This cake is for next weekend and I have no idea how I'm going to get this effect! here is an actual picture of the guitar I'm suppose to be modeling the cake after

Here's you a bump because I would like to know others suggestions also. I am to do a similar cake in Dec. and was going to use the guitar pan and cut out the design but if someone else has better ideas I'm all for it. Good luck with yours.

I had to do one for a friend's son. I borrowed a book from the library with the actual guitar and cut out the shape as a template, scaling it up. I made the cake as two sheet cakes cutting the guitar body out of one and the neck etc. out of the other. I covered it with a buttercream crumb coat and rolled fondant icing. Making the extra bits (sorry dont know the technical terms) from spare fondant. My main probme was the guitar strings. I had intended using licquorice laces, but in practice they were too thick to get all of the strings on so I piped them on, but found they kept breaking. That was my only real problem. Its a red and white cake under childrens birthday cakes in the gallery if you want to see. Dont know about a guitar pan, as this was a one-off for me it did not justify the expense.

You mean the paint job on the body of the guitar? It would be easy with an air brush but I'm guessing you don't have an air brush.

The little stripeys I would just brush on.

There appears to be two light areas surrounding the strings on the body of the guitar. I'd cut two templates to block out the spray and protect those areas from excess color.

I would practice with a mister/spray bottle from Walgreen's--just a nice $.99 little brand new sprayer--put you some airbrush color in there and practice on something and you can do it.

After spraying around the edges and getting it to fade in to the center the way you want you might want to block off the entire center section with a piece of paper cut to fit the design so you can keep the 'fade' the right intensity and still get the sides dark enough. Practice on something--you'll get it.

Guitar painting thoughts for you.

I just delivered a guitar cake today. I took a picture of a fender guitar (that's what the 14 yr old bday boy owns) and took it to staples. I had large format copies made (two of them). I had them made 36 inches long making sure it maintained its aspect ratio (proportions). I cut the template for the neck and body from one copy and the templates for the inlay and other details from the second copy. I made two layers of sheet cakes and filled them, layed the template for the body on top of it and carved, crumb coated and frosted (I used buttercream for the body not fondant). I made the neck from its template using rice crispy treats covered in fondant that I pretinted tan and then "painted" with food coloring and clear exract. Once I cut out all the details in fondant and finished each piece seperately (I dont have an industrial fridge so I had to keep them seperate until delivery time). When I assembled I layed the template for the neck on the board right where it would join the body and placed 1 inche strips of wood I cut from 1x4 to hold up the neck to be flush with the body (doesnt look realistic enough, i think, if the neck is the same thickness as the body) I secured them to the board with melted white chocolate. I then layed the neck on the "shims" snd put on the finishing touches. Strings were extruded as were the fret bars (ok Im not a musician so if I said that wrong forgive me ) I made the string tightening screw from fondant tinted grey and then painted with extract and silver luster dust. Hope this helps.