How to Stencil a Design on Your Guitar Amplifier!

How to make the front of your amplifier have a custom stencil paint job.

Step 1: Deciding on a Pattern

This is the first and probably most crucial step, you want something that is cool, original and not too hard to spray. At first I wanted the picture of Hugh Laurie as House but this proved too difficult to cut out because there was so much detail and it ended up being impossible to cut with my less-than-stanley knife. I've attached some other examples I was considering, but I ended up going with the stormtrooper!

Step 2: Taking the Amp Apart

This is an important step, if using a combo like I did you'll probably have to remove all the components from the inside. Look for screws on the top and sides of the amp (shown in picture of my amp, a Marshall DSL 401.

Because I cannot cover every single amp or cab here are some vague steps I found useful:
1. Remove back panel from amplifier
2. Remove reverb tank and any wiring from the amplifier to the reverb tank.
3. Unscrew the speaker and remove
4. Unscrew the wood the grille cloth is attached to and remove (can be difficult, but can be done with everything else removed!

Next step, what to do with the stencils!

Step 3: Cutting the Stencils

If you used an image like the storm trooper, you will need to do two stencils

1. Cut the outline out - this will be sprayed in white first
2. Cut the black parts out - this will be sprayed second in black

Secure the first template to the amp and spray with white (picture example below of how it should look)
Remove first template, put on second and spray with black. Make sure you align the templates up properly!!

Pictures of how it looks are below.