How to make your boring, old acoustic guitar look classy and vintage
During winter last year, I tutored two kids so that I could buy my second guitar (and my very first Taylor). It was love-at-first-strum indeed! Understandably, my first guitar slipped under the bed and out of my mind. Until finally, after five long months, I heard it sing to me — ‘I don’t understand/Why this hate?/Been a lifetime since we played/I wait, I wait, I wait.’ I found it in a bad state — dusty, de-tuned and disappointed; so I decided to give it a makeover.
‘Relicing a guitar’ is a technique of making a guitar look older than it actually is, basically the aim is to achieve a ‘road worn’ look. I found several how-tos for aging an electric guitar but none on an acoustic one. With my fingers crossed, I decided to experiment.
Warning: The process is risky. You should try this on a spare, preferably cheap guitar (better yet if it is damaged) as it may change the sound and a mishap could render the instrument unusable.
Prepping for the ceremony
- Take one last look, a photo maybe; your (ex-)babe will never be the same again.
- Remove the strings and wipe off any dust with a dry cloth (specially on the fretboard and near the sound-hole)
Add cool inlays to your fretboard
Decals are an amazing way to liven up a dull fretboard. You can order one online here or if you have some more money to spare go for this. Honestly, Amazon.com has more options.
Let there be destruction
Hold on! Don’t take your bat and start hacking away, just yet. What I mean to say is that you want to make the guitar suffer but not kill it. Gedt it? These are some ways you can wear out the guitar :
- Use sandpaper on the body. This will help you remove the polish. Rub by applying less pressure over a longer period of time than the other way around. Sand more at areas which are naturally prone to wear and tear.
- Use tools like screwdrivers, small stones, etc (get creative, wouldn’t hurt to think like Jack The Ripper now) to make deeper scars. Work around existing marks for a wholesome look.
- Chip off a small part of the guitar’s head, maybe. OUCH!
- DO NOT use water or anything with moisture, it can mess with the wood and alter the sound.
Check out the other stuff I create: www.nowshoing.com
Get sharpie artwork on the body
A piece of sharpie art adds vivid highlights to the body. I decided to remove the pick-guard and have my friend, Akash, sharpie over the void.
To remove the pick-guard (if your guitar has one) use a hair dryer to soften glue and then gently peel. Do not peel the guard at once; do it in patches. Check out this video.
Here are some things to keep in mind before you get ‘sharpie-ing’:
- Make sure the area has been sanded evenly and the polish-layer has worn out.
- Sketch out your design in pencil before the real deal.
- Stick to black.
Finishing off
Great, you’ve made a piece of art. Now time to turn it into a masterpiece:
- If you don’t dig the dull look, apply a layer or two of varnish. See how to here.
- When re-stringing the guitar don’t cut off the excess, instead take a pen and roll the loose strands outwards. This gives it an unkempt look — a hairy guitar. You can also get coloured guitar strings; I decided against it. Find some decent coloured strings here.
- Replacing the bridge pins is the best way to add that subtle finishing touch. The amazon global store has really hip choices.
- Some people like stickers on their guitar’s body. If you’re one of them, I suggest using a scalpel to give the stickers a distressed look. Remember: choose your stickers wisely!
Well then, what yer waiting for? Take her out; show her off. Oh, and don’t forget to send me a photo.
Feel free to check out my art blog and my YouTube channel. Send in your questions to nowshoing@gmail.com . See you soon, happy playing!
