Geddy’s book is bass is good for relics, loads of images and sandbergs as well.
I decided to look at how I wear the bass, where I play it and carry it and how and do I think I would wear and tear it.
So........Completely blank bass, I stained the whole bass (similar to what @hooky_lowdownsaid tea or if you soak wire wool in vinegar for 24 hours that solution produces a certain colour ) I used an amber and brown wood stain mix to get the colour of the wood, applying and sanding till correct after flaming the grain to bring it out.
white primer, gold over
I wanted gold to wear down to white, to wear down to wood.
i used a mixture of heat/freeze, wire wool, sanding, stones and carrying it around to get this wear pattern.
works for me