The Best Ways to Personalize Your Acoustic or Electric Guitar

Decorate your instrument with decals, strings, inlays, & more

Co-authored by Aaron Asghari and Raven Minyard, BA

Last Updated: October 25, 2024 Fact Checked

Is your guitar sitting in the corner of your room, collecting dust? You'd be shocked by what a fresh look can do to draw your eyes back to your instrument. From decorations to custom parts to artsy designs, there are so many ways to personalize your guitar until it's as unique as you are. For all the best ways to customize your guitar, make it your own, and bring your passion for playing back to life, read on.

How to Personalize Your Guitar

Add stickers or decals to your guitar or guitar case for an affordable option.
Customize your guitar’s hardware by changing the strings, pickguard, tuning pegs, or truss rod cover.
If you want something more permanent, paint your guitar or add custom woodburn carvings.

1

Add stickers to the body.

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Stickers are an easy and affordable way to customize your guitar. Pick out some memorable, unique stickers or decals and plan out the design you’d like to see on your instrument. Adding too many heavy stickers could alter your guitar’s sound, so it might be best to stick to one or two of your favorites to avoid accidental changes.^{[1]
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- Try sticking on some lettering. Does your instrument have a name? That’d be perfect!
- Or, try using a sticker from your hometown. This will give your guitar a sentimental appeal.
- Have a sticker idea in mind but you can't find it anywhere? Learn how to make your own.

2

Customize its neck with fretboard inlay stickers.

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Fret inlay stickers create a fresh, edgy look. After choosing your stickers, you’ll need to either remove the strings from your guitar or loosen them enough to expose your fret inlay and give you room to place your stickers. Fret inlay stickers are also super easy to replace, so you can try out different styles without having to commit.^{[2]
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- Decorate with a line of birds that look like they're flying up your fret.
- Place a line of colorful gears down your fret for a cool, eccentric look.

3

Draw on your guitar’s body.

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Use pens or Sharpies to give your guitar a personal touch. This option is low budget and as customizable as it gets. Use stencils, hire a professional to do a drawing for you, or go for a freeform approach. Sharpies work well for a DIY design!^{[3]
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- Give your instrument a quirky, sentimental vibe by letting friends and family sign its body.
- Hire a professional to draw an image that’s meaningful to you, like an image of your pet.

4

Give your guitar a fresh paint job.

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A new color completely alters the look of your guitar. For this process, remove the strings, apply a couple coats of paint, and eventually sand down the instrument. It's a bit of a longer process, but totally worth it for a refreshed lavender, hot pink, or jet black guitar. Choose a lacquer paint for best results. Painting can affect your guitar's sound, so read up on your instrument before trying out this customization.^{[4]
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- Paint an underwater scene on your guitar's body.
- Go for a complex, colorful pattern.
- After covering all of your hardware, you could even create a splatter-paint design.
- In most cases, guitars have a lacquer finish, so lacquer paint is the best option. Sometimes, though, they have an enamel finish, in which you’d use enamel paint. If you’re unsure which finish your guitar has, contact the manufacturer.

5

Install a new pickguard.

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New pickguards are a reversible way to refresh your guitar's look. Stick on new colors for a fresh accent, or choose a pickguard in a new shape or with a funky design. For example, try an intense red pickguard on your black guitar, or place a leopard print pickguard on your white guitar. Removing an old pickguard is more risky on acoustic guitars, so if you’re worried about ruining your guitar, take it to a professional.^{[5]
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- Don't use force if there's significant tension when you pull. Applying a heat source (like a hairdryer) can help, but avoiding damage to the body should be your first priority.

6

Add colorful strings.

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Typically, your guitar's set will come in muted or metallic shades. Simply remove your old strings and reinstall a new set of pink, neon, bright blue, or even rainbow-colored guitar strings. Next time you have to change out your old set, throw on a new color for an exciting look!^{[6]
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7

Add custom tuning pegs.

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Alter your tuning pegs' colors to create stylish accents. Use a screwdriver to remove the original tuning pegs and screw on the new ones. Add gold accents to a white guitar for a retro look, or try heart-shaped tuning pegs for a feminine touch. Make sure that the set you choose fits your guitar, as proper tuning is essential for producing the correct sound.^{[7]
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Research source} For the most part, tuning pegs will fit across the board, but some specialty instruments may need unique sizing.
- Consider multi-color pegs with a black guitar.
- Even though the installation process is easy, this is still an integral part of your instrument. Be sure to choose high-quality pegs rather than trying to save money!

8

Pick a unique truss rod cover.

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A funky truss rod cover is a simple, affordable way to customize. A truss rod cover is a decorative plate that covers the truss rod access hole on the headstock of your guitar.^{[8]
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- Purchase a custom truss rod cover with a word that's meaningful to you.
Joan Jett, Singer & Guitarist

Guitars are meaningful to their owners. "My guitar is not a thing. It is an extension of myself. It is who I am."

9

Swap in new bridge pins.

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New bridge pins add color and texture to your guitar. Bridge pins will likely come in white or black on your guitar, but if you look online, there are actually tons of textures and colors to choose from. Once you find a set that fits your guitar's bridge holes, remove the old ones and insert your new pins.^{[9]
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- Try mixing up textures for a unique look, like blue, metallic pins with a wooden guitar.
- Or, go with bone bridge pins with your white guitar for a monochromatic look.
- Bridge pins even come in specific shapes, like little gray skulls.

10

Woodburn your instrument.

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Carve unique designs into your acoustic guitar with woodburning. If you’ve done woodburning before, draw and burn your own designs into the wood. If you aren’t familiar with woodburning, however, hire a professional who has the skills to bring your idea to life.^{[10]
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- Go for a relaxing image, like two koi fish swimming around your guitar's sound hole.
- Woodburn an intricate flower design.
- For something more intense, woodburn a coiling snake on your guitar's body.

11

Buy a new strap.

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A fun guitar strap is an easy way to add color to your guitar. Online and local music stores are usually the best place to find your new favorite strap, which will usually run between $20-80. Personalize your guitar with your favorite color, a cool pattern, or even a customized strap. Whether you’re working with an electric or an acoustic guitar, attach at least one end of your new strap to one of your guitar’s strap pins to fasten it.^{[11]
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- If you’re crafty, try making your own strap out of an old belt and some decorative fabric!

12

Give your guitar case a cool look.

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Decorate your case if you don’t want to permanently change your guitar. Changing up your case can add personality to your guitar without having to worry about damaging the instrument. While getting a new case can be expensive, there are also tons of ways to spice up the case you already have, like with stickers, painting, Sharpies, and embroidery.^{[12]
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- Cover your case with stickers from all of the places your guitar has been.
- Use Sharpies and a stencil to write your favorite quote on the case’s body, like “If music be the food of love, play on…”
- Or, if you have a canvas case, try embroidering or ironing on an exciting patch.

Community Q&A

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Question

What kind of markers do I need to customize my acoustic guitar permanently?

Community Answer

Sharpies, the permanent kind. Then use clear top-coat nail polish to make it permanent. You can buy top coat at any local drugstore.

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If I was to paint a design around the hole on an acoustic guitar, would acrylic paint work?

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Yes, however, you will want to put a varnish on top and possibly a base as well to make sure that it doesn't come off.

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Question

Where do I buy colored knobs and strings?

TIckley Pickle Wiggle

Community Answer

Both Amazon and Guitar Center have tuners and strings. Metal strings most likely won't have color (besides their natural brassy color), and acrylic strings aren't the best quality when found in different colors.

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Tips

Before making any permanent changes to your guitar, do your research to make sure your customizations won’t harm the guitar or affect its sound.

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