Magic in a Can!
photos courtesy of John Gleneicki
by Ryan Ackerman
posted 2006-05-20
Ryan - Are their any famous people that you have painted guitars for?
John - I recently did a custom job on an ESP for Vince Neil. I've done a couple of guitars for a guitarist by the name of Jason Hook. He's played with Bullet Boys, Vince Neil, and is currently touring with Hilary Duff. I know what you're thinking - Hilary Duff? If you ever get a chance to see her live - Go see her! Jason STEALS the show!
A photo of John's set for video clips and DVD footage.
Ryan - Was it hard to release your techniques for painting guitars knowing that other people would make money from your hard work developing those techniques?
John - Truthfully, that's why I wrote the book! I wanted people to go behind the curtain to see how it's done, so to speak.
I get a lot of satisfaction from seeing the guitars painted by the first-timers - people who had ZERO experience. Same with the emails I get from people telling me how my book has changed their life. Now, that may sound odd about a book that teaches you how to paint your own guitar, but the truth is, there are many people out there that are looking for an outlet to unleash their creativity. So, for them, making, building, and painting their own guitars is it.
Ryan - Would you consider the books successful? Have you sold a lot of them?
John - I would say, yes - the book has been successful. Has it sold a million copies? - no. I've probably sold close to 20,000 copies. So, that's not bad considering this is something that I decided to do on the spur of the moment. Hey - it also landed me a writing gig with Guitar World magazine... so, I'd say it's been successful.
A ESP custom job - in progress...
Ryan - I noticed that on some of the guitars you have painted you painted the pickups, does this affect the sound of the guitar?
John - Another good question. I've only painted active pickups - similar to EMGs - not humbuckers like DiMarzio's or Seymour Duncan's. From what I can tell, the pickup still sounds the same, but we're talking about an active pickup, so not much can affect its output.
Ryan - What design would you recommend for a first time painter?
John - It all comes down to how much confidence the person has after reading the book. If a person feels like they've got a COMPLETE understanding on what needs to be done, that person would be much more capable of doing a trickier design. It comes down to confidence before starting.
A ESP custom job - completed...
If someone understands what needs to be done, but doubts that they can do it, they're best to start with something easy - maybe just a one-color job... possibly a two-color job. The great thing is, that person will surprise them self when they're done. As long as they follow the steps in the book, they can't go wrong.
Ryan - What do you do when you come across a guitar with a pick guard? Would you usually patch the holes and set the body up to not use the pick guard or would you incorporate a pick guard into your design?
John - I used to just paint the design right onto the pick guard, if the customer wanted that. I did that MANY times. For the most part though, the 80s was all about one humbucker, one volume... not a lot of holes.
