Can You Paint a Bass Guitar?

1: Guitars aren't painted. They are finished with lacquer after the appropriate surface preparation treatments (which is at least half the work). Lacquer is sprayed in several coats, interspersed with sanding steps, and ending with the final sanding and buffing out.

The process takes several weeks and requires proper equipment, materials, and experience to avoid completely butchering the instrument (or endangering one's health). Even the best refinish job will dramatically decrease the value of a good guitar or bass, and should not be undertaken unless absolutely no alternative exists. The only times I've ever refinished guitars were in cases where former owners had already tried to do so, ruining the original finish beyond repair, after which I was able to pick the instruments up for a fraction of their original value.