How to make my bass shiny again?

[matski]

One of my old basses has lost it's lustre. It's a black Fender Precision and the paintwork has gone dull over time and I'd like to bring a bit of shine back to the finish.

I'm specifically looking for tips on which type of polishing product would work well to bring back some shine. Can anyone give me any recommendations? (apologies if this has been asked a thousand times before...)

[Ralf1e]

Generally top end automotive polishes will do a great job BUT you have to be very careful with nitro cellulose finishes as they are so thin and rather soft. You could find there isn't too much to polish and wear through it.

Best to try and find out from where and when made what finish would have been used before you start.

Edited March 14, 2023 by Ralf1e
Added info

[TheGreek]

I was going to suggest T-Cut but that's covered in @Ralf1e's advice.

[Frank Blank]

Edited March 14, 2023 by Frank Blank

[Ralf1e]

14 hours ago, Frank Blank said:

Like the look of that. Where is it generally stocked? May well give it a try if it is affordable 👍

[Frank Blank]

2 hours ago, Ralf1e said:

Like the look of that. Where is it generally stocked? May well give it a try if it is affordable 👍

 

I used to get mine from Amazon but it seems like eBay is the only option at

the moment. It's around a tenner but it'll last you years, a little goes a long way.

[iconic]

If you have any car body repair shops local take the bass in and ask if they can run a paint depth gauge over it.....

 

Explain why you want to do it, and I'm sure it will make a pleasant change for guys and be happy to oblige, buy some charity sweets on the way out...they may even run some 3M on it and hit it with a close form mop for you, out of curiosity. 

 

PS....do this first thing in the morning, I've dealt with painters for four decades now, they are almost normal before 10:30am😎