Covering a guitar with newspaper

AndrewD

Would covering a guitar body with newspaper affect it's tone?

A friend of mine wants to do it and i'm looking for legit reasons to stop him - it just doesn't seem like a good idea to me.

It's a warmoth LPS body that he wants to do it to.

Bob-Dubery

AndrewD wrote: Would covering a guitar body with newspaper affect it's tone?

A friend of mine wants to do it and i'm looking for legit reasons to stop him - it just doesn't seem like a good idea to me.

It's a warmoth LPS body that he wants to do it to.

Does he want to apply layers of newspaper with some kind of varnish on top?

Presumably it can always be stripped off again.

My chief concern would be that if the finish gets damaged it's going to look pretty sad - bits of paper falling off like the guitar has dandruff.

Also the newspaper will likely yellow with age.

[deleted]

http://www.reranch.com/reranch/viewtopic.php?t=24447&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0&sid=81367e5e6724c09d52f42e96b140a5d4

Tell him it'll bleed too much.

PeteM

It will also date ?

AlanRatcliffe

Bob's right about it yellowing. Newsprint is pretty cruddy paper. Also the ink is very soluble in the solvents used in finishes. You can use wallpaper though (like the floeral Jems or the Paisley Teles & Strats). ?

However, is it the flat or the carved top LPS? If it's the more common flat top there are other ways:
1. Have fake newsprint printed on a vinyl sticker at a printers
2. Print on card and make an acrylic overlay like a pickguard - something like Manfred did with his Tele.

AndrewD

X-rated Bob wrote: Does he want to apply layers of newspaper with some kind of varnish on top?

Presumably it can always be stripped off again.

My chief concern would be that if the finish gets damaged it's going to look pretty sad - bits of paper falling off like the guitar has dandruff.

Also the newspaper will likely yellow with age.

Yes, some kind of varnish, i'm not sure what though.

Alan Ratcliffe wrote: Bob's right about it yellowing. Newsprint is pretty cruddy paper. Also the ink is very soluble in the solvents used in finishes. You can use wallpaper though (like the floeral Jems or the Paisley Teles & Strats). ?

However, is it the flat or the carved top LPS? If it's the more common flat top there are other ways:
1. Have fake newsprint printed on a vinyl sticker at a printers
2. Print on card and make an acrylic overlay like a pickguard - something like Manfred did with his Tele.

It's the carved top so stickers are out.

Manfred-Klose

I saw a local guitarist way back that also stuck news paper to his acoustic, looked cool. But not shure what technique he used. my next custom project i am attempting i want to stick a piece of canvas paper on the top, have a artist paint something with acrylic paint and give a finish. I want to go for the rough painting look, something that i always wanted to try.

Heath

I spoke to me wife and mother who both have degrees in art ..... They suggest deco pague *spelling* . I am actually gonna do this on the tele i am building its a awesome idea . I would have gone with a fibreglass resin personally but the deco prague stuff makes sense .

AlanRatcliffe

Decoupage isn't durable enough for a guitar.

Heath

Might be a good idea to finish with a few coats of poly i suspect ...

AlanRatcliffe

Poly doesn't usually play nice with other finishes though...

[deleted]

Why, Alan? Does poly wanna crackle?

MIKA-the-better-one

that newspaper will shred apart. it bad quality paper as mentioned. ask him if he would get a cheap tatoo

Sean

Stratisfear wrote: Why, Alan? Does poly wanna crackle?

HAHAHAHA, that one was out of the park!

Matt-White

Sean wrote:
Stratisfear wrote: Why, Alan? Does poly wanna crackle?
HAHAHAHA, that one was out of the park!

I agree, bwahaha! Karma'd for that one, dude!

Banditman

Stratisfear wrote: Why, Alan? Does poly wanna crackle?

Now THAT'S a corker!

Banditman

X-rated Bob wrote: Does he want to apply layers of newspaper with some kind of varnish on top? Presumably it can always be stripped off again. My chief concern would be that if the finish gets damaged it's going to look pretty sad - bits of paper falling off like the guitar has dandruff. Also the newspaper will likely yellow with age.

Ah, but that would make it "Road Worn" (tm), or possibly Time Worn. ?