funkyjimbob Posted July 4, 2016 Share Posted July 4, 2016 Hi! I am thinking of having the high-gloss stripped from my Warwick custom shop as I don't like the look of high-gloss at all. I have been given the option of satin (expensive) or oil-based finishes for it. Has anyone had this done before and can offer advice as to why I should or shouldn't do this? Here is the bass in question: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted July 4, 2016 Share Posted July 4, 2016 Try rubbing it gently with a clean pan scourer sponge -it takes the shine off gently Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grahambythesea Posted July 4, 2016 Share Posted July 4, 2016 (edited) Why? It looks totally amazing as it is. Have you considered that a refin may affect the value of a premium bass? Edited July 4, 2016 by Grahambythesea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funkyjimbob Posted July 4, 2016 Author Share Posted July 4, 2016 [quote name='Grahambythesea' timestamp='1467640644' post='3085047'] Why? It looks totally amazing as it is. Have you considered that a refin may affect the value of a premium bass? [/quote] Yes. I never intend on selling this bass and as stated in the original post I prefer non-gloss finishes. Buckeye burl looks so much nicer unglossed. Here's proof: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trueno Posted July 4, 2016 Share Posted July 4, 2016 Funny old world... I have a natural finish Thumb that has to be waxed. Once waxed it does look absolutely stunning, but it is a pain to do. I would quite happily have a high-gloss finish whacked on it... possibly at some cost to the tone. Assuming you're not as idle as I am when it comes to waxing, I'd go for a natural or oiled finish rather than a satin finish. My reasoning... if you're going for something different (and expensive) you may as well go the whole hog... you may regret a half-assed solution in six months time. As I hinted at... you may also get a change in tone... which will probably be to your liking if you're already a Warwick fan... the sound of wood and all that! It's not as drastic as it sounds, as a sax player I know of players who used to have the lacquer stripped off their horns for improved tone (but nowadays plenty are sold lacquer free) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trueno Posted July 4, 2016 Share Posted July 4, 2016 PS... Have you tried the Warwick forum? I assume it's still going? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funkyjimbob Posted July 4, 2016 Author Share Posted July 4, 2016 [quote name='Trueno' timestamp='1467642631' post='3085065'] Funny old world... I have a natural finish Thumb that has to be waxed. Once waxed it does look absolutely stunning, but it is a pain to do. I would quite happily have a high-gloss finish whacked on it... possibly at some cost to the tone. Assuming you're not as idle as I am when it comes to waxing, I'd go for a natural or oiled finish rather than a satin finish. My reasoning... if you're going for something different (and expensive) you may as well go the whole hog... you may regret a half-assed solution in six months time. As I hinted at... you may also get a change in tone... which will probably be to your liking if you're already a Warwick fan... the sound of wood and all that! It's not as drastic as it sounds, as a sax player I know of players who used to have the lacquer stripped off their horns for improved tone (but nowadays plenty are sold lacquer free) [/quote] I have had many natural oil Wicks in the past and have always kept them waxed and in good condition. Both this one and my buckeye Streamer stage 1 have the high gloss and I just think it take's away from the aesthetics and the tone has definitely suffered too. They are not as 'growly' as you'd expect from a Warwick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted July 4, 2016 Share Posted July 4, 2016 Totally does not need an expensive refin - Geek99's pot scourer suggestion will have exactly the same result, with the advantage that if you (or a subsequent owner) wants to re-gloss it, you can do that with T-Cut & elbow grease. You'll also find a matt finish - however it's achieved - will very quickly gloss up with use, meaning use of the pot scourer is a useful skill to have! Jon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funkyjimbob Posted July 4, 2016 Author Share Posted July 4, 2016 [quote name='Bassassin' timestamp='1467645037' post='3085105'] Totally does not need an expensive refin - Geek99's pot scourer suggestion will have exactly the same result, with the advantage that if you (or a subsequent owner) wants to re-gloss it, you can do that with T-Cut & elbow grease. You'll also find a matt finish - however it's achieved - will very quickly gloss up with use, meaning use of the pot scourer is a useful skill to have! Jon. [/quote] Thanks for the advice.. The only issue here is I am not very 'hands-on' with bass DIY stuff and the thought of myself going at a £8500 bass with a scourer isn't really appealing to me if I'm perfectly honest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grangur Posted July 4, 2016 Share Posted July 4, 2016 (edited) [quote name='funkyjimbob' timestamp='1467645775' post='3085111'] Thanks for the advice.. The only issue here is I am not very 'hands-on' with bass DIY stuff and the thought of myself going at a £8500 bass with a scourer isn't really appealing to me if I'm perfectly honest. [/quote] Take it to a professional furniture polisher and get them to spray it with semi-matt lacquer. You can discuss with them the %age of sheen you want. They may also offer the option of sanding it lightly with 3500grit paper, or something like that. But a pro can advise you when they see it. Edited July 4, 2016 by Grangur Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trueno Posted July 4, 2016 Share Posted July 4, 2016 I assumed from the OP that you were intending to have it done by a pro. If you're already used to the waxing I'd definitely consider the full strip job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grangur Posted July 4, 2016 Share Posted July 4, 2016 (edited) If you are going to strip it, then keep away from a heat gun. Strip the bass right down of all its finery and use small amounts of Nitro mores paint stripper. Then finish off with scraping the final bits with a sharp blade. Then sand off with really fine grit paper. Then you can finish off with Boiled Linseed oil. Other oils are available, but some include a mix of varnish. So you want to keep clear of those which will leave you with a gloss finish. When applying oil, put the oil on, wipe it over the surface and wipe it off. Don't leave pools of it to soak in. Manton Customs may be along in a minute. He may have some words of wisdom to add. Edited July 4, 2016 by Grangur Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nigec Posted July 4, 2016 Share Posted July 4, 2016 the pin strip around the edge would be my worry.. I'd leave it, I'm no expert on guitars but if it was a car or motorcycle you'd be killing its value as its only an improvement for yourself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grangur Posted July 4, 2016 Share Posted July 4, 2016 [quote name='nigec' timestamp='1467648964' post='3085141'] the pin strip around the edge would be my worry.. I'd leave it, I'm no expert on guitars but if it was a car or motorcycle you'd be killing its value as its only an improvement for yourself [/quote] How do they do that? Is it wood, or is it plastic, like the binding on some guitars? If in doubt, if you must strip it, scrape that section with a blade - don't want to wreck any plastics with paint stripper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted July 4, 2016 Share Posted July 4, 2016 [quote name='funkyjimbob' timestamp='1467645775' post='3085111'] Thanks for the advice.. The only issue here is I am not very 'hands-on' with bass DIY stuff and the thought of myself going at a £8500 bass with a scourer isn't really appealing to me if I'm perfectly honest. [/quote] Understandable, that's an expensive bass. But however much or little a bass costs, it's still just a piece of lacquered wood, and to change it, someone will have to have significant physical contact with it. Using mild abrasives to dull its existing finish is a whole lot less risky than attempting to strip a finish and replace it with something different. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted July 4, 2016 Share Posted July 4, 2016 [quote name='nigec' timestamp='1467648964' post='3085141'] the pin strip around the edge would be my worry.. [/quote] That's a thin laminated layer between the top and the back of the body rather than a painted pinstripe. I'd leave it too - high gloss finishes on figured timber like this look amazing. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manton Customs Posted July 4, 2016 Share Posted July 4, 2016 (edited) [quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1467647739' post='3085131'] Manton Customs may be along in a minute. He may have some words of wisdom to add. [/quote] And here I am . Better late than never I hope. There's absolutely nothing wrong with the rubbing back method as long as it's done well. It is one of the recognised ways of achieving a satin finish even when starting from scratch. As mentioned it may periodically shine up in high traffic areas, but this also happens to actual satin finishes (ones with flatteners in) to some extent also. The only small downside is that in certain lighting conditions you may see very very fine scratches, it's these that diffuse the light creating the satin finish. An oil finish is a bit of a no go on Buckeye, being so soft it needs a bit more protection than just oil. When people do an oil finish on buckeye they usually pre treat it with epoxy. Doing this would be a bit of a pain and unnecessary when you already have a nice hard finish to work with. So my advice would be to get a pro to rub it back to your desired level of sheen, or a pro to spray a few coats of satin, the latter would be a bit more expensive! And yes, that's a veneer accent line. Edited July 4, 2016 by Manton Customs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maude Posted July 4, 2016 Share Posted July 4, 2016 (edited) A very easy DIY way would be to use something like 3M Prep And Blend. It's a liquid used in the car refinishing trade to take the shine off of existing paintwork ready for repainting. Just use like a polish with a damp cloth but instead of shining it up it will matt it off. Gives a very uniform level off mattness as once the maximum level is achieved it can't cut any more. It will be a lot easier than using a scourer or fine papers. The downside is it will shine back in high traffic areas easier than if the finish was scoured, but that is because than scratches are so much finer but can easily be "touched up" with a quick rub with the paste at any time. Unfortunately that is the nature of the beast as the finer the scratches the more uniform the matt finish will be but the easier it will polish up again. A satin respray will also shine up over time and will need knocking back with such a paste anyway. Prep And Blend liquid is available on Amazon and for the comparatively small outlay you could do a lot worse than buying a bottle and trying it on the back of your bass. If you feel confident then strip the bass and do the whole thing. If you don't feel confident then it will polish back up or if it's being handed over to a professional then the matt patch won't make a jot of difference to their job. Edited July 4, 2016 by Maude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funkyjimbob Posted July 5, 2016 Author Share Posted July 5, 2016 [quote name='nigec' timestamp='1467648964' post='3085141'] the pin strip around the edge would be my worry.. I'd leave it, I'm no expert on guitars but if it was a car or motorcycle you'd be killing its value as its only an improvement for yourself [/quote] Again. It's NEVER getting sold so can we please take the value aspect out of the conversation? Thanks everyone for the advice. I am still going to go ahead with it. Martin Simms is going to be carrying out the work of stripping it then I will decide what to do after that. I think after what Manton has said about Buckeye being soft that satin is going to be the way forward. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grahambythesea Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 It's your bass your choice, everything is subjective I wish your experiences with a pot scourer well and hope it's worth the effort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M@23 Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 [quote name='funkyjimbob' timestamp='1467711453' post='3085490'] Again. It's NEVER getting sold so can we please take the value aspect out of the conversation? Thanks everyone for the advice. I am still going to go ahead with it. Martin Simms is going to be carrying out the work of stripping it then I will decide what to do after that. I think after what Manton has said about Buckeye being soft that satin is going to be the way forward. [/quote] Probably a good idea. If I'd dropped 8.5k on a bass I'd be looking to the best people to have any major work done on it too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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