Spraying a bass

[dave74200]

Hi there. I have a jazz that was sunburst and then sprayed over with red and road worn. If I want to spray it black, is it best to sand down first or is it ok to just spray over the top? Any help would be really appreciated.

Thanks, Dave.

[Ghost_Bass]

You should allways get a nice smooth base for your colour coat. If the bass is currently roadworn i would imagine that it's a very rough surface so you'll need to sand it down.

One tip, don't sand all the way through the bare wood, at least keep the clearcoat it has under the sunburst, it will prevent you from having to apply a filler.

[b7l4s]

I did something similar to this recently on a no-name bass that had a truly nasty 'sunburst' thing going on. The main thing I discovered is that for success you need to have an appropriate surface for the new paint to key into. Not being an expert, I would assume that the exact nature of that surface will be determined by the paint that you plan to use?

I just went to a local hardware shop and asked their advice on paint, which they were happy to provide - I had tried to get some paint option input from a well-known DIY chain, but they kind of looked at me blankly, since I wasn't painting a wall. Unfortunately I don't recall exactly what paint I used and have disposed of the evidence, but both undercoat and top coat were from the same manufacturer and it was straight out of an aerosol.

Don’t know if that helps? The other worthwhile bit of experience to pass on would be that this will take time and patience. I spent a weeks’ worth of evenings on the preparation (rubbing down etc. with increasingly fine sandpaper) and probably another week, half an hour or so per day, applying coats of paint so as to allow for drying time. I also stripped the bass down completely at the start to avoid doing complex masking i.e. all hardware out and neck off, which was a pain but worth it in the end IMO.

Good luck though – it is satisfying when done

[Grangur]

[quote name='dave74200' timestamp='1407331874' post='2519507']
Hi there. I have a jazz that was sunburst and then sprayed over with red and road worn. If I want to spray it black, is it best to sand down first or is it ok to just spray over the top? Any help would be really appreciated.

Thanks, Dave.
[/quote]

Don't ever make short-cuts in the preparation. The preparation is the key to getting a good finish. Sand it down to get a really good, smooothe body and get rid of any grease etc.

After the sanding, which doesn't have to be down to the wood, take a soft, damp cloth and wipe over the body and check to see if the damp cloth misses and dings or dents. If it does these will either need filling or more sanding, or leave them as "character" - your choice.

Give the body a good coat or 3 of primer. For the spraying - get a mask to protect you lungs, spray in smoothe even strokes. Don't try to put too much on in a coat - better to come back and do more. I like to hang the body up and get to both sides at the same time.

Here are some good videos: (You can skip the first minute of these. I'm sure the paint is great, but I've not seen it here in the UK)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6_4KTv9mAg&list=UUkryOVCuoF1etZC1t4_TypQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlQC-7-FSds

Edited August 11, 2014 by icastle
Links fixed.