Cost to paint a body?

[slowTwitch]

By a luthier/specialist; just looking for a ballpark figure. Assume entire instrument sent rather than body only.
Nothing fancy, a solid colour, perhaps a light metallic fleck.

Any recommendations of people who are particularly well regarded for this type of work?

Cheers,

Rich

Edited Tuesday at 11:49 by slowTwitch

[JJMotown]

Best go to a car garage that does panel painting, it'll be as good, maybe better, and cheaper.

[slowTwitch]

It's an option to consider if a luthier proves too expensive, but I initially want to explore the lazy, one-stop-shop option, of handing the entire instrument to one person. 

[Silky999]

A car place would need the body only so you would have to take the bass apart. It’s also depends what type of finish you would want. A car sprayer would probably use 2k type paint, so paint and a hardener. It’s quicker to apply and also doesn’t need cure off for as long before polishing in the same way nitrocellulose or 1k poly would. 2k is also quite toxic hence they should use proper air fed respirators and decent extraction. They may not do nitrocellulose if that’s what you wanted. 
 

So from a luthier perspective, you are looking at stripping the bass to body, taking any existing clear coat off, prepping the colour already on, priming, new colour then clear coat, cure, polish, reassembly and set up. As a rough estimate, I allow poly clear coat 7-14 days to cure and nitro 14-30 days before polishing. 

 

Poly consumables - £140-215

 

Nitro consumables- £150-260

Total

 

Polyurethane Refinish:

£350 – £450

(Primer, colour, poly clear, materials, and labour included.)

 

Nitrocellulose Refinish:

£400 – £550

(More coats, more labour, longer cure — hence the higher price.)

 

I hope that helps. 

 

 

[Geek99]

Could you buy a ready made and painted  body cheaper ? Just a thought 

[slowTwitch]

That's great - thanks Silky 👍

[JJMotown]

Silky's costs are obviously without the luither taking it apart, reassembling it afterwards and doing a set up. Which are all additional costings.

[Beedster]

IME - and I've done both - it's often more economic to simply buy an aftermarket body in the preferred finish than it is to refin the existing body; for example a while back I bought a stunning new Warmoth 3tsb body for not a lot more than a refin had recently cost me, which was close to £400. OK it's most useful with Fenders/Fenderalikes and MMs of course but there's a 90% chance after all 👍 

[Silky999]

My costs would include disassembly, reassembling and basic setup……..I’d feel like I was taking the p*ss if that was extra 🤣

 

If someone wanted to send just the body then I would factor that into the price and charge a little less…….time is money as they say!

Edited yesterday at 20:35 by Silky999

[BassTool]

On 09/12/2025 at 20:49, JJMotown said:

Best go to a car garage that does panel painting, it'll be as good, maybe better, and cheaper.

This 👍🏼

 

Check out my BlazerRay thread in Build diaries - I got the body painted with a grey primer, white top coat plus lacquer (including all flatting and prep) for £100, the finish is superb.

 

Small body shops love the challenge of something outside the norm, if you have any local to you of course!

 

Just so happens we have loads up here - and I knew the guy who did mine - but these guys and girls are as good as any luthier job, as body shops are spraying stuff every day 😉