paint recomendation for maple strat body

[heavision]

Just got a heavy, hard maple, strat body from Warmoth! Rear electronics cavity. Got a padouk/ebony neck, also from Warmoth, Floyd Rose, HighOrder pickups, blah blah.

I'd like to do a simple, but pretty durable, paint job.

Questions: Do I need to prime it? I've heard yes and no on this. If so, why and what kind?

What kind of paint? I've heard lots on this too. People often say automotive paint. I'm really wondering what type of paint as in acrylic, latex, urethane, enamel, etc.

Can/should I treat it with Watco Danish Oil first?

I'm not worried about it looking super professional as I'll probably relic it a bit anyways. But I don't want it to all peel off right afterwords because I used the wrong paint or primer or oil or whatever. Oh, and I have some spray, satin polyurethane to seal it, if I can/should.

Thanks in advance to any and all who answer my silly nooby questions. Cheers fellas!

 

[heavision]

I forgot the magic word! Please.

 

[Stike]

Primeis sometimes used in place of the term seal but they are kind of different. You should always apply a sealer coat and sand it level before proceeding with the primer coat if it will be an opaque color-white primer underneath seafoam green for example. Sunbursts, trans colors need no primer but they should be applied over a sealed and sanded substrate.

For a DIYr with I'm assuming no spraying equipment lacquer in rattle cans is going be the most forgiving while yielding good results if you follow directions. Check out the guidelines on the Reranch website.

 

[B. Howard]

Wood must be sealed prior to finishing. I use no colored "primer" coats over my sealers, under a colored coat. Do not use latex!!! Acrylic lacquer will be your best bet as it is readily available in spray cans and forgiving to work with.

 

[FenderTone]

For rattle can I recommend Dupli-Color brand. It's sold in automotive stores. Gray Primer BPR0031, then your choice of Dupli-Color color and finish it off with BCL0125 Protective Clear Coat.

Fine wet sand the clear with 1000, then 2000 grit, then buff with a buffer using only Meguiar's Scratch X 2.0 You can't go wrong. Very simple. Beautiful results. Dupli-Color and Meguir's Scratch X 2.0 are a match made in heaven for DIY easy perfection.