Jimothey Posted April 12, 2018 Share Posted April 12, 2018 1 hour ago, BrunoBass said: Thanks. Yes I’m certainly intending to use it and gig it, if it’s up to it. As this is my first attempt at doing this I’m not expecting it to be anything special, but I’ve learned a lot, and it’s been a lot of fun; the next one will be better! If nothing else I’ll have something cool to hang on the wall. I’ve definitely got the bug now, I’m thinking about doing a ‘from scratch’ build next... I don’t see why it won’t be a nice playable bass that you can gig if you take the time to set it up properly 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted April 12, 2018 Share Posted April 12, 2018 Looking good from here. Nice decal too 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrunoBass Posted April 12, 2018 Author Share Posted April 12, 2018 34 minutes ago, Andyjr1515 said: Looking good from here. Nice decal too Thanks @Andyjr1515 I’m always inspired by your builds 😊 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrunoBass Posted April 12, 2018 Author Share Posted April 12, 2018 Ok so @Jimothey might be interested to see this. Capri Orange, or BS557 Light Orange, which is close enough for me 🍊 It looks a bit dull in the photo, but it’s more vibrant in the flesh. I’m pleased with it, it’s very close to the colour I visualised so I’m happy. I’ll just have to be patient now while it settles for a while... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Bay Posted April 12, 2018 Share Posted April 12, 2018 What did you use for the signature on the back of the headstock? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrunoBass Posted April 12, 2018 Author Share Posted April 12, 2018 12 minutes ago, T-Bay said: What did you use for the signature on the back of the headstock? A CD marker, permanent ink but a nice fine nib. I tested it with the lacquer first to make sure it didn’t react in any way. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Bay Posted April 12, 2018 Share Posted April 12, 2018 1 minute ago, BrunoBass said: A CD marker, permanent ink but a nice fine nib. I tested it with the lacquer first to make sure it didn’t react in any way. Brilliant, I have been wondering the best way to do this on mine (I also bought a Rothko and Frost decal for the front, sadly my experience of their customer service was less good than yours though). I have been looking at fine nib ink pens but was worried it would spread. I may even have one of those markers in my drawer of rubbish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimothey Posted April 12, 2018 Share Posted April 12, 2018 58 minutes ago, BrunoBass said: Ok so @Jimothey might be interested to see this. Capri Orange, or BS557 Light Orange, which is close enough for me 🍊 It looks a bit dull in the photo, but it’s more vibrant in the flesh. I’m pleased with it, it’s very close to the colour I visualised so I’m happy. I’ll just have to be patient now while it settles for a while... Looking good!!!! I’m really liking the Orange 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrunoBass Posted April 12, 2018 Author Share Posted April 12, 2018 34 minutes ago, T-Bay said: Brilliant, I have been wondering the best way to do this on mine (I also bought a Rothko and Frost decal for the front, sadly my experience of their customer service was less good than yours though). I have been looking at fine nib ink pens but was worried it would spread. I may even have one of those markers in my drawer of rubbish. Sorry to hear about that, I was really pleased with my decal and the delivery but it was a bit pricey and I nearly ballsed up the application. A got a big wrinkle that I couldn’t shift and I was worried it was going to tear. I wetted it a bit more and I was able to recover it. On the subject of the signature, I did a couple of light mist coats first and then just wrote straight on to it without any sanding. I only wet sanded where the decal was going to go. I think the ink probably would spread or bloom if you were to write straight onto the wood without a layer of lacquer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Bay Posted April 12, 2018 Share Posted April 12, 2018 2 minutes ago, BrunoBass said: Sorry to hear about that, I was really pleased with my decal and the delivery but it was a bit pricey and I nearly ballsed up the application. A got a big wrinkle that I couldn’t shift and I was worried it was going to tear. I wetted it a bit more and I was able to recover it. On the subject of the signature, I did a couple of light mist coats first and then just wrote straight on to it without any sanding. I only wet sanded where the decal was going to go. I think the ink probably would spread or bloom if you were to write straight onto the wood without a layer of lacquer. That fits with what I was planning. I will do a test on a piece of scrap anyway. I used to make a lot of model planes when I was a kid so hoping memory will kick in when I start on the decal. Yours looks great in the pics. I assume you are going to lacquer over the top? I am using car paints (it’s what I know) but I will check they don’t affect that little test piece they send first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrunoBass Posted April 12, 2018 Author Share Posted April 12, 2018 1 minute ago, T-Bay said: That fits with what I was planning. I will do a test on a piece of scrap anyway. I used to make a lot of model planes when I was a kid so hoping memory will kick in when I start on the decal. Yours looks great in the pics. I assume you are going to lacquer over the top? I am using car paints (it’s what I know) but I will check they don’t affect that little test piece they send first. Thanks. Yes, I’ll give it a few coats tomorrow once it’s settled. I’m not sure I’ll wet sand the headstock actually, as the lacquer layer I built up before applying the decal dried very nicely. Even though it’s a gloss lacquer it dried with a smooth, dry looking finish. I’m using car paints too. I’d planned to use nitro but decided to use acrylic car rattle cans instead. There’s a really good supplier in town close to me, and it’s cheap; I’ve bought a 500ml can of primer, a 500ml can of clear coat and a 400ml can of specially mixed colour for less than £20. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Bay Posted April 12, 2018 Share Posted April 12, 2018 They are easy to work with generally which is why I like them. Plus the benefit of almost unlimited colour options. Looking forward to seeing the finished Bass. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimothey Posted April 12, 2018 Share Posted April 12, 2018 32 minutes ago, T-Bay said: They are easy to work with generally which is why I like them. Plus the benefit of almost unlimited colour options. Looking forward to seeing the finished Bass. I completely agree with you, I always use car paints aswell I find them a lot more forgiving than Nitro 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris Posted April 13, 2018 Share Posted April 13, 2018 19 hours ago, T-Bay said: That fits with what I was planning. I will do a test on a piece of scrap anyway. I used to make a lot of model planes when I was a kid so hoping memory will kick in when I start on the decal. Yours looks great in the pics. I assume you are going to lacquer over the top? I am using car paints (it’s what I know) but I will check they don’t affect that little test piece they send first. These decals are MUCH thinner than the old Airfix ones. Same principle though, just a bit more fragile Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrunoBass Posted April 13, 2018 Author Share Posted April 13, 2018 @T-Bay @Jimothey if you’re using car paints, what do you use for buffing and polishing? I was thinking T-Cut or similar, what would you recommend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimothey Posted April 13, 2018 Share Posted April 13, 2018 58 minutes ago, BrunoBass said: @T-Bay @Jimothey if you’re using car paints, what do you use for buffing and polishing? I was thinking T-Cut or similar, what would you recommend? I prefer a satin finish when having a painted finish but when I did one with a gloss finish I used meguiars ultimate compound polish as I found it not as harsh as t-cut 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted April 14, 2018 Share Posted April 14, 2018 7 hours ago, Jimothey said: I prefer a satin finish when having a painted finish but when I did one with a gloss finish I used meguiars ultimate compound polish as I found it not as harsh as t-cut +1 on this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Bay Posted April 14, 2018 Share Posted April 14, 2018 9 hours ago, BrunoBass said: @T-Bay @Jimothey if you’re using car paints, what do you use for buffing and polishing? I was thinking T-Cut or similar, what would you recommend? I use abranet pads, 4000 and 6000 grit. They aren’t cheap but they are brilliant. I then use Autoglym super resin polish and Poorboys wax. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrunoBass Posted April 14, 2018 Author Share Posted April 14, 2018 Thanks all 👍🏻 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrunoBass Posted April 16, 2018 Author Share Posted April 16, 2018 I put everything together today (minus the pots and wiring loom, mainly because I haven’t got one yet) to see how it all lined up, drill the screw holes for the scratchplate and the pickups etc. Looking good, I then disassembled it in order to sand and buff the body. I left the tuners on though, no point removing those! Wet sanding the body was an interesting experience, mainly because things didn’t really go to plan. I built up many layers of primer, many layers of colour and many layers of clear coat during the finishing process and yet I had colour residue appearing on my 1000 grit w&d paper, used wet with light pressure. It’s as if I hadn’t applied any clear coat at all! I can only say that perhaps I didn’t prepare the porous paulownia body sufficiently; I remember it swallowed a lot of primer, I wonder if it was absorbing colour and clear too? (If I use a paulownia body again I’ll completely seal it before I grain fill). I ended up wet sanding with 2000 grit only, as I was worried about degrading the finish, before polishing with car polish. Anyway... it looks ok, not quite what I had in mind, but a nice finish nonetheless; kind of a worn, aged look which I’m cool with. Next job is to shield the cavities, wire it all up and it’ll be done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Bay Posted April 16, 2018 Share Posted April 16, 2018 Were there surface issues? (Just wondering why the 1000 grit) I use 4000 and 6000 for final finishing. 1000 will cut through surprisingly quickly, especially when used wet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrunoBass Posted April 16, 2018 Author Share Posted April 16, 2018 No surface issues particularly, the 1000/1500/2000 process was recommended by a mate who refinishes guitars. As you say I think maybe even 1000 grit was possibly overly abrasive. It’s been a learning curve, this project! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Bay Posted April 16, 2018 Share Posted April 16, 2018 It’s part of the fun. When working on my classic car projects, I use 1000 for initial cut back (not usually final coat) or surface issues e.g. a minor run. For final finish/ pre Polish I use the abranet 4000 pads, then 6000 with a small amount of polish and finally wax. The pads are foam backed and don’t feel like abrasives at all really. Some people just using cutting compounds and don’t bother with abrasive pads at all. I suppose you just find what works for you and work with that. I want a slightly ‘grainy’ finish on mine but not sure how it will end up, could be a dogs dinner! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrunoBass Posted April 17, 2018 Author Share Posted April 17, 2018 (edited) Finished!! Well not quite, I haven’t installed the electrics or wired it up yet, but everything is together now and it’s looking awesome! I’ll replace the temporary strap buttons with Schaller strap locks, put on the string retainer and the tug bar once it’s strung. It’s the lightest Precision bass (or any bass for that matter) I’ve ever played. At just 6.5 lb it’s 3 whole lb lighter than my Fender Jazz, my shoulder says ‘yay!’ Looking forward to getting some flatwounds on it and seeing how it sounds!! Very pleased 🍊 Edited April 17, 2018 by BrunoBass 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimothey Posted April 17, 2018 Share Posted April 17, 2018 That looks great!!!!...... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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