wesfinn Posted July 16, 2010 Share Posted July 16, 2010 So heres something i've been staring at for a few weeks wondering when the best time would be to tackle this every so slight restoration of a 1961 P bass body.... It was originally 3TS and the original finish is still present in the neck pocket and cavities. I won't be able to refinish in 3TS due to the sections that need filling so I think I will finish the body in black. (this may change depending on what mood I'm in when it comes to it!) Heres what it had ended up as over the years Note the chiselled in Jazz pickup and chiselled control cavity extension! NICE! The biggest problem with this body aside from the rest of the shoddy work is the fact that it weighs a wopping 7 1/2lbs....why I hear you ask.. well one previous owner thought that it would be a good idea to rout in a brass block under the bridge! I figured it wouldnt be too deep down, but I was very wrong!The block goes all the way to the back of the bass (theres about 1mm of wood left under it!). I spent a few cups of tea pondering about how to set out on bringing this thing back to life and eventually drew up a plan. I decided that the best way to takle the issue of getting the brass block out would be to simply band saw a square cunk out of the body taking away the issue of the terrible jazz pickup 'rout' and the block in one! I then removed the finish from the face and back, Luckily there were no more nasty suprises under the finish which needed filling and the bass was still around 41mm thick. I then cleaned up the edges of the area which had been cut out by hand and then set about making an alder plug to fill the massive void! The plug had to be a very tight fit and was glued then hammered into place. Once dry the plug was planed down level with the body and the plug was rounded over on the edge on the table router. there were a few little gaps left around the plug so I filled these using alder dust/pva mixed together to form a filler and then left it to dry. Also while the back was drying I added the pin router hole and dowell onto the repaired section where it would of been. This wasn't really nessecary but I want to restore it as best as possible! Now to tackle the control cavity 'rout'.. This needs to be over routed using a rectangle template leaving me with a nice squared section. A plug is then made in the same way as before and then glued and hammered into place. the plug is then flushed with the body and then the gaps filled with the alder dust as before. I then use my 1960 P bass control cavity template to get the cavity back to something recognisable. The control cavity is not 100% due to the previous owner beigh chisel happy and removing bits around the edges to probably try and fit an actove circuit in! The body has now been fine sanded and is ready for the sanding selaer/primer which i will do sometime soon. Wes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnylager Posted July 16, 2010 Share Posted July 16, 2010 Another fine job underway, Wes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wesfinn Posted July 17, 2010 Author Share Posted July 17, 2010 [quote name='johnnylager' post='896904' date='Jul 16 2010, 09:44 PM']Another fine job underway, Wes. [/quote] Thanks mate should be a nice body when I'm done with it. then Ive just gotta collect some vintage parts and a neck to make it an early 60s bitza! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wesfinn Posted July 22, 2010 Author Share Posted July 22, 2010 primer coats are on and plugs are now invisible! I have drilled the connecting channels from the pickup and under the bridge for the earth wire. I am going to finish this in sonic blue now after looking through my new fender book and seeing an awesome early 60's example! also finished off this little non-bass related retro loveliness....Walnut end cheeks for an early Roland 808! it sounds amazing! Wes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted July 22, 2010 Share Posted July 22, 2010 That 808 looks great! Any reason you replaced the originals? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wesfinn Posted July 22, 2010 Author Share Posted July 22, 2010 [quote name='BigRedX' post='902255' date='Jul 22 2010, 07:39 PM']That 808 looks great! Any reason you replaced the originals?[/quote] They were long gone! it had been used without ends for about 15 years! making them was a nightmare! each end was a different size and I had to rout the inserts to accomadate for random PCB's and wires! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wesfinn Posted July 23, 2010 Author Share Posted July 23, 2010 Got the sonic blue coats on today. The camera doesn't really show how nice it looks. It will have a bit of depth to it once the tinted top coats go on too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibob Posted July 28, 2010 Share Posted July 28, 2010 Mmmmmmmm....Sonic Blllluueeeeeee Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wesfinn Posted July 31, 2010 Author Share Posted July 31, 2010 (edited) Clear coats and tinted coats on with pickguard area 'unfaded'. Will leave this for a few weeks to cure then flat and buff. I'm going to give this a light workhorse look with a bit of forearm wear back to the primer and a few small dings but nothing major. That will be done in 6 months time hopefully I will have more original parts for this by then. If anyone is interested in buying the body however I will sell it seperately! so it went from this... to this Bit of an improvement don't you think! Edited July 31, 2010 by wesfinn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIM Basses Posted July 31, 2010 Share Posted July 31, 2010 Nice work Wes, it makes me want to restore the 70's p bass body i have! Robbie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stinson Posted July 31, 2010 Share Posted July 31, 2010 Excellent work, you may have an enquiry from me in the near future Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wesfinn Posted July 31, 2010 Author Share Posted July 31, 2010 Thanks guys! you should do it Robbie, it's pretty satisfying to bring something back to life! Look forward to hearing from you Stinson! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anthomp Posted August 1, 2010 Share Posted August 1, 2010 Nice work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin_lindsay Posted August 1, 2010 Share Posted August 1, 2010 it looks great Wes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xilddx Posted August 3, 2010 Share Posted August 3, 2010 It looks lovely! I see the ghost of a pickguard in darker blue. Great work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.