kristo Posted September 13, 2022 Share Posted September 13, 2022 (edited) Hello all. I’ve got a couple of the new Guild Starfire 1 basses that I have absolutely fallen for in terms of what I need in a bass. My only wish was that one could be in a natural blonde finish. Does anyone know if it’s possible to refinish one, maybe by sanding the finish and using some sort of light wood stain? And would it be a costly process if someone could do it? Cheers. Edited September 15, 2022 by kristo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Cribbin Posted September 13, 2022 Share Posted September 13, 2022 Forget about it! Stain is designed to work on unfinished wood. To make it work on a previously finished surface, you would have to ensure that every bit of the old stuff is removed. That includes stuff that's sunk into the wood. Any wood that is not completely stripped will in effect have a partial seal that the stain will not sink into. You end up with a patchy ugly finish. The top is almost certainly plywood. To strip the existing finish completely, there is every chance that the top layer will be sanded through. You end up with a patchy ugly finish. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean-Luc Pickguard Posted September 13, 2022 Share Posted September 13, 2022 (edited) John Lennon managed to remove the sunburst finish off his casino and clearcoat it to a natural finish—allthough he probably didn't do the work himself. If you were to try this on one of the guilds you'd want to do it to the brown one which is laminated maple rather than the red one which is lovely as it is and is laminated mahogany. I don't know how the modern finish would compare to John's 60's finish. I imagine (no pun intended) his casino would have had a thin nitro finish that might have come off with a wipe of lacquer thinner. Alternatively you could sell one and add some cash to get a natural flamed maple starfire II. I have one and it is phenomenal with the bisonic pickups. Edited September 13, 2022 by Jean-Luc Pickguard 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristo Posted September 14, 2022 Author Share Posted September 14, 2022 Thanks for the replies, I'm not intending to do it myself, I just wondered if it might work. I didn't know John Lennon did a similar thing, I assumed his Casino was the original finish. I messaged my local luthier last night and he said it might be possible to strip one and use a dull French polish to get a natural finish.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristo Posted September 14, 2022 Author Share Posted September 14, 2022 11 hours ago, Jean-Luc Pickguard said: Alternatively you could sell one and add some cash to get a natural flamed maple starfire II. I have one and it is phenomenal with the bisonic pickups. I did have a Starfire II in the past, but I find these ones a little more compact and playable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted September 14, 2022 Share Posted September 14, 2022 On 13/09/2022 at 22:03, Jean-Luc Pickguard said: Alternatively you could sell one and add some cash to get a natural flamed maple starfire II. I have one and it is phenomenal with the bisonic pickups This ^ Bear in mind that pretty much any mod reduces the resale value, however well it's done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristo Posted September 15, 2022 Author Share Posted September 15, 2022 That's true, maybe I'm just thinking of doing it for the sake of it.... Looking at the basses last night, I think I'd be happier if the f holes could be more prominent, like on a Gretsch. Has anyone tried using pen paint on the inside edge of an f hole to make it stand out more? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted September 15, 2022 Share Posted September 15, 2022 3 hours ago, kristo said: That's true, maybe I'm just thinking of doing it for the sake of it.... Looking at the basses last night, I think I'd be happier if the f holes could be more prominent, like on a Gretsch. Has anyone tried using pen paint on the inside edge of an f hole to make it stand out more? Well, if it was my own bass, I wouldn't. And I know that's rich when I mod most of my own guitars and basses and even my website is called ajrguitarmods.co.uk But it's such a pretty model of bass straight out of the box - and even doing that small change would reduce the resale value. But it's not my bass and there's no such thing as 'you mustn't' 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristo Posted September 16, 2022 Author Share Posted September 16, 2022 Having no patience, I got some Uni Posca Ivory Pens today and had a go. Only the first layer, but I’m pleased with how it’s looking. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulThePlug Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 Likes the look of a hollow body... thing that makes my teeth itch is the cuts... should be symetrical or the lower cut bigger / deeper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommorichards Posted September 24, 2022 Share Posted September 24, 2022 In answer to your original question, yes its possible. Over the years, many guitar and bass owners have stripped the finish off the body and made it natural. Just sand it down, make sure all the paint is removed, then either use a clear varnish, or some sort of wood finishing product. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristo Posted October 31, 2022 Author Share Posted October 31, 2022 Just to update, I liked it so much better the bass is now with a luthier getting binding added. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveFry Posted November 3, 2022 Share Posted November 3, 2022 A vinyl wrap is non permanent . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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