Jabba_the_gut Posted February 16, 2018 Share Posted February 16, 2018 (edited) I also think ash looks lovely without grain filling - depends on what look you want. I've just finished an ash body with oil without grain filling and I'm really pleased how it looks (it's in my build diary on here). Personally, I'm not keen on the red body/white pick guard combo but that's because I had an old Encore that colour and I hated it and it looked like it belonged in 'The Shadows' - just my personal taste!!! I do like these colour schemes on bodies with coarse grain where they are sprayed one colour then sprayed another colour. They are then sanded back so the bulk of the body is the first colour and the recessed parts of the grain hold the second colour. Can look nice if the right colours are used. This sort of idea (couple of random web photos): The ash body you have in your kit has a lovely grain to it - would be nice to show it off either natural or a semi transparent finish. I'll be interested to see what you choose! All the best Jez Edited February 16, 2018 by Jabba_the_gut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soopercrip Posted February 18, 2018 Author Share Posted February 18, 2018 (edited) On 16/02/2018 at 16:20, Jabba_the_gut said: I also think ash looks lovely without grain filling - depends on what look you want. I've just finished an ash body with oil without grain filling and I'm really pleased how it looks (it's in my build diary on here). Personally, I'm not keen on the red body/white pick guard combo but that's because I had an old Encore that colour and I hated it and it looked like it belonged in 'The Shadows' - just my personal taste!!! I do like these colour schemes on bodies with coarse grain where they are sprayed one colour then sprayed another colour. They are then sanded back so the bulk of the body is the first colour and the recessed parts of the grain hold the second colour. Can look nice if the right colours are used. This sort of idea (couple of random web photos): The ash body you have in your kit has a lovely grain to it - would be nice to show it off either natural or a semi transparent finish. I'll be interested to see what you choose! All the best Jez Thanks for the pics Jez, I think the bold grain on the two pics is a bit much for me, was looking at something more subtle if I go down the the exposed grain route. Something like a background shading tint, not too strong. Can't find a pic of what I'm trying to say lol. Must admit the ash body you've oiled is a nice finish and the matched grain is completely OCD lol, must have been a job getting that result! An old Encore, from Kays catalogue? Thanks Andy Edited February 18, 2018 by soopercrip Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted February 18, 2018 Share Posted February 18, 2018 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soopercrip Posted February 18, 2018 Author Share Posted February 18, 2018 21 minutes ago, discreet said: Yes that's the idea, maybe even a little softer on the colour strength. Thanks Discreet, Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted February 18, 2018 Share Posted February 18, 2018 Sorry - I'm a bit late on this despite @Spondonbassed 's flattering words! I'll post a bit more tomorrow with some examples, but I wouldn't worry too much about 'traditional' grain fillers - they can be much more trouble than they are worth. If you are going for a trans dye finish, I would suggest that Tru-oil is the easiest way of obtaining a potentially excellent result. It is very un-reactive to dyes, easy to apply, easy to reapply, relatively quick to dry and can be used to produce a relatively glossy finish or a matt finish. Ref the grain fill, assuming that you are not aiming for hiding the wood grain, then you can use none at all - just seal it and fill with progressive coats of the Tru-oil, or you can use their own 'Sealer Filler' - this is smellier than truoil itself but seals quicker than just the oil and fills voids and porosity with a fully transparent fill. The two products are both completely compatible with each other. I'll post a few examples and threads in the morning that might help the decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba_the_gut Posted February 18, 2018 Share Posted February 18, 2018 4 hours ago, soopercrip said: Thanks for the pics Jez, I think the bold grain on the two pics is a bit much for me, was looking at something more subtle if I go down the the exposed grain route. Something like a background shading tint, not too strong. Can't find a pic of what I'm trying to say lol. Must admit the ash body you've oiled is a nice finish and the matched grain is completely OCD lol, must have been a job getting that result! An old Encore, from Kays catalogue? Thanks Andy Hi Andy. Yep, quite bold finishes on those two pictures. Just posted them as examples that don't have mirror finishes but still look great. The ash body I have had is just treated with three costs of oil - nice an easy! I was just lucky how the two halves lined up! Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimothey Posted February 18, 2018 Share Posted February 18, 2018 5 hours ago, soopercrip said: Thanks for the pics Jez, I think the bold grain on the two pics is a bit much for me, was looking at something more subtle if I go down the the exposed grain route. Something like a background shading tint, not too strong. Can't find a pic of what I'm trying to say lol. Must admit the ash body you've oiled is a nice finish and the matched grain is completely OCD lol, must have been a job getting that result! An old Encore, from Kays catalogue? Thanks Andy How about something like this?? I think that this would make a nice finish and show off your grain aswell...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted February 19, 2018 Share Posted February 19, 2018 13 hours ago, Andyjr1515 said: Sorry - I'm a bit late on this despite @Spondonbassed 's flattering words! I'll post a bit more tomorrow with some examples, but I wouldn't worry too much about 'traditional' grain fillers - they can be much more trouble than they are worth. If you are going for a trans dye finish, I would suggest that Tru-oil is the easiest way of obtaining a potentially excellent result. It is very un-reactive to dyes, easy to apply, easy to reapply, relatively quick to dry and can be used to produce a relatively glossy finish or a matt finish. Ref the grain fill, assuming that you are not aiming for hiding the wood grain, then you can use none at all - just seal it and fill with progressive coats of the Tru-oil, or you can use their own 'Sealer Filler' - this is smellier than truoil itself but seals quicker than just the oil and fills voids and porosity with a fully transparent fill. The two products are both completely compatible with each other. I'll post a few examples and threads in the morning that might help the decision. Here are some examples of what I'm talking about. First - the reason I think Tru-oil is an excellent way of starting off on your first finishing project: Don't be confused with the term 'oil' It is the consistency of oil when you apply it, but it hardens to a hard, dry lacquer finish. It is NOT as tough by any stretch as a modern 'bullet-proof' poly finish but it is fit for purpose for normal guitar and bass wear and tear It is cheap - a small bottle is all you need for at least one bass or guitar and, other than is does start going off over a few months if it's in an opened bottle, often two or three It is very easy to apply. You basically wipe it on with a lint-free cloth or you can use a fine lacquer brush It is quick. You can do at least a couple of coats a day. The final hardening takes a little longer - a week or so for fully hard (but that's still a lot quicker than nitro!) It is very unreactive. It goes onto most things quite successfully - bare wood, spirit-based stained wood, water-based stained wood It is very easy to re-do You can buff it to satin or build it up to gloss It is very easy to repair - both at the time of application or even after years of use I have done a lot of projects using stain and tru-oil. Stains can be spirit stains (Chestnut do a good range of wood-coloured and a smaller 'poster colour' range - and you can get a couple of sample pack of the whole range of each where each small bottle is plenty for a bass) Crimson do a range of decent stains, although the quantity in each bottle would probably be enough for 20 basses! I use ink but you do have to choose carefully because some specific colours and types do fade. Anyway - two or three examples. This is what I mean about the grain showing through. This one has no grain fill, just stain, then a number of coats of tru-oil, wiped on: But with Tru-oil, you can also go for a sheen rather than a gloss. This one (same guitar - I was experimenting with different techniques) is stained, then the tru-oil applied, but wiped off and buffed with a cloth before it's dried: You can see on the cloth, some of the stain in the initial buffs does come off but, if you are gentle, it leaves enough not to show a light patch. Once each coat has dried, the subsequent coats of apply and buff fix the stain into the finish and you don't get this problem or any of the stain coming off on the players hands (I use this approach for most of my stained necks, even if the rest of the bass is gloss, and I haven't had anyone finish a gig with red hands, yet ) This one below is a crazily bobbly veneer (it's a type of Finnish birch) but, again, just stained and then multiple coats of Tru-oil (all from one small bottle) : This one is just Tru-oil applied to unstained wood: Here's the veneered front: ...and here's the sanded and tru-oiled basswood back (no grain fill): This one above is my own fretted bass, pics taken just after it was done and - other than it's dropped to a high sheen rather than true gloss - it still looks the same today, 7 years later. This is today (and to my knowledge, it's never been polished - just played): There are other products around - and some are excellent - but Tru-oil is by far the most forgiving I've ever used at the same time as producing a variety of excellent results that I'm still more than happy to use where appropriate on even high-value commissions. Hope this helps. If you do go that route, let us all know and we can give you no end of hints and tips of how to use it to get these types of results. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted February 19, 2018 Share Posted February 19, 2018 Love this.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimothey Posted February 19, 2018 Share Posted February 19, 2018 I think this one is lovely!! I would love to see how it would look without the pickguard tho?...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted February 19, 2018 Share Posted February 19, 2018 1 hour ago, Jimothey said: I think this one is lovely!! I would love to see how it would look without the pickguard tho?...... You'd see a great big hole. It's a Squier VM Jaguar under the veneer and originally had a full sized scratch plate. As such, the control chamber route carries onto a swimming pool for the P pickups. This was in the days before I started taking loads of in progress shots so I don't think I've got any shots of what's underneath it. Apologies @soopercrip for the thread de-rail. Let's get back to your project Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soopercrip Posted February 21, 2018 Author Share Posted February 21, 2018 On 19/02/2018 at 13:16, Andyjr1515 said: You'd see a great big hole. It's a Squier VM Jaguar under the veneer and originally had a full sized scratch plate. As such, the control chamber route carries onto a swimming pool for the P pickups. This was in the days before I started taking loads of in progress shots so I don't think I've got any shots of what's underneath it. Apologies @soopercrip for the thread de-rail. Let's get back to your project No problem Andy, the more options the better really. Although you have created some stunning tops I'm still leaning towards a trans red I think. Haven't had any time with it yet work/kids/etc taking up most of it. It won't be gathering dust though Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soopercrip Posted February 21, 2018 Author Share Posted February 21, 2018 ...and while I said I was going with the supplied set up, I,er, picked up a high mass bridge and through body ferrules last week....( I know, I know, stick with the program...) Andy http://www.northwestguitars.co.uk/4-string-electric-precision-jazz-bass-guitar-bridge-bb404/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soopercrip Posted March 10, 2018 Author Share Posted March 10, 2018 Got a bit done, I tried a red dye on a sample piece of ash and it didn't work for me, so I've sanded and flatted (and sanded and sanded..) sanding sealer, then sanded, then four coats of clear laquer, then sanded then four coats of laquer and at the moment I'm cutting back with 4o steel wool. To be honest, I'm feeling the satin/matt finish more than gloss finish. Going to oil the neck and fingerboard and put it together to see the overall effect. The grain is looking good I think. Shaped the headstock and added a waterslide decal for a bit of fun. I've also picked up some generic ashtrays from ebay (china) will post some pics when its together (with and without them) and maybe get some views from you guys (er and gals) Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpondonBassed Posted March 10, 2018 Share Posted March 10, 2018 I like your decal. From what the other Andy (jr1515) says, your gloss finish will become more of a sheen over time. I think it looks great as it is. Is that because it has been cut back with the 0000 wire wool? I prefer less of a gloss finish myself. That's why I didn't do Tru Oil. The finishes I got using Danish (neck) and Teak (body) oils were a nice satin even after I buffed them with beeswax furniture polish a couple of weeks after the build was complete. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted March 10, 2018 Share Posted March 10, 2018 That's looking really nice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted March 10, 2018 Share Posted March 10, 2018 Any tips for ferrules ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpondonBassed Posted March 10, 2018 Share Posted March 10, 2018 18 minutes ago, Geek99 said: Any tips for ferrules ? These? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soopercrip Posted March 10, 2018 Author Share Posted March 10, 2018 44 minutes ago, Geek99 said: Any tips for ferrules ? Only to use a pillar drill for symmetry and progressive drill bit sizes to avoid tear out on the wood. The last 10mm size i turned the drill by hand very slowly. If you meant suppliers, the ones I got from Northwest guitars are good quality. Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soopercrip Posted March 10, 2018 Author Share Posted March 10, 2018 52 minutes ago, Andyjr1515 said: That's looking really nice Thanks Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soopercrip Posted March 10, 2018 Author Share Posted March 10, 2018 59 minutes ago, SpondonBassed said: I like your decal. From what the other Andy (jr1515) says, your gloss finish will become more of a sheen over time. I think it looks great as it is. Is that because it has been cut back with the 0000 wire wool? I prefer less of a gloss finish myself. That's why I didn't do Tru Oil. The finishes I got using Danish (neck) and Teak (body) oils were a nice satin even after I buffed them with beeswax furniture polish a couple of weeks after the build was complete. It's partly done with with steel wool, ran out of time and can'gt get back to it until next week. Going to take it back a little further to a complete matt finish I think. Plenty of laquer for protection. Se what it's like then Andy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted March 10, 2018 Share Posted March 10, 2018 6 hours ago, SpondonBassed said: These? Hmm - you’re really getting on my tips now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpondonBassed Posted March 11, 2018 Share Posted March 11, 2018 11 hours ago, Geek99 said: Hmm - you’re really getting on my tips now Sorry for being facetious about ferrules. They are underappreciated as it is. Have a complimentary link to a soothing image. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pea Turgh Posted March 11, 2018 Share Posted March 11, 2018 26 minutes ago, SpondonBassed said: Sorry for being facetious about ferrules. They are underappreciated as it is. Have a complimentary link to a soothing image. Soothing? It came up with an ad for some zombie apocalypse game tagged on to the start! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpondonBassed Posted March 11, 2018 Share Posted March 11, 2018 (edited) 41 minutes ago, Pea Turgh said: Soothing? It came up with an ad for some zombie apocalypse game tagged on to the start! You don't actually pay attention to YT commercials do you? I'd have thought the video clip itself would have calmed any anguish caused by marketing muppetry. I mean kittens, ducklings, ducklings-suckling-on-cat-nipples - none of these images could possibly cause offence. In fact I'm sure that North Koreans and Americans especially can see the benefits of sharing the love just from watching this video. Edited March 11, 2018 by SpondonBassed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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