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There’s no denying the fact that the gloss finish on the guitar can be troublesome sometimes, isn’t it? It is extremely irritating when the guitar starts sticking.

Well, if you live in a humid area, your pain is understandable. Sweating is a part of life, and a gloss finish just makes it worse to play the guitar in such conditions.

You can remove the gloss finish from the guitar by using a heat gun to loosen the gloss layer and use putty knife to chip them away.

Other than removing gloss finish with a heat gun and a putty knife, there are a few other methods that can help as well – which I will talk about in this article.

After browsing reddit and guitar forums, I found that the majority of the people were struggling with the same gloss issues as me. Which is why I have decided to write this article. Keep reading to get more solutions around guitar gloss finishes.

Can You Remove Gloss From Guitar?

You can remove the glossy finish from a guitar by using a heat gun along with a putty knife. Other than that, you can also use 0000 steel wool, 1000-grit Wet Or Dry sandpaper or green Scotch bride.

These items are all readily available in the market. It’s also good to rough up the finish with finer sandpaper as it will take away the unnecessary gloss from the finish.

Using these options you’ll have a completely different finish for your guitar, that won’t be glossy at all. And if you want a classic looking guitar, the green Scotchbrite and sandpaper could help.

You can use these pads on the entire surface and then polish them back slightly to give them a decent look. These methods are a bit time taking as you need to gently use it on your guitar. Don’t rush it because you could wind up with excessive marks on the surface of your guitar.

Steps To Remove a Gloss Finish From Guitar

To remove a gloss finish from the guitar, you need to grab a heat gun and a putty knife. Gloss materials such as polyester or polyurethane can be removed using these tools.

Removing polyester is a trick, it isn’t an easy material to deal with, but if you have the right tools and guidance, you can do it quickly.

1. Disassemble Guitar

First, you need to disassemble the guitar, as you can’t risk damaging the sensitive parts of your guitar. Remove the strings and other parts of the guitar very gently and only leave the body.

2. Use Heat Gun 

Plug in the heat gun and the real show starts here. Set the heat gun on its minimal settings, excessive heat can damage the material of the guitar.

After the gun starts emitting heat, move it slowly all over the guitar and let the gloss heat up, don’t keep the heat gun steady in one place, as it can burn it, the idea is to soften the layer.

3. Remove Gloss With Putty Knife

You might be seeing a few bubbles now, but if you don’t, you can still start removing the gloss with a sharp putty knife after you’ve applied some heat.

As the gloss finish would already be lifted you just need to put a knife underneath it and remove it. Once you have removed a few pieces of gloss, you’ll understand how easy it is.

Just don’t apply too much force on the knife and gently remove the gloss. It might take an hour or two to do this, but the results will be stunning.

After removing all the gloss, you can assemble the guitar back. Well, the fun part here is that your guitar will feel a bit lighter after this, as gloss also has a noticeable weight that will vanish.  

Can You Paint Over a Gloss Finish Guitar?

Instead of removing the gloss on guitars, you can paint over it with a fast drying spray paint. It is better to use dull colors to get a less shiny look. Sometimes removing the gloss can become a bit hectic. In such cases, another good remedy is to just paint over it. 

You’ll have a guitar finish of your choice. You can choose your favorite color, and give your guitar an astonishing look.

It is one of the best options in this situation, and you can apply paint over your guitar with a few easy steps:

  1. Disassemble the guitar and remove the parts that don’t require any paint.
  2. Clean the guitar body with a soft cloth, as you wouldn’t want any dirt particles to stick around with the paint.
  3. Spray paint the guitar using enamel spray paint, as it is one of the finest available paints in the market with a variety of colors. Choose the color of your choice and paint a few coats onto the guitar.
  4. Let it dry for a few hours and then assemble it back. Don’t apply too many coats if you don’t want a shiny look.

Also Read: Guide To Drawing & Painting On Guitar: Will Sharpie Stay On

Can You Remove Paint From a Guitar?

You can easily remove the paint from a guitar using a heat gun and putty knife. Make sure the heat gun is on the lowest heat – to make sure your guitar wood is not damaged.

Once you heat the paint for some time, it will start to rip off. At which point, you can use the putty knife to peel off the paint.

Just keep the gun moving as you need minimal heat. Don’t rush the process by applying more heat to the body. After removing the paint, you can give your guitar any type of finish you want.

However, some people also prefer removing spray paint with sandpaper but this method requires a lot of time and effort. The best option is to use a heat gun and putty knife for it.

Alternative Ways To Make Guitar Less Shiny

If you are looking for alternative ways to make your guitar less shiny, rather than removing the gloss of painting over it. You can get rid of the glossy shiny finish in a few other ways too. Here are the two alternatives you can use to make your guitar less shiny

1. UV Light

It may come as a surprise to you, but UV light works great for removing extra shine from your guitar finish. However, there is a certain method to use UV light with a few precautions. 

Whether you are putting your guitar in the sun or directly applying UV light, you need to cover up the fingerboards and other parts of the guitar with aluminum foil.

Don’t apply too much heat, as it can even make the finish yellowish. It’s better to expose the guitar to a controlled amount of UV light, as this process is time taking. 

2. Rubbing Compound

Rubbing compound also plays a pivotal role in removing extra shine from your guitar finish.

You may have heard about a polishing compound which is used to add a good finish, but rubbing compound is a bit different.

Take a little bit of rubbing compound and rub it over the glossy finish but don’t rub it too strongly or apply too much of the compound, it can add scratches to the finish.

Do it carefully as it is a slower process. Rubbing compound is strong, using it precisely can do the work for you. It is one of the most used methods.

FAQs

Can I Use a Hairdryer to Remove Gloss Paint?

You can indeed use a hairdryer to remove gloss paint. The hair dryer works the same as a heat gun. If you don’t have a heat gun, you can use a hairdryer to lift the paint or make it soft. 

Once the paint is soft, you can use the putty knife to remove it carefully. Use moderate heat of the hairdryer as it also can burn the paint, if used in a steady position without moving all over the guitar’s body.

Does Vinegar Remove Gloss Paint?

Vinegar is widely used to remove gloss paint from metal or wooden surfaces. It is one of the widely used techniques to remove gloss paint. 

Vinegar does not remove the paint entirely, but it softens the paint for you. Once it’s soft, you can scrape it off the way you like.

You need to boil the vinegar first and then use a brush to apply it on the gloss paint surface. Leave it for a few minutes and then you can take the paint off. You might need to repeat the process a few times to remove the paint completely from any surface.

Ifandi S.

About Ifandi S.

Ifandi started Strumming Bars to answer all the questions of a guitarist. As a self-learned guitarist, he remembered how frustrating it was to not find answers to his many questions in the journey. With Strumming Bars, that's no longer the case!

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