mr.noisy Posted April 15, 2016 Share Posted April 15, 2016 Hey guys, so i have recently bought a super cheapo bass, here is the link to NBD thread with pictures - http://basschat.co.uk/topic/282094-nbd-jd-jazz-bass-vintage-1975-sonic-blue/ Since it was so cheap, I'd like to make it a little project. A while ago I had a AV64 jazz bass finished in nitro and I loved the feel and the fact that it was aging so nice in a short period of time. Now, I'd like to emulate a bit of that on this new bass, but I am not a pro. I guess that the bas I have is finished in polyurethane or polyester or something else that is super cheap and I'd like to spray an amber or clear nitro over the neck and body, or maybe clear/amber on the neck and some nice colour on the body, but I don't want to ruin it completely, so I need a little advice. I don't want to strip the bass from the current finish, I don't have correct tools and don't want to invest in them just for this little project, so I am wondering if I will sand the clear coat lightly on neck and body and then try to apply nitro over it, will it work? I will order the nitro in spray cans from northwestguitars.co.uk I was doing some reading on the topic and googled here and there, I know that after the final coats there should be a polishing process too, but is it absolutely necessary? I don't want my bass to look super shiny and I am looking for vintage and maybe even light relic finish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twincam Posted April 15, 2016 Share Posted April 15, 2016 (edited) Didn't Fender and others actually use a non nitro base anyhow? I think you will be ok spraying over it. Edited April 15, 2016 by Twincam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manton Customs Posted April 15, 2016 Share Posted April 15, 2016 (edited) Yep Twincam is correct. Fenders "nitro finishes" are actually nitro over poly. So yes, it'll work, just give it a light sanding with 600 paper first and throughly degrease it. Regarding the polishing/wetsanding, yes you will need to. It's a necessity unfortunately. When you're finished spraying you'll have a textured finish which needs levelling (wet sanding) then buffed to your desired sheen. It'll most likely look way below anything acceptable before that process. Make sure you give it a very minimum of 2 weeks (longer is better) before doing this though. Edited April 15, 2016 by Manton Customs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr.noisy Posted April 15, 2016 Author Share Posted April 15, 2016 Thanks a lot guys. Will I need to get a polishing machine? As I said, I don't really want to invest in something that I will use only once, so I am wondering if I can do the wet sanding and polishing by hand? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manton Customs Posted April 15, 2016 Share Posted April 15, 2016 Yep, you can buff by hand and wetsanding is better by hand anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manton Customs Posted April 15, 2016 Share Posted April 15, 2016 (edited) Double post Edited April 15, 2016 by Manton Customs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimbobothy Posted April 15, 2016 Share Posted April 15, 2016 ... I did vehicle refinishing at college as part of my studies there and nitro cellulose was one of the easiest finishes to achieve a good result with. The spray finish doesn't have to be particularly good as it's easy to finish well. For a bass body sized area you can finish easily by hand absolutely no problems! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr.noisy Posted April 16, 2016 Author Share Posted April 16, 2016 (edited) Thanks a lot guys! That makes me really want to do it now. I think I will get a shell pink and do a matching headstock. What polishing compound would you recommend? Edited April 16, 2016 by mr.noisy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manton Customs Posted April 16, 2016 Share Posted April 16, 2016 [quote name='mr.noisy' timestamp='1460809291' post='3028964'] What polishing compound would you recommend? [/quote] Meguiars range of compounds work well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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