Refinishing? Stripping?

[PawelG]

Hi folks,

I got a bass recently. And I thought I will get rid of it shorty after. However, the bass seems to be of exceptional quality and it sounds very cool. The neck part of the instrument is perfect. But the body... It appears that previous owner has painted the pickup covers - not too much harm done. But the body. I think it's been refinished. Or the original finish was in bad condition and somebody sanded it down a lot. And now it looks weird. Can anyone tell from the photos what finish is it?

I am considering getting it refinished when I get some spare money. Or maybe just stripping it down to the wood? Would that be possible?

Here are the photos: https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipP6GUddJ63Go0m89AG8b7ioK1PmyLFzGZLQoIuEtqehbsLyV7_P8zIh600-2tJ-bQ?key=SHByVFF2SFNRLTFuR2V6b0M5dVpEWVJLZlBaNUJ3

Thanks!

[EBS_freak]

Looks like a rattle can finish to me. I would expect a bass like that to have a polyester finish. If you want to get it back to a stock look, then you'd need to strip it and then send it off to a company that are set up for the two pack polyester process... somebody like Bow Finishing or Martin Sims. Not cheap, but the finish will be flawless.

[mcnach]

Get in touch with David Wilson... he is great to deal with and his work is impeccable. He's done work for a few well known artists, but his rates will be more attractive than you'd probably imagine. Still, my main reason to approach him is the quality of his work, not the cost. The cost is just a bonus. He's refinished a body for me, and cleaned/lacquered the maple neck of my Stingray... I would not go anywhere else.

[url="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002025970885&fref=nf"]https://www.facebook...5970885&fref=nf[/url]


edit: he's also a bass player

Edited June 11, 2017 by mcnach

[Andyjr1515]

As EBS_freak says, it looks like a rattle can finish.

If so, it is entirely possible that the original finish is still there underneath and may have been simply oversprayed rather than sanded first.

If you are definitely unhappy with the blue (with a white scratchplate it could look quite striking) it might be worth using a small dab of thinners on the back to see what's underneath... If it looks interesting then you could simply remove the blue as a first step.

[PawelG]

Thank you very much for the tips.

Andyjr1515, that blue looks better on the photos than real life. To me anyway.

[Grangur]

Nice project! That's been painted by rattle cans. The finish you see is "orange peel" effect. It's what happens when you spray with the can too close to the work.

I've painted a few bodies with cans. But to be honest if you're wanting a perfect finish you can't beat a pro job. After all the cost of paint and other materials and your time it's money well spent.

[PawelG]

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1497573289' post='3319224']
Nice project! That's been painted by rattle cans. The finish you see is "orange peel" effect. It's what happens when you spray with the can too close to the work.

I've painted a few bodies with cans. But to be honest if you're wanting a perfect finish you can't beat a pro job. After all the cost of paint and other materials and your time it's money well spent.
[/quote]

Yes, definitely. I would not do it myself. Spending all the money on the materials etc for what would probably be one off - I might as well pay somebody who actually enjoys it and does a great job.

[Twincam]

I know you said you don't want to do it yourself but.
You could significantly improve it by spraying the body with clear lacquer from a can then going to town wet sanding, repeating as needed then buffing etc yourself. This would be the cheapest option.
Obviously not as good as having it refinished. Its a option though.

Edited June 16, 2017 by Twincam

[PawelG]

[quote name='Twincam' timestamp='1497638059' post='3319756']
I know you said you don't want to do it yourself but.
You could significantly improve it by spraying the body with clear lacquer from a can then going to town wet sanding, repeating as needed then buffing etc yourself. This would be the cheapest option.
Obviously not as good as having it refinished. Its a option though.
[/quote]
It's not super bad as it is - so if I got anything done to it - it would be a proper refinish. Maybe with matching headstock too :-)
I will get it from my local shop shortly and then I'll see what to do.
Thank you for your opinions.

[Norris]

If you are thinking of refinishing it yourself have a look at Micro Mesh. They come in a pack of 9 wet sanding pads going up to 12000 grit! A lot easier to use than you'd think.

The key to a good finish is preparation though. An extra hour to get it right at each stage will save you 3 hours at the next stage

[PawelG]

Or maybe a relic? I don't know how that color would look though...