I BUILD a Guitar & then HYDRODIP it || Making a DIY Swirled Ibanez JEM replica

This episode shows how to build and hydrodip a DIY guitar body. The process of hydro-dipping a guitar is also known as a swirl dip, swirl paint, or swirling. I used basic woodworking skills to build the guitar body, and the swirl paint finish is inspired by Steve Vai’s Ibanez JEM guitar. I’ve seen a lot of videos about how to swirl dip or hydrodip a guitar, but I’ve never seen anyone use woodworking skills to build the guitar body from scratch before swirl-dipping it, so I decided to try it. I also couldn’t find any videos showing how to make the Steve Vai Ibanez JEM body shape by hand, so I hope people find that interesting too. :)

For the woodworking aspect, I used my X-Carve CNC to make the templates for the guitar body. I then used a router to cut the neck pocket, pickup cutouts, and cutout for the Floyd Rose tremelo. I then used hand tools to carve the two signature features of Steve Vai's JEM guitar - the monkey grip handle and lion's claw tremolo cutaway. For the hydro-dip, I went with Magic Marble paints -- they make swirl dipping easier than any other type of paint I tried (including Humbrol, 1Shot, and Rustoleum). I then used Spraymax 2k clear coat to give the guitar a glossy finish.

// SPRAYWAY \\

Thanks again to Sprayway for making this video possible. They are currently offering FREE SHIPPING for orders over $25 on their online store.

o Buy Sprayway Online:

o Granite and Marble Cleaner:

o Glass Cleaner:


// INVENTABLES CNC \\

o Sign up for FREE EASEL account:
o Inventables X-Carve CNC:


// FOLLOW ME \\

o Instagram: @modustrialmaker -
o Blog:


// PARTS & PRODUCTS FOR GUITAR BUILD \\

o Magic Marble paints:

o Spraymax 2k Gloss Clear Coat:

o Rustoleum Spray Paint + Primer:



// GUITAR BUILD RESOURCES \\

o How to Clear Coat a Guitar:

o Swirl Dipping Master (Eye Candy!):


// TOOLS \\

o Router #1 (Metabo HPT / Hikoki 2.25hp):

o Router #2 (Metabo HPT / Hikoki 3.25hp):

o Drill & Impact Driver Kit:

o SawStop Table Saw:

o Rockler Router Table Links:
- Cast Iron Top:
- Pro Fence:
- Router Table Base:
- Pro Lift Router Table Insert:

o Router Bit – the ULTIMATE Template / Flush Trim combo for Guitar Building:

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