably also be significantly reduced.

Advice: get another one in burst!

Yes, not hard for those that do refinishing, I would agree, most "Luthiers" these days would possibly turn the job away.

Steve

Guitar Re-Ranch website sells burst finish aerosol, and has lots of good instructions and a forum for this. Check them out.

Easy enough for the right shop.... I do stuff like this from time to time. Top would be prepped, burst sprayed and new clear coats then level and buff. May not even need to pull the bridge depending on original finish type.

But the average shop doesn't have a spray booth and all the different materials on hand to do this type of work so you will most likely need to send it out. I would charge $200-$300 for a job like this typically depending on type of finish.

No need to remove the binding. To prevent color from getting on the binding, it can be taped off or the color can be scraped off before the clear topcoats are sprayed.