Replacing a veneer?

[TexasRocks]

I have a DKMGT body with a flame maple veneer. It is in a color that I don't particularly care for, and I want to make a change. I am considering just having it painted over and then having a custom airbrush job on it, but what I would really like to do it have a quilted maple veneer put on it, and then have it painted with some funky transparent flames.

So, my question is, how hard is it to either peel off the flame veneer and add the quilted, or can a quilted veneer just be added over the top of the old on?

And is it worth doing? I know the body isn't that expensive, but if I just rebuild it as is, I am basically just building a DKMGT with better pups. I want to make this more personal than that.

Or should I not even mess with changing the veneer and just paint it over?

Note: I am not doing any of the painting or veneer work, it will be done by someone who knows what the hell they are doing.

[levantin]

http://www.projectguitar.com/tut/veneer.htm

It can be done! You sand the top and add a very thin veneer, which shouldn't really affect the guitar too much. Leave to dry and paint.

[TexasRocks]

So, I am guesing I wouldn't have to remove the old veneer, just sand it until it is rough enough to take glue and the new veneer. That might be what I do.

I would love to have a paint job like this:


That is obviously trans colors on a quilted maple top.

I wonder if an airbrush artist could give me the same kind of look without having to replace the veneer?

[rjohnstone]

I've done it before.
You have to sand off the old veneer... no way to peel it off without trashing the body wood.
Use a power plainer if you can get a hold of one. Makes the job faster and provides a nice even surface for the new veneer to adhere to. The only manual part is the arm contour.
The Project Guitar article is dead on unless you want to use a thicker top.
Anything thicker than 1/16" will require steam forming to make sure the top forms to the body arm contour without cracking.

[delt]

I'd use a router and shave off about 1 or 2mm from the guitar's top, then sand it even & put on the new veneer.