ratking Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 (edited) [quote name='radansey' timestamp='1331376762' post='1572012']A bit concerned how to clean the general grubbiness - hopefully it has not become too ingrained. Any advice on how to do a oil/wax finish would be most welcome.[/quote] At first, it's important to remove any previous finish, so that the wood's grain is open. The surface should be smoothly polished ... Then you can start applying tung oil in very thin layers, using a clean rag or something like that. It takes several coats of oil for a nice, smooth finish. Let each (thin!) coat dry out well, buffing it very lightly with fine polishing wool or similar, before applying the next coat. Polish after applying the final coat, and you should get a nice, even oil finish There are several tutorials on youtube, just try searching for "tung oil finish" ... But your Spector doesn't look too bad on the pictures ... Actually, it really looks good - you can see it's been played, of course, but that's what an instrument should look like in my opinion So for me, personally, a good cleanining (for the fretboard, I'd recommend lemon oil - not only good for wood maintenance, but also gets dirt off like nothing else; for the body I'd use just a little bit of really mild, diluted cleaning fluid on a smooth cotton rag, only slightly moist) would probably be sufficient Really a nice bass, and more than a steal for that money ... I'm trying hard not to hate you for it Edited March 10, 2012 by ratking Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radansey Posted March 11, 2012 Author Share Posted March 11, 2012 [font=Arial][size=2][quote name='radansey' timestamp='1330979884' post='1565825'] Con's Neck was too wide and 'clubby' compared to my Curbow Prefer Volume/Blend to Volume/Volume Not sure what the sticker was hiding. [/quote][/size][/font] [font=Arial][size=2] [/size][/font] [font=Arial][size=2]I have now had time to inspect the innards - the volume pots are both 500K A (log). In my box of cra.., I mean useful stuff, I've found a dual-gang 250K blend pot so I am intending the replace the two pots with the blend pot (and then add a master volume between the pre-amp o/p and the jack). Does this seem feasible and would the change from 500K to 250K have any effect. Incidentally, the pre-amp appears to be a TonePump without the trim-pot.[/size][/font] [font=Arial][size=2] [/size][/font] [font=Arial][size=2]Please be aware that this is the start of a series of D/H questions??[/size][/font] [font=Arial][size=2] [/size][/font] [font=Arial][size=2]TIA,[/size][/font] [font=Arial][size=2] [/size][/font] [font=Arial][size=2]Ross [/size][/font] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spinynorman Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 All I ever did with mine was a rub with a rag and some Briwax and polish it off with a dry cloth. It is possible the only beneficial effect of this was in my imagination, but it kept me happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBus Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 You got that for £150 That's an absolute beauty. You lucky, lucky man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radansey Posted March 14, 2012 Author Share Posted March 14, 2012 OK, started the refin last night. Started with medium sanding pad to even-out the minor dings, surface marks etc, then moved to 320 grit to sand smooth. Wetted off and then repeated the 320 grit. Then time for bed (not before cleaning the kitchen floor to appease the missus). Will probably do a bit more tonight using 1200 grit in preparation for starting laying-on the oil over the weekend. A couple of questions, Will the oil soak into the end-grain so I don't get an even colour over the entire body? How smooth does the sanding have to be before I oil? I hoping that by using 1200 grit most of the marks will disappear? The body is marked 'oil' and '30/4' under the bridge so I can confirm the original as an oil finish and assume April 30th. The EMG's are USA-made and dated 15/03/2003 so I take it that the date of manufacture between 2003 and 2008 although the dot inlays place this to be around 2004/2005. Can anyone confirm or dispute this?? Pics to follow, Ross Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
throwoff Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 This is a stupid bargain, I live in Gillingham as well.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gust0o Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 [quote name='ratking' timestamp='1331327143' post='1571605'] Oh yes, pics would be great Just recently switched to Spectors myself, having only played Fender Precision(s) over the last years. The neck certainly is a bit on the "chunky" side, but being used to Precision necks, I actually found them surprisingly comfortable to play ... [/quote] I found they lend themselves very well, in both neck shape and the balance and 'hang' of the body, to fingerstyle playing - and they make some great noise when played that way. I don't know how people find them, but with the neck that size, I find fingerstyle much more preferable to pick playing, as you hold the bass differently and suddenly it doesn't feel like such an issue. That, looking at the pics, is an absolute steal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spinynorman Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 [quote name='radansey' timestamp='1331710955' post='1577386'] The body is marked 'oil' and '30/4' under the bridge so I can confirm the original as an oil finish and assume April 30th. The EMG's are USA-made and dated 15/03/2003 so I take it that the date of manufacture between 2003 and 2008 although the dot inlays place this to be around 2004/2005. Can anyone confirm or dispute this?? [/quote] I'd take it from the Spector discontinued Europe models page that it's 2002-2004, second picture down, Rebop5. http://www.spectorbass.com/about/model_years_4E.html Also there's advice on cleaning oiled finishes, they mention Butcher's Wax, which I worked out was the US equivalent of Briwax. Always worth contacting Spector direct for advice, many people get replies from Stuart himself, even on basses they bought used, and not just the premium US models. http://www.spectorbass.com/support/cleaning.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratking Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 [quote name='radansey' timestamp='1331710955' post='1577386']Will the oil soak into the end-grain so I don't get an even colour over the entire body?[/quote] If you apply thin enough layers, you should get a quite even color ... When doing a natural oil finish for a guitar body, I got a nice, even result at about the third thin layer of oil. Also found out that I could brighten up darker stains during sanding between layers, so I'd say as long as you don't overdo it with oil for one layer and let each layer drie out long enough, you should get a good, even result! As to sanding, I'd say try to get the surface as smooth as possible. And once you've started applying the oil, only sand it very lightly between layers, don't use pressure, or you might get brighter areas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radansey Posted March 14, 2012 Author Share Posted March 14, 2012 I was intending to dilute the first coat 50:50 with white spirit so this should seal the wood nicely (I think!!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratking Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 (edited) Are you using pure tung oil, or some kind of tung oil finish? If the latter is the case, better check the instructions, if it's OK to thin it down ... If it's pure oil, thinning it down should work fine. I don't think it seals the wood better than pure oil, at least if you apply the oil thin enough for the first layers and let each layer dry out completely. But dilution with white spirit or similar should make the first layers dry much quicker, so (although I didn't try it myself, so it's just an educated guess ) I'd say yes, it's probably a good idea! EDIT: And it would be great if you could post pictures of the process an the final results, though I'll probably envy you even more Edited March 15, 2012 by ratking Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wil Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Unbelievable bargain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radansey Posted April 22, 2012 Author Share Posted April 22, 2012 Body now refinished (pics to follow) - Danish Oil (many applications) + liquid wax. Hardware refitted, and electrics re-wired, Volume pots removed. Blend-pot added to front-end. Master Volume pot added c/w pull-switch for coil-tap. Now started on neck. Removed tuners, masked fingerboard and head-stock face and sanded-out the minor dings/marks. This followed by 5 spray coats of clear acrylic, sanded between coats. Starting to show the grain more. Will leave a couple of days, before de-nibbing and a final coat and a polish. I will post pics when I have more time. Ross Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radansey Posted April 25, 2012 Author Share Posted April 25, 2012 Picture post refin. Necks a bit rough though (lol) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mog Posted April 25, 2012 Share Posted April 25, 2012 Thats coming up Millhouse! Great work lad. BTW, Spector have started selling replcaement bridges with intonation screws online if you fancy changing the older model. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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