Under The Skin

[cytania]

Anyone here routinely removed paint finishes?

Reason I ask is that in my highly unscientific researches I've got the impression that natural finishes cost more, presumably because cosmeticly nice wood is favoured? So when a solid paint job is stripped back do you find horrors like knot holes, mismatched woods? I'm thinking modern mass market basses not vintage Fullerton stuff here. Does any of it make a difference tonally or should that filler be laddled in?

[EBS_freak]

Do you get knots in MDF??

[Doctor J]

They never went out of their way to select nice looking wood in Fullerton either.

[Cat Burrito]

Here are two formally black 1970s Fenders that I have stripped



You can be unlucky, it depends on the bass & there is no real way of telling what you will get. I'd avoid cheaper basses personally. Tonally, the difference is minimal but you really bond with the instrument doing it & I found it very satisfying.

[TheGreek]

Personally I prefer a natural finish - however there are many reasons why basses are painted - sometimes the bodies aren't one piece, sometimes because the grain under the paint doesn't really cut it. Found this out when we stripped my fretless Veillette Citron - because the natural finish wasn't quite good enough we ended up staining it green which is my favourite colour. Looks OK I think..