Matte Black Finish

[pobrien_ie]

Hi all. Does anybody have experience with a factory finish matte black? Can it be brought up to look like a "normal" finish? Eyeing a nice bass online and just can't make my mind up and the clock is ticking!

[waynepunkdude]

It looks awesome in matte.

[steve-bbb]

nice to look at ... until you get greasy fingerprints all over it

[pobrien_ie]

I'm goin for the vintage look though. Is it a bit on the modern side?

[Big_Stu]

[quote name='pobrien_ie' timestamp='1346508448' post='1790046']
Hi all. Does anybody have experience with a factory finish matte black? Can it be brought up to look like a "normal" finish? Eyeing a nice bass online and just can't make my mind up and the clock is ticking!
[/quote]

Depends what made the finish, normal poly finish would be harder to keep matt than go gloss thru' use. On poly necks & gun stocks I've found daily polishing with WD40 can give a high gloss finish, but it takes a fair few goes at it.

[pobrien_ie]

[quote name='Big_Stu' timestamp='1346509707' post='1790072']


Depends what made the finish, normal poly finish would be harder to keep matt than go gloss thru' use. On poly necks & gun stocks I've found daily polishing with WD40 can give a high gloss finish, but it takes a fair few goes at it.
[/quote]

The finish is nitro. It's a Highway One P Bass, in what's advertised as flat black. I usually have no problem buying online, just a bit more cautious with this one.

[Big_Stu]

Email Fender USA; they're usually pretty good at help & advice, not so much the UK people IME.
Maybe ask them from the direction of "how easy is it to keep the finish matt?", rather than "I want to gloss one up".

Nitro is obv a lot more temperamental than poly - and can take a long time before a reaction shows; though Gibson do a polishing kit specially for nitro finishes, getting harder to find but it's good stuff.

[pobrien_ie]

Thanks for advice. Auction ends over the weekend so time isn't on my side! Might just take the risk. The nitro finish is the real attraction for me to be honest and just hoped the finish wouldn't ruin the vintage vibe.

[Paul S]

I have a Westone Thunder Jet, which came out of the factory in 1984 as matt black. It had been abused and abandoned when I got it - a fairly serious need to clean it thoroughly and I tried to remove some of the scratch marks, too, using T cut. It is now nearly a gloss finish where I have polished it, so I'd say a matt finish is difficult to maintain in the long term. But that is rather subjectively either a good or bad thing - I am not really bothered as it is tatty as hell anyway and the extra shiny bits add to the 'mojo' to my thinking.

[KiOgon]

If it's a Highway 1 I'd say it's Satin Nitro finish, not matte - technically they tend to gloss up after a good polish, (not T cut or compound just ordinary polish), then revert to Satin.

Cheerz, John

[Dread Bass]

I love Matte black. I had my ACG built with a matte finish:

http://www.acguitars.co.uk/Gallery/289/

[waynepunkdude]

My HW1 went glossy after a while.

I'm tempted to do a bass in chalkboard paint.

[Beer of the Bass]

Yeah, the Highway One finish does tend to go glossy in the places your clothing rubs it, so I'd think it would buff to a semi-gloss finish quite easily. When I had mine, I always wondered whether someone could spray a nitro clearcoat over it and buff that to produce something more like the traditional Fender finishes.

[pobrien_ie]

I just went for it anyway and won the auction, so now eagerly awaiting to see what it looks like in the flesh!

Edited September 2, 2012 by pobrien_ie

[waynepunkdude]

Pics when you get it.

[pobrien_ie]

[quote name='waynepunkdude' timestamp='1346588895' post='1790839']
Pics when you get it.
[/quote]

Should have mentioned it's a body I bought. It's for an upcoming assembly project. Pics will follow!