Jump to content
Why become a member? ×

NBD: A resurrection project from the 1980s


Duarte
 Share

Recommended Posts

Somebody has to stop me - this is my 3rd new bass day in a month! But when you see something you simply must have at the right price... y'know. Picked it up for roughly £100. Thailand's used bass market is a wonderful thing.

 

Anyway, this is a project bass. It's an early Fender Japan Boxer bass, 32" scale. It feels absolutely tiny, even compared to my other 32" basses. It has been seriously abused. The electronics are shot - pickups are OK thankfully. The neck seems fine, too. The big question is... how to refinish? I'm thinking metallic British Racing Green or something along those lines.

 

here's pics!

 

IMG_20211018_143821.jpg

IMG_20211018_143835.jpg

IMG_20211018_143846.jpg

IMG_20211018_143903.jpg

  • Like 13
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, Jean-Luc Pickguard said:

Cool bass but I wonder how the previous owner managed to get it into that condition

 

Where I live is kind of a graveyard for old junker Japanese instruments. They wash up  on the shores and get stored for years.There are warehouses full of this stuff that just degrades in the tropical humidity - it's very common. I'd wager that the previous owner has long forgotten about it. It's in good hands now though!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, OliverBlackman said:

I’d love to see this in Purple metallic flake with matching headstock!

 

That's my other idea! Although I'll likely leave the headstock as is - I like that gold fender logo a lot.

 

13 hours ago, TheGreek said:

Personally I'd take it all back to natural - especially that black headstock.

 

I wonder what the body wood looks like... I'll let you know in the coming days! I might strip the neck back to natural, as it is quite sticky and damaged.

Edited by Duarte
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Metalic Aubergine!

Remember seeing an old Ford Zodiac done it Met Aub some 30 odd years back. Some memories remain...

 

Again i'd leave the neck, a good clean, and maybe some 800 grit on the back of the neck to matt of the laquer and remove the stickynes

Edited by PaulThePlug
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 years later...

And we're off! Sanded and base coated.

 

Undecided what colour to go for, I'm torn between metallic purple or some kind of firey orange. I have a great space at a friend's workshop, but tracking down paint isn't easy. I'll just end up using whatever I can get my hands on. 

 

 

384551123_357129986888794_7029456975119969606_n.jpeg

  • Like 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, TheGreek said:

My priority would be to get rid of the black on the neck and headstock...

 

I'm on it. The neck is in a bad way, need help replacing the truss rod and things, but I will be stripping it soon.

 

May I ask for opinions on the headstock? My gut says to leave it original, but I could be talked into something else.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Sorry for the lack of updates!

 

The neck has been stripped and refinished - we left the headstock original and just retouched it, but the back has been refinished entirely to a kind of black burst. I'm really vibing it at the moment.

 

411934797_852724359919390_4764620769035864851_n.jpg

406093617_1519866372109985_5628221668726549528_n.jpg

Edited by Duarte
formatting
  • Like 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
On 22/12/2023 at 08:31, Duarte said:

....

The neck has been stripped and refinished - we left the headstock original and just retouched it, but the back has been refinished entirely to a kind of black burst. I'm really vibing it at the moment.

...

 

...a 'black burst' could look cool on the front?

 

BlackburstHeadstock.jpg.87eae3cf0356148edc5fd0f866bea84e.jpg

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 minutes ago, sandy_r said:

 

...a 'black burst' could look cool on the front?

 

BlackburstHeadstock.jpg.87eae3cf0356148edc5fd0f866bea84e.jpg

 

 

Would be! I just didn't want to disturb that nice gold logo so ended up leaving the front of the headstock as is. 

  • Thanks 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, PaulThePlug said:

Torino Red...

No 'Starsky and Hutch' White Stripe? 😉

Fore-arm contour to lower horn...

 

Keep the updates coming...

 

It's so close to Torino Red in photos but it's really orange in person I swear!

  • Sad 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dilemma of the day: knobs. I'm having knobs custom made - I'm planning on purple metallic knobs to compliment the orange. Now, should I go the whole hog and do my pickup covers in the same purple? A full matching set!

 

Knobs are going to be 3D printed by my friend and look like this:

 

received_1445200289750260.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

29 minutes ago, Duarte said:

Dilemma of the day: knobs. I'm having knobs custom made - I'm planning on purple metallic knobs to compliment the orange. Now, should I go the whole hog and do my pickup covers in the same purple? A full matching set!

 

Knobs are going to be 3D printed by my friend and look like this:

 

received_1445200289750260.jpeg

 purple pickup covers may be good. As they are 3d printed its not a big commitment. Hope all is well on your side.

 

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...