Jimothey Posted November 20, 2017 Share Posted November 20, 2017 (edited) Hey Everyone I’ve already got a white P bass and going to have a black ‘51 style P Bass (When I get round to doing it) but I need some inspiration for what colour to paint my Jazz bass kit build I kinda like sonic grey but I don’t know if it will look a bit boring?? Please could everyone post their favourite colours as I’m stuck in a greyscale rut!?! and need some ideas Thanks Edited July 25, 2018 by Jimothey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpondonBassed Posted November 20, 2017 Share Posted November 20, 2017 Natural. I am not fussed about so-called authenticity. Do you have the kit yet and if so does the body grain lend itself to the idea? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimothey Posted November 20, 2017 Author Share Posted November 20, 2017 (edited) 13 minutes ago, SpondonBassed said: Natural. I am not fussed about so-called authenticity. Do you have the kit yet and if so does the body grain lend itself to the idea? I was toying with that idea the grain is not too bad I can’t see any filler on it, I spose I could just finish it with tru oil Only problem it’s a Paulownia body so would it be best to finish with poly or something so it has a harder finish? Edited November 20, 2017 by Jimothey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpondonBassed Posted November 20, 2017 Share Posted November 20, 2017 Nice. I'd go for the simple wipe on, wipe off approach with Tru-Oil or similar. A light coat of Teak Oil every 24 hours with a minimum of three coats worked very well for me on an ash body. I think it tolerates knocks better than a thick coat. If the wood beneath is easily bruised, nothing is going to prevent that and I'd be even more inclined to go natural as a consequence. You can still tint the grain if you want a bit of colour in there. May I ask who's kit did you go for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimothey Posted November 20, 2017 Author Share Posted November 20, 2017 Its an cheap unbranded kit off eBay, but the quality of the body and neck isn’t too bad? I’ve got a few frets that need levelling but at the end of the day you get what you pay for?! I’m going to change it to a P/J pickup combo and I’ve got black pickguard but I was thinking of checker boarding the pickguard like on my PBass but I don’t think that would look very good on a natural finish The checkered pickguard is kinda a theme for me as I’ve done it on all my guitars so far Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpondonBassed Posted November 20, 2017 Share Posted November 20, 2017 (edited) 1 hour ago, Jimothey said: Its an cheap unbranded kit off eBay, but the quality of the body and neck isn’t too bad? I’ve got a few frets that need levelling but at the end of the day you get what you pay for?! I’m going to change it to a P/J pickup combo and I’ve got black pickguard but I was thinking of checker boarding the pickguard like on my PBass but I don’t think that would look very good on a natural finish The checkered pickguard is kinda a theme for me as I’ve done it on all my guitars so far Assuming you do a neat job routing for the split pick-up why not keep the chequered theme by doing black squares on a clear polycarbonate or acrylic pick guard against the natural finish? Keep the kit's J type control plate and with clever placement of the check pattern, you should be able to conceal the internals. If you want to tie it in a bit more with the black, stain the grain with jet black ink before finishing with oil. Is it vulgar of me to ask how much you paid for the J kit? It's very good in the photos. PM me if you want discretion. Edited November 20, 2017 by SpondonBassed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimothey Posted November 20, 2017 Author Share Posted November 20, 2017 I only paid £70 + free p&p and it’s from a uk based seller as well so I didn’t think I did too bad?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted November 20, 2017 Share Posted November 20, 2017 The grain looks a lotnicer than many others I've seen - tru oil finish would be my choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpondonBassed Posted November 20, 2017 Share Posted November 20, 2017 14 minutes ago, Jimothey said: I only paid £70 + free p&p and it’s from a uk based seller as well so I didn’t think I did too bad?? Mine worked out at about £250 with import duty. You did well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimothey Posted November 20, 2017 Author Share Posted November 20, 2017 I’m kinda liking the idea of using a black grain filler the darken the grain slightly then tru oiling it I’m not sure about the pickguard now I might just do it black or white and see how it looks You probably got a better tonewood for the body like Ash or Alder and better quality components than what’s supplied with mine (well I hope so anyway) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bridgehouse Posted November 20, 2017 Share Posted November 20, 2017 That's a nice grain and would be a shame to cover it up. The Crimson stains are very easy to apply and get a nice colour so you could go with an amber/orange/cherry and then tru oil over that If you build it up tru oil gives a nice hard finish and it will protect the wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted November 20, 2017 Share Posted November 20, 2017 3 hours ago, Jimothey said: ...it’s a Paulownia body so would it be best to finish with poly or something so it has a harder finish? Having just put together a Paulownia body Jazz I'd agree. I was toying with the idea of Ronseal Hardglaze which is clear and tough. Apparently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted November 20, 2017 Share Posted November 20, 2017 black grain filler is often used on natural or transparent finishes. Thats a really nice piece of wood, you got lucky there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpondonBassed Posted November 20, 2017 Share Posted November 20, 2017 20 minutes ago, Jimothey said: I’m kinda liking the idea of using a black grain filler the darken the grain slightly then tru oiling it I’m not sure about the pickguard now I might just do it black or white and see how it looks You probably got a better tonewood for the body like Ash or Alder and better quality components than what’s supplied with mine (well I hope so anyway) Yes. I got an ash body and a maple neck. The body is three sections glued together where I expected four going by the example on Pitbull's website. That was a bonus even though the butt joints aren't parallel to the centreline because the grain is so interesting. The neck has some lovely birdseye figuring on the headstock and it has a profile that I like better than my most recent new purchase. It's on my signature file or here if you haven't already seen it. I used most of the components as they were adequate with the exception of the crackly and ill fitting output socket and selected screws that I replaced with high quality stainless steel posidrives. Needless to say the supplied strings weren't kept after the first stringing. It's not quite how I want it even now but it plays well enough for me to put additional work on the long finger. I intend to use this at OM nights and stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimothey Posted November 20, 2017 Author Share Posted November 20, 2017 38 minutes ago, Bridgehouse said: That's a nice grain and would be a shame to cover it up. The Crimson stains are very easy to apply and get a nice colour so you could go with an amber/orange/cherry and then tru oil over that If you build it up tru oil gives a nice hard finish and it will protect the wood. I’m hoping that if I used a black grain filler it would enhance the grain not cover it Hopefully it will kinda look like this??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 10 hours ago, Jimothey said: I’m hoping that if I used a black grain filler it would enhance the grain not cover it Hopefully it will kinda look like this??? It depends on the pores in your body. That body is ash which has large pores. Give it a go anyway - if you don't like it you can always sand it off Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimothey Posted November 21, 2017 Author Share Posted November 21, 2017 (edited) 23 minutes ago, Norris said: It depends on the pores in your body. That body is ash which has large pores. Give it a go anyway - if you don't like it you can always sand it off It is listed as having a fine straight grain so thats what I was thinking if I test it on the back and I don’t like it then I can start over But this chart shows how stains are supposed to work on it? Edited November 21, 2017 by Jimothey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpondonBassed Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 I'd say you need to decide whether to use a grain stopper at all if you are only thinking about the colour. It seems to me that you would have a smooth enough texture on finished wood with a 'fine straight grain' and that stain would be a more subtle treatment than filler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 7 hours ago, Jimothey said: It is listed as having a fine straight grain so thats what I was thinking if I test it on the back and I don’t like it then I can start over But this chart shows how stains are supposed to work on it? One thing you can do to try to accentuate the grain is to dye it a dark colour, partially sand it back and then optionally dye it again in a lighter colour. Shame you haven't got any offcuts to try it out on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimothey Posted November 21, 2017 Author Share Posted November 21, 2017 6 hours ago, Norris said: One thing you can do to try to accentuate the grain is to dye it a dark colour, partially sand it back and then optionally dye it again in a lighter colour. Shame you haven't got any offcuts to try it out on Yeah I think that’s what I’ll do, so it’s not too dark I’ll probably use American Walnut or maybe Mahogany first then sand it back, If it comes out the way I hope I’m going to use tru oil to finish the guitar, I’ve never used it before so what size bottle should I go for? Would the 8oz bottle be enough for 3/4 coats of the body and a couple of coats on the neck? But if it comes out a bit s**t then I can paint it instead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bridgehouse Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 24 minutes ago, Jimothey said: Yeah I think that’s what I’ll do, so it’s not too dark I’ll probably use American Walnut or maybe Mahogany first then sand it back, If it comes out the way I hope I’m going to use tru oil to finish the guitar, I’ve never used it before so what size bottle should I go for? Would the 8oz bottle be enough for 3/4 coats of the body and a couple of coats on the neck? But if it comes out a bit s**t then I can paint it instead 8oz will do way more than 3 or 4 coats - you need to go for light coats anyway Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimothey Posted November 21, 2017 Author Share Posted November 21, 2017 49 minutes ago, Bridgehouse said: 8oz will do way more than 3 or 4 coats - you need to go for light coats anyway Which method is best for applying it a polishing mop or lightly brush it on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bridgehouse Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 10 minutes ago, Jimothey said: Which method is best for applying it a polishing mop or lightly brush it on? A ball of lint free cotton is good, and strangely so are fingers... bit messy but good tho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimothey Posted November 21, 2017 Author Share Posted November 21, 2017 45 minutes ago, Bridgehouse said: A ball of lint free cotton is good, and strangely so are fingers... bit messy but good tho I think I’ll stick to the cotton!?!, when it comes to applying a decal is it the same as if I was using lacquer put the first coat on then flatten it, apply the decal then carry on with a couple more coats, lightly sanding between each coat? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bridgehouse Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 1 hour ago, Jimothey said: I think I’ll stick to the cotton!?!, when it comes to applying a decal is it the same as if I was using lacquer put the first coat on then flatten it, apply the decal then carry on with a couple more coats, lightly sanding between each coat? There's lots of tutorials online about tru oil. Personally I don't do a huge amount of sanding in between coats - tru oil isn't like lacquer - the coats don't merge they stay seaparate and you can get funny lines and marks. It's also very easy to sand through. My favoured technique is to wet sand with the oil - it creates a slurry and fills in grain, holes etc. Once you have a good solid base on after a number of coats I would apply thin coats with no sanding in between. It builds up the finish. Very thin coats - less drying time - hardens well and with patience you can get a lacquer like gloss shine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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