This is a one-of-a-kind, hand-painted, Les Paul-style guitar body and associated kit. The guitar can be played as a musical instrument, or hung on the wall as an interesting and unusual work of art. I purchased a brand-new guitar kit on eBay. Not shown in the photos: this kit contains a neck and all the parts necessary to create a finished, playable instrument. The eBay listing had this description: “LP Style Unfinished DIY Electric Guitar Kit Mahogany Body Rosewood Fingerboard” Search for eBay item number:304101875922 to get all the details on this particular kit. HOWEVER, I did not work on the neck, and didn't even open the bags containing parts. The guitar body is the only thing I was interested in, and - believe me - I spent plenty of time on that. The guitar body is made from well-cut mahogany, while the top is covered with spalted maple. The mahogany has been sanded and protected with 8 coats of polyurethane. The bottom has a natural finish with a satin look and feel. The top has been gessoed and painted with Turner acrylic gouache. (In other words, the spalting has been painted-over and is not visible.) After completing the artwork, I hand-wiped 12 coats of Crystalac Brite Tone clear coat, while sanding every fourth layer, using grits 600, 800, 1000, and 1200. I then buffed the finished clear coat. You've probably noticed the Brite Tone shine. This is hard and glossy, but it’s not a mirror finish. My artwork was created the old-fashioned way: with paint and brushes, and not by spraying. For that reason, the top is quite smooth, but not perfectly level, like you would see on a pane of glass. Note: PAINTED AND FINISHED IN A SMOKE-FREE ENVIRONMENT. So, that's it, in a nutshell. It was fun to paint this guitar, and I’m proud of the result. (My signature is in the lower left.) The finished artwork is an absolute knock-out. Everyone who's seen it goes bug-eyed! Note that holes will have to be drilled for the bridge and tailpiece.

Steve Kobb

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Award-losing bon vivant, raconteur, and general man-about-town.