Pea Turgh

I think the Hohners came with EMG Select pickups.  My Jack had soap bar pickups like your picture.

Makes me want to get one again!  Dagnammit I’m easily led…

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).

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?

There’s a Mustang, too:

https://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/product/231027414957027--sqoe-sjb400-white

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!

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.

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.

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!

Earlpilanz on eBay.  Lots of happy customers on basschat!

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.

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!

I have no answers.  But I do have questions- is that a metal fretboard?!

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 😕

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.

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…

I have a full set from my old Jack.  I think.  Did the Jack have a dual concentric pot?  Anyway, let me know if you want them.

I too like the look of the short scale.  More colour options would be nice.

1 hour ago, Cosmo Valdemar said:

Saint Soap, not heard of him before.

Just don’t Google it

4 minutes ago, rubis said:

If you can't find this bass, or you are looking to  build on like it, Musikraft offer a round lam  fingerboard option, I can highly recommend them 

Is that the one you used on that YOB build you did?  Awesome job, btw.

If I were still gigging loads (or at all it seems), I’d be getting on the LFSYS train.

Didn’t check that - yes - multicoloured!

I love Jabba’s builds!  Unfortunately I’m not in a position to take this off your hands, but it would be pretty damn awesome if I was - I’ve been thinking a lot about short scales recently, and headlesses, and ‘not fender-shaped’.  Dang!

Can you please remind me of the scale length, “nut” width and weight please?

I have blue silks like that on my D’Addario flats, too.  That may or may not help…