Stripping the body down ?

[Notoriousm]

hi guys

So I'm about to purchase this white p bass and I've always been a fan of the natural look but i don't want to fork out cash for another one. then it came to me, why not strip this one down professionally ?

is this possible ? would it look like a natural p bass ? would you be able to see the grain ?

what can go wrong, or am i talking crap !

[Cat Burrito]

Here's my old thread http://basschat.co.uk/topic/111302-1979-fender-precision-re-mojod/page__hl__stripping+bass

I used Nitro Mors but you'll need to do it outside and have patience / time. More importantly it depends what you are stripping. A cheap bass may look quite ugly once stripped, plywood hell! Unfortunately you never really know until the paint is off.

[Grangur]

I prefer to use a blow lamp rather than stripper, but until you get there be ready for finding its not solid wood.

good luck

[RhysP]

Be prepared for the wood under the paint to be less than attractive grain-wise; the nicer bits of wood tend to be the ones that get the natural & translucent finishes,the plainer bits tend to be kept for the solid finishes.

It's also quite probable that the body under the paint may be made from two or three (or more) pieces of wood glued together which is another reason it would have been given a solid colour finish.

You don't say what price bracket this P bass is in: if it's a cheap copy then, as somebody else has said, it might not even be solid wood under the paint.

Edited January 23, 2014 by RhysP

[Notoriousm]

Its a standard USA model P.

[hamfist]

[quote name='Notoriousm' timestamp='1390504611' post='2346211']
Its a standard USA model P.
[/quote]

OK, it's going to be solid wood, of a decent type at least. However, it will almost certainly be 2, or possibly more, pieces of wood glued together and you have no guarantee that it will have a decent grain. As RhysP says .. the nicer pieces get saves for the natural and translucent finishes instruments.

However....... I say what the hell. Strip it down to get what you want. It'll probably be a half decent piece. And you can always stain it a darker colour to cover it up a bit if the grain is not to your liking. Personally, I think an oil and wax finish makes almost any wood look gorgeous.
And if it really doesn't look good, it's not the hardest thing in the world to get it re-finished to a colour that you want.

I say basses are for individualising. Don't follow the crowd. Be an individual !

[Pete1967]

Hmmm... it'll be an Alder body. I suspect that what you're seeing in your mind is Ash. Alder is distinctly bland looking wood when it's left all natural, and as others have said there's a high chance it'll be three pieces (or more) with no grain match at all... that's why it's a solid colour. They use the best wood on the trans colours. I think you'd be disappointed with the result.

Certainly there are people that could strip and refinish for you professionally but that's not cheap (£200 ish), and a bad DIY job will really devalue a bass that would hold it's value otherwise, so unless you're really confident about your woodwork and finishing skills, it's not a bass to learn on!

My take would be to pass on it, and buy a natural finish bass... if that's what you really want.

P

[GregBass]

If this Precision is available to you at a good price, you have another option. Buy it, then sell at a profit and use the cash to buy the natural bass that you really want.