Paul S Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 (edited) I picked this up recently unseen - a red '90-91 Fender Precision Lyte. Sold by a daughter whose bass playing father had recently died. [attachment=82330:lyte1.jpg] [attachment=82331:lyte2.jpg] [attachment=82332:lyte3.jpg] [attachment=82333:lyte4.jpg] [attachment=82334:lyte5.jpg] I paid a reasonable price for it - £300 - but must admit I was disappointed to see the condition of the bodywork as it has been badly refinished at some point in it's life, although the colour is right I think. A few little other minor issues - jack socket and 1 pot need replacing, clean and set up mainly. But so far as I can tell from bedroom levels it sounds great and plays fantastically well - superb neck. And really lightweight and comfy. In fact everything it said on the tin, really. What would you do with it if it were yours? I am *really* undecided. The paint is so bad that I look at it and think 'I could do much better myself' and am tempted to have a bash - especially after reading a lot of the refin threads on here by novices. In which case I would probably want to paint it black (I know, not an easy colour to paint but anything would be better than it is now). The major issue with a re-fin is the headstock decal has all the info on it - serial number etc. Is it too cheeky to get this reproduced? I guess not and maybe this way wouldn't completely devalue the bass. My inclination is to completely stealth it, change all the hardware to black Gotoh - I would prefer the look of it but imagine also it would devalue it considerably, especially if I did away with the original style of headstock decal. But does that, in fact, matter? Or should I just leave thing alone, get used to the paint finish and stop being so shallow? It doesn't affect the playability, after all, and is a part of the basses history. Be really interested to read different points of view and tips. Edited June 11, 2011 by Paul S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimBobTTD Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 I would leave it alone in honour of a man you never met. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waynepunkdude Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 Doesn't look terrible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slipperydick Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 Sort the socket and the pot, otherwise leave it be. Two out of my three Bassas are far worse, . You wanna admre it or play it ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul S Posted June 12, 2011 Author Share Posted June 12, 2011 Interesting. I agree, now I think about it. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawrenceH Posted June 12, 2011 Share Posted June 12, 2011 A lot of the problem with that finish is because it has been oversprayed without cutting back. I'd be tempted to try working up through the grades of finishing paper to get rid of the orange peel, then either polishing it to a shine directly or clearcoating it. You'd keep the colour that way. I'd do it on the back first though in case it didn't work as well as I hoped! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul S Posted June 12, 2011 Author Share Posted June 12, 2011 That is a superb idea. It hadn't actually occurred to me to work with what was there, only to replace it or forget it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenny B Posted June 12, 2011 Share Posted June 12, 2011 I also have a red P-Lyte - if you do end up taking the colour off, could you let me know what it's like underneath? Bright red was great when 15, but a bit loud for my present band - sticks out among the oud and flamenco guitars... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rOB Posted June 12, 2011 Share Posted June 12, 2011 (edited) If the finish isn't great (and bothers you enough to do something about it) but refinishing it in a different colour would cause issues with the headstock why not have the body refinished in the same colour? Better finish but no issues with headstock & decal? Depends how set on black you are I suppose. Edit - doesn't look too bad to me anyway Edited June 12, 2011 by rOB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waynepunkdude Posted June 12, 2011 Share Posted June 12, 2011 [quote name='LawrenceH' post='1265958' date='Jun 12 2011, 12:31 PM']A lot of the problem with that finish is because it has been oversprayed without cutting back. I'd be tempted to try working up through the grades of finishing paper to get rid of the orange peel, then either polishing it to a shine directly or clearcoating it. You'd keep the colour that way. I'd do it on the back first though in case it didn't work as well as I hoped![/quote] Just out of curiosity what do you use to polish? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MoJo Posted June 12, 2011 Share Posted June 12, 2011 That would be so easy to cut back and polish to a decent finish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delberthot Posted June 12, 2011 Share Posted June 12, 2011 [quote name='waynepunkdude' post='1266519' date='Jun 12 2011, 07:55 PM']Just out of curiosity what do you use to polish?[/quote] I use cutting polish from Halfords as most of the resprayed basses I've owned have been done with rattle cans. Just don't press too hard with the cloth or you end up going through to the wood very quickly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawrenceH Posted June 12, 2011 Share Posted June 12, 2011 (edited) [quote name='waynepunkdude' post='1266519' date='Jun 12 2011, 07:55 PM']Just out of curiosity what do you use to polish?[/quote] On a couple of mine I took it up to 2000 grit and then use Halfords rubbing compound in the yellow tube, and then T cut. How easy it was to get a good shine differed between a polyurethane finish (quite easy) and rattlecan lacquer (slow, and easy to cut too far as Delberthot says!). My father is a mechanic who used to do a lot of bodywork with lacquers back in the day - he reckons the 3M stuff would do it quicker and go very fine indeed. Edit: Oh yeah, and the key to getting a decent finish with the rattlecans from my experience is in putting down a decent amount of clearcoat, in really thin layers, with plenty of waiting between each, which is a nightmare if you get picky about dust etc. That Halfords stuff takes an age to harden if you put it down too thick. That was my mistake and after a month it was still soft enough that firm pressure would leave an imprint. I think now after about 6 months it's sufficiently hard for me to use in rehearsals etc without having to worry about dents! Edited June 12, 2011 by LawrenceH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waynepunkdude Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 I do a lot of refins and usually I'm happy with a matt finish but I'm doing one at the moment that I want a gloss Fender like finish with, I have been doing the usual stuff, primed, lots of cutting back between coats but when it's finish I want it to come up nice. I'm using this [url="http://www.manchesterguitartech.co.uk/shop/surf-green/"]http://www.manchesterguitartech.co.uk/shop/surf-green/[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPJ Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 [quote name='LawrenceH' post='1266853' date='Jun 13 2011, 12:35 AM']Oh yeah, and the key to getting a decent finish with the rattlecans from my experience is in putting down a decent amount of clearcoat, in really thin layers, with plenty of waiting between each[/quote] and another useful tip is to warm the rattle can before spraying by standing it in warm water, it helps the lacquer to fully atomise in the nozzle meaning less droplets hitting the body. Just remember to fully dry the rattle can with a cloth before spraying as wet lacquer and water dont mix Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPJ Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 [quote name='JPJ' post='1267273' date='Jun 13 2011, 01:36 PM']and another useful tip is to warm the rattle can before spraying by standing it in warm water, it helps the lacquer to fully atomise in the nozzle meaning less droplets hitting the body. Just remember to fully dry the rattle can with a cloth before spraying as wet lacquer and water dont mix [/quote] Oh and by the way, I had one these in the same candy apple red. Was a great lightweight bass with powerful active eq. The only downside was a rather flexible neck, I felt like I was constantly tweaking the truss rod. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawrenceH Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 [quote name='JPJ' post='1267273' date='Jun 13 2011, 01:36 PM']and another useful tip is to warm the rattle can before spraying by standing it in warm water, it helps the lacquer to fully atomise in the nozzle meaning less droplets hitting the body. Just remember to fully dry the rattle can with a cloth before spraying as wet lacquer and water dont mix [/quote] Oh yes, I did that as well - only thing is it makes the stuff flow a LOT faster so you have to adjust or you very quickly build up too thick for one coat. Gently warming the body itself also drives off residual moisture and means the lacquer flows on neatly and hardens quicker too. Helps with the dust. Wayne, from what I understand the nitro clear coat they supply will be easier to work with than the Halfords stuff - plus I think the nozzles are better on those cans making it simpler to get coats thin and even. If not you can get replacement nozzles that angle the spray flatter and wider which is useful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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