I'm stripping my bass, what should I apply for a natural finish?

[AinsleyWalker]

So my Stingray could do with a paint strip due to some unsightly knocks and dents taken over the years and I'm going to leave it natural. It's a sunburst body, so I can see the grain through the finish and it looks good. 
My friend has the tools/space to help me do it, but I'm looking for advice on what to coat/seal the wood with after the finish has been removed?
I've included 2 pics below for the kind of colouring I'd like to go for. Any advice/brands/products would be greatly appreciated! 

[gary mac]

Tru Oil would be my choice. Fairly easy to apply, looks and feels good.  

[AinsleyWalker]

1 minute ago, gary mac said:

Tru Oil would be my choice. Fairly easy to apply, looks and feels good.  

This stuff? I'm looking for something that won't add any/too much colour to the natural colour of the wood. I'm guessing from the name (compared to their other oils) that this will be suitable?

[gary mac]

Yes, that's it. It very slightly darkens over time. Just trying to find some pics of my P bass build that I finished with tru oil.

[AinsleyWalker]

2 minutes ago, gary mac said:

Yes, that's it. It very slightly darkens over time. Just trying to find some pics of my P bass build that I finished with tru oil.

Sounds good.  little bit of darkening wouldn't go amiss, the bass has a maple neck which, along with the headstock, have naturally darkened ever so slightly in the 10 years I've owned it, so I wouldn't want the body to look too fresh/sandy anyway

[gary mac]

A couple of pics. 

[AinsleyWalker]

1 minute ago, gary mac said:

A couple of pics. 

Looks great! Did you strip the body first yourself as well?

Edited April 7, 2020 by AinsleyWalker

[gary mac]

The body was made for me by @gsgbass It's a piece of light weight swamp ash.

[AinsleyWalker]

59 minutes ago, gary mac said:

The body was made for me by @gsgbass It's a piece of light weight swamp ash.

Ah nice, it's a little bit lighter than what I'm aiming to go for to be quite honest (the pics I posted are a bit more 'golden'). My ray's body is Ash

[HazBeen]

Tru-oil would also  my choice, you potentially could use Danish oil or others too. Thin coats and patience.

Nitro-Cellulose clear coat (very thinly applied) may also be another option.

[LewisK1975]

Another +1 for Tru-Oil.  I stripped a Bass a few years ago and did it in tru-oil and it worked a treat.

Really easy to apply (literally rub on with a cloth).  Let dry, rub gently with steel wool & re-coat, repeat until you're happy with how much it shines.                                                                               

[Rexel Matador]

I've had good results with the Crimson Guitars finishing oil. From what I remember, they reverse engineered Tru-Oil and tweaked it a bit for guitar purposes. I forget the details.

I'm not affiliated by the way, I just find it to work pretty well, and it's good that there are lots of demonstrations on their youtube channel.

[Cuzzie]

Gun Oil on amazon is very similar and I have also had good results as well, darkens it slightly, does a great job

[Cuzzie]

Key is sanding to a high grit level, first 2-3 coats you can dilute with mineral spirits and sand it in, then apply neat let dry and buff

patience is the key

[Grahambythesea]

I did an Ibanez with boiled linseed oil, dead easy and has a hard finish.

Edited April 14, 2020 by Grahambythesea
Typos

[Musicman666]

So did the op complete this refinish?... any chance of  some before and after  photos as I’m mulling doing the same thing myself with a stingray with a badly chipped paint job...any tips? Thanks.

[PaulThePlug]

Cheapy done with £5 Screwfix Danish Oil and Wire Wool and Wet n Dry Slurry Method

 

[Dan Dare]

An oil finish is nice, but bear in mind you won't be able to refinish at a later date with any form of varnish/lacquer as the oil will sink into the wood and react with anything you subsequently attempt to apply. So be sure you really want to do it before proceeding.