Refinishing my Jazz basses.

[Dread Bass]

I have two jazz copies that i am planning on refinishing, a fretted and a fretless. They rarely get played and i want a challenge. I want to do one white with all black hardware and one black with all black hardware. Not sure which way round yet.

The first bass is a Johnson fretless in Sunburst I am going to start stripping it tomorrow. I plan to sand it down using an orbital sander right to the wood. I will then use a grain filler, a pray on finish and a spray on clear coat.

The second bass i already refinished once a few years ago. I refinished it with danish oil but have always regretted it. Can anyone give me some advice on how to remove the finish? can it be done?

Votes for which should be which colour would be cool.

[rapscallion]

How about black with all white hardware

Hammeright Metal paint anyone...

[Dread Bass]

[quote name='rapscallion' post='645994' date='Nov 5 2009, 09:11 AM']How about black with all white hardware

Hammeright Metal paint anyone...[/quote]

Ha yeah i would be up for that like.

[bumnote]

I am just finishing a precision off, and i did as you did using grain filler, primer colour and lacquer.
What you need to add to that is some sort of sanding sealer, there is a link here to a guy who uses pva adhesive.
[url="http://kmguitars.com/Body%20Prep%20_%20finishing.pdf"]http://kmguitars.com/Body%20Prep%20_%20finishing.pdf[/url]

If you dont add that step you will find [as I did to my cost] if there are any joins in the wood, the paint tends to sink in along the join lines over time, and a line will appear in the paint.

good luck

[Dread Bass]

Cool sounds like a great tip there bumnote.

I have decided to do the fretless all black and the fretted black and white.

[rapscallion]

[quote name='metaltime' post='646011' date='Nov 5 2009, 09:48 AM']Ha yeah i would be up for that like.[/quote]

I'm thinking of doing it to a guitar I'm staining black. It's just the effort involved in striping down all the metal parts and roughing them up, bit it would look hella cool

[Dread Bass]

Fretless is in bits I am going to start sanding later.

[Dread Bass]

75% of the finish off the back still got the clear coat lacquer stuff to go through though

Plan is to just do a bit at a time as i am in no rush.

[Tait]

have you decided on which one's which yet? i'd say if the fretless is ebony, it has to be black, and the fretted white. other than that either way round works.

[Dread Bass]

Well i did another few hours last night and managed to get about half the lacquer off the back. The aim is to have the rest off by the end of the day.

I think i might do them both white. I am going to do the fretless white and see how it looks.

[Pkomor]

[quote name='metaltime' post='645908' date='Nov 5 2009, 01:19 AM']then use a grain filler, a pray on finish and a spray on clear coat.[/quote]



Could take some time!

[EdwardHimself]

[quote name='Pkomor' post='661132' date='Nov 21 2009, 04:27 PM']

Could take some time![/quote]

Beat me to it!

White hardware? reminds me of this:



crap drums, but they look amazing.

[Dread Bass]

[quote name='Pkomor' post='661132' date='Nov 21 2009, 04:27 PM']

Could take some time![/quote]




Well still sanding. I will add pics till i'm done sanding.

[spacecowboy]

I found when refinishing a Telecaster Guitar that i had to lightly run a blow torch over the Laquer finish and scrape it off with a razor blade as it was seriously gumming up my Orbital Sanding Paper, never did finish that project! its still in a gig bag at my parents house..... Although reading this has inspired me to dig it back out and finish it!

[EBS_freak]

[quote name='spacecowboy' post='662296' date='Nov 23 2009, 12:27 AM']I found when refinishing a Telecaster Guitar that i had to lightly run a blow torch over the Laquer finish and scrape it off with a razor blade as it was seriously gumming up my Orbital Sanding Paper, never did finish that project! its still in a gig bag at my parents house..... Although reading this has inspired me to dig it back out and finish it![/quote]

Try some Nitromors!