Pea Turgh Posted November 2, 2023 Share Posted November 2, 2023 Spotted this on Gumtree a few days ago, picked it up this eve. £30 with a straight neck - what could possibly go wrong?! I’m planning on stripping it back (or probably just sanding for a refinish as it’s probably ply-bodied). Maybe oly white with a mint guard? We’ll see… 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted November 2, 2023 Share Posted November 2, 2023 @Bassassin might know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted November 2, 2023 Share Posted November 2, 2023 5 minutes ago, Geek99 said: @Bassassin might know I know many things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted November 2, 2023 Share Posted November 2, 2023 Might one of those many things assist the OP? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pea Turgh Posted November 2, 2023 Author Share Posted November 2, 2023 It used to be sunburst, with a nice maple neck. Why do people paint things so?! Hopefully I can remove the black and not kill the original finish… Odd pickup arrangement, too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pea Turgh Posted November 2, 2023 Author Share Posted November 2, 2023 A quick Google shows it probably looked like this one originally: https://reverb.com/item/72349185-matsumoku-short-scale-bass-killer-bass-insane-pickup-short-scale-but-formidable-feeling-instrument The scratchplate and truss cover are WBW under the awful red paint. Looks like it was sanded with a bag of rocks though, so might have to be a refinish 😕 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted November 2, 2023 Share Posted November 2, 2023 1 hour ago, Geek99 said: Might one of those many things assist the OP? Maybe. But if I told them I might have to kill them. You know how it is. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pea Turgh Posted November 2, 2023 Author Share Posted November 2, 2023 4 minutes ago, Bassassin said: Maybe. But if I told them I might have to kill them. You know how it is. I’ve read a lot of your posts - it’s how I spotted the Matsumoku connection (neck plate). What ever it is, it’s already been ruined, so I can only make it better! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted November 2, 2023 Share Posted November 2, 2023 1 hour ago, Pea Turgh said: A quick Google shows it probably looked like this one originally: https://reverb.com/item/72349185-matsumoku-short-scale-bass-killer-bass-insane-pickup-short-scale-but-formidable-feeling-instrument The scratchplate and truss cover are WBW under the awful red paint. Looks like it was sanded with a bag of rocks though, so might have to be a refinish 😕 Good detective work! It's also a close relative of the Mats-made Epiphone ET280 - basically the same thing with a 4-inline headstock & single pickup. It's possible if you can get the paint off the original finish underneath will be restorable. I've had good results with a healthy dose of T-cut & elbow grease on similarly Dulux-ed basses & guitars - once you get the paint off, the original poly tends to be pretty bomb-proof. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pea Turgh Posted November 2, 2023 Author Share Posted November 2, 2023 The previous sanding job will determine how useable the underlying poly is - looks like they used a shark’s face to get a scratch coat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maude Posted November 3, 2023 Share Posted November 3, 2023 I'm following this. You know me and tarting up budget basses. 😁 If it is a plywood body then you don't want to take it back to bare wood. It will take forever to fill all the end grain. If the original finsh is shot then try and leave the sanding sealer intact, assuming it has some. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pea Turgh Posted November 3, 2023 Author Share Posted November 3, 2023 20 minutes ago, Maude said: I'm following this. You know me and tarting up budget basses. 😁 If it is a plywood body then you don't want to take it back to bare wood. It will take forever to fill all the end grain. If the original finsh is shot then try and leave the sanding sealer intact, assuming it has some. Yeah, it’s kinda your fault 😂 I remember you mentioning about not fully stripping if overpainting, so happy not to make things harder for myself. I’ve attacked the body &neck with 120 grit. The DIY paint is gradually coming off, and I think the original poly won’t budge much (maybe on the sharper edges). There are patches where it looks like the previous owner has used a section of pebbledash wall to sand it, so I’ll get it as flat as I can and use filler. The neck and headstock seem to have escaped the scrapes, so might just be able to buff up the original finish. I’d thought oly white for the body, but a nice Gibson SG bass in the classifieds in Pelham blue has got me wondering… decisions decisions! Also bought a Fender style BBOT bridge from the classifieds to replace the agricultural original (similar spacing - 19 or 20mm). Ooh and the nut is 43mm - perfect for my long skinny fingers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pea Turgh Posted November 5, 2023 Author Share Posted November 5, 2023 Been sanding with 120 grit to get the black off. Neck pretty much done, though I may have gone through the poly in a couple of spots. @Maude - is it just a case of working up through grades to re-shine the pre-existing poly? What grades should I use? The body doesn’t seem as bad as I first thought, although I have inadvertently given it a slight home-made road worn effect on the top edge - mustn’t repeat that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pea Turgh Posted November 5, 2023 Author Share Posted November 5, 2023 Also, there’s some cracks to the poly on the back of the headstock. And the end of a screw showing a previous repair. Looks like it’s holding though, so I’ll let that sleeping dog lie. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maude Posted November 5, 2023 Share Posted November 5, 2023 2 hours ago, Pea Turgh said: @Maude - is it just a case of working up through grades to re-shine the pre-existing poly? What grades should I use? Yes, just go up through the grades, although there is probably a very real risk of rubbing through. It all depends on how thick the original clear is and how much you've taken off with 120. Theres no real method of which grades you should use. The more grades you can use, the less work you need to do with each grade. Ideally you want to remove all the scratches made by the previous, coarser grade, so if you jump too far between grades then you'll just have to work harder. Maybe move to 240 now, then 320, 500, 800, 1000. As you get to the higher grades you won't have to rub much at all. You will probably be able to polish it from 1000 but if you have it I'd go to 1500 and 2000 just to make life easier. Maybe when you see the black begin to thin move to the next grade to give yourself a better chance of not breaking through. It looks like it's had a neck pickup at some point in it's life. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pea Turgh Posted November 5, 2023 Author Share Posted November 5, 2023 52 minutes ago, Maude said: It looks like it's had a neck pickup at some point in it's life. Yeah, that’s an odd one because it’s under the sunburst. Changed their minds at the factory, I guess! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted November 5, 2023 Share Posted November 5, 2023 1 hour ago, Pea Turgh said: Yeah, that’s an odd one because it’s under the sunburst. Changed their minds at the factory, I guess! Strange one, that. Wonder if the routing template got put on the wrong place initially? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duarte Posted November 6, 2023 Share Posted November 6, 2023 Nice to reveal a 3-piece neck - a great little surprise. If you've gone through the finish on the neck at all, I'd just remove it all from the back of the neck, down to bare wood, and just finish with some tru-oil. I did the same to my fretless J bass a while ago and never looked back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pea Turgh Posted November 6, 2023 Author Share Posted November 6, 2023 Been spending some more time sanding. Thinking “man, I got through to wood quickly there, I should take more care”. Slowly realising that it was actually my refinishing predecessor that got through to bare wood, then just painted over with black - evidenced by areas where paint has sunk in to the wood pores. 🤦🏻♂️ The original finish (aside from being pre-roadworn) is also covered in cracks, and generally not pretty. Full respray it is! Any tips on prep? Take off original finish too, or just sand to what grit for undercoat? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duarte Posted November 6, 2023 Share Posted November 6, 2023 To me, the body looks as if it might be a one-piece with attractive grain - maybe consider going for a natural finish with oil? I did a similar thing with excellent results. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzz Posted November 6, 2023 Share Posted November 6, 2023 Can I just say that 'with a bag of rocks', 'a shark's face' and 'a section of pebbledash wall' have all now gone straight into my lexicon for badly finished things? Ta. 🙂 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted November 6, 2023 Share Posted November 6, 2023 15 minutes ago, Duarte said: To me, the body looks as if it might be a one-piece with attractive grain The position of the black in the sunburst suggests otherwise. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duarte Posted November 6, 2023 Share Posted November 6, 2023 3 minutes ago, BigRedX said: The position of the black in the sunburst suggests otherwise. Agreed - now I'm thinking it's a veneer/laminate. Guess we are going to find out soon enough! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pea Turgh Posted November 6, 2023 Author Share Posted November 6, 2023 I’ve just lost an hour in a sanding trance. I feel I know this instrument intimately now. I think what is left is sound enough to paint over. I will need to put some sort of something on the bare wood sections, but after that it’ll be undercoat and then colour of choice (TBC). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soulstar89 Posted November 6, 2023 Share Posted November 6, 2023 2 hours ago, Pea Turgh said: Been spending some more time sanding. Thinking “man, I got through to wood quickly there, I should take more care”. Slowly realising that it was actually my refinishing predecessor that got through to bare wood, then just painted over with black - evidenced by areas where paint has sunk in to the wood pores. 🤦🏻♂️ The original finish (aside from being pre-roadworn) is also covered in cracks, and generally not pretty. Full respray it is! Any tips on prep? Take off original finish too, or just sand to what grit for undercoat? that body is “Sen” Asian ash equivalent. I recently bought a 70’s jap Yamaha pulser 400 and its Sen body. Great find you have 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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