waynepunkdude Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 So I have painted 6-7 basses now and I have a bit of a knack for it. Would it be worth doing for people at a lower price than a custom shop or would it be more hassle than it's worth? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leonshelley01 Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 I think it's a pretty good idea as long as you have the time to commit to do it. Having seen pictures of your refinishes on the forum, you certainly seem to have a knack for it! Also, when it comes to pricing, make sure that you do not "underpay" yourself either or it may become a real chore. I may be able to afford to have a claret and blue Jazz bass after all..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockbassix Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 I reckon it's a great idea if you could make enough to cover your time and effort! How much you thinking of charging roughly? LOL my mate just turned down a great playing P bass because it was red so probably a good market out there for a reasonable priced paint job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 I've got a warlock body that needs doing, was gonna brave the boy racers at the respray place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxrossell Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 [quote name='waynepunkdude' post='700137' date='Jan 3 2010, 11:40 PM']So I have painted 6-7 basses now and I have a bit of a knack for it. Would it be worth doing for people at a lower price than a custom shop or would it be more hassle than it's worth?[/quote] I'd say that there's no problem with it if you just want to do is as a bit on the side with a set of stock solid finishes, but the unfortunate thing is you'll get people coming to you with a load of stuff you can't handle. I did a few guitars and basses of my own a while back, wasn't even thinking of doing them for other people, and just from having mentioned it to a couple of people I got a bunch of guys asking if I'd do theirs, including one guy who wanted me to refinish his whole drumkit in trans blue, and another guy who wanted me to replace his fretboard. I wouldn't have even known where to start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soopercrip Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 Hi Wayne. If you want to do it because you enjoy it then charge to cover costs and throw in your time for free. If it's a potential business then you need to be realistic on costs. Looking at the stuff you've done I would say defo go for it mate! Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waynepunkdude Posted January 4, 2010 Author Share Posted January 4, 2010 [quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='700186' date='Jan 4 2010, 01:09 AM']I've got a warlock body that needs doing, was gonna brave the boy racers at the respray place.[/quote] What colour you thinking out of curiosity? I'll do it for the 6X12 Cheers for the responses guy TBH I wouldn't know what to charge? I know it wouldn't be to the same standard as a custom shop :S I enjoy doing it but it is quite time consuming so I don't think I'd donate that much time for free but I wouldn't want to charge a huge amount. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bumnote Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 Ive done a couple and been really pleased with the results Theres a number of different issues though, one is in adding in all the costs for the little bits you use often you have lying around, tools, sandpaper, wet and dry, tack rag etc, and then the preparation and drying time. I had to remove all the paint from my last one because it was in such bad condition, and that took a long time and created a lot of mess. Then there was wood grain filler, sanding sealer, primer and paint, all of which require drying time before polishing. Even though I left my finished body for over two weeks, after the two or three weeks it took me to rub it down and paint, the body was really quite soft. It really needed something or somewhere warm to dry it off hard. Good luck if you decide to have a go, but be warned of the people who want to pay you next to nothing but will moan and bad mouth you if its not up to a custom shop finish. [Im not a cynic ha ha] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eight Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 If you're accepting money then it's a business. And if you make a right hash of a job, damage someone's equipment (no matter how accidental) etc then you could hit legal problems... so you might want business insurance. Never underestimate how quickly friends and acquaintances can turn to enemies when money is involved. Then there's all the tax and accounting issues... Way to take the fun out of things eh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Burrito Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 Your results look amazing and it did cross my mind to ask you... the problem is that it is time consuming and at the moment you are enjoying the results of your hard efforts. You may not feel so up for it when the bodies go. I know a lot of people who could do it but don't as they find it boring getting in all the harder areas. Different when it's your own I guess? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackLondon Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 Wayne, Your self-painted basses look very good. As you said you seem to have a thing for it which works in your favour I guess. My advice would be to do it and here's why : 1. As you said you enjoy it which means that you will take care of the instrument and finish it to the best of your own abilities. 2. You have a little bit of experience doing your own basses, turned out good so you should have some confidence in doing up someone's baby. 3. You can quite possibly offer a very good VFM service to those people who just want to change the colour on their low value instrument but don't want to pay £350 odd to a luthier. (Me for example) 4. If you get a few jobs in which will require you to order biger amounts of paint than you could get a trade account with paint suppliers so you can get the materials cheaper than your average paint shop which in effect means that the real cost of a job will be slightly lower. 5. You would only offer simple paint jobs, no flip paints, mirror tops etc. This will pretty much set your price in a different bracket than other options available there. 6. You could offer discount to those people who are prepared to do some work like sanding the body before sending it out to you etc. (Me for example) I could probably go on, but you can turn it around to your advantage and as many of the guys said you will have a market for it, the more you will do of painting the bodies etc. the more experience you will get which will greatly reduce the time it will take you to do a body. One thing I would suggest regardless of your decision is to probably write some sort of a guide that can be made sticky by mods in the repair section. I believe that many people do not realise just how much work has to be put in to achieving a good finish on a bass, even when it's just a solid colour and especially when it is a re-finish. In the end your not doing what this guys does for example : [url="http://www.jimfogarty.co.uk/Ibanez%20Skull%20Custom%20Artwork%20Repaint.html"]Click Me[/url] Cheers Jack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxrossell Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 [quote name='waynepunkdude' post='700278' date='Jan 4 2010, 10:33 AM']Cheers for the responses guy TBH I wouldn't know what to charge? I know it wouldn't be to the same standard as a custom shop :S I enjoy doing it but it is quite time consuming so I don't think I'd donate that much time for free but I wouldn't want to charge a huge amount.[/quote] If you're not sure that you'd be able to get custom shop results, if I were you I'd wait to have a bit more experience because custom shop results is what people will want if they're paying someone else to do it. As for what you'd charge, basically put a markup of between fifteen and thirty per cent on the cost of that materials, then decide what you want to be paid per hour and multiply that buy the time it'll take you to do the job. Say thirty quid on materials, so you charge forty quid for that. Then if you want to be paid twenty quid an hour and it'll take you eight hours, that works out at £200 total. That's probably what I'd expect to pay - but I would want a really excellent result for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzz Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 No Wayne. Not as anything other than a hobby for yourself. If I was going to get something refinished, I'd be wanting someone who not only did it frequently, but also had all the proper equipment (ala, proper spray booth and tools) to get a professional factory grade (or better) finish, so unless you fancy making it into a business, spending the capital and actually making a proper go of it, it's far too much hassle. Let alone the possible legal ramifications and issues that have already been mentioned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey R Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 (edited) The other option is to buy second hand beaters, paint them, set them up, then sell them on. Thats a good way to manage the risk. And if you dont like it any more, then just stop doing it! Other than the possible tax implications, you could just think of it as a self financing hobby. Edited January 7, 2010 by Mikey R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skankdelvar Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 Having seen your work on here, I think it's brilliant stuff and it would be great if you could dip your toe in the water as you describe. IMO the biggest problem might be pain in the ass punters who mess you around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry_B Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 (edited) Best thing to do to start with I reckon is to state what sort of stuff you will do. Set things in stone. Then if things get up and rolling then you'd have to see whether you could handle more customised stuff. It's always better to dictate from the get-go what you can do, otherwise you'll get all sorts of requests for things that could end up being a pain in the arse! Edited January 7, 2010 by Jerry_B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverfoxnik Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 Some very good advice here Wayne and I think your work is really distinct and eye-catching, so there'd probably be plenty of takers.. Only thing I'd say is that you will seriously need to consider the health & safety implications for you if you started to do a lot more of this work. As I understand it, you'll need to ensure that you protect your lungs from all the extra dust particles, paints and other potential harmful materials used in the process.. The long-term impact if you don't is not good! Best of luck with it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul h Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 Why not get some cheap bodies off Ebay, paint them some nice subtle(?) colours and stick them back on the bay? Hey presto...custom paint Ebay business! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golchen Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 I'm intrigued? So where can we see your stuff??? [quote name='paul h' post='703840' date='Jan 7 2010, 09:36 AM']Why not get some cheap bodies off Ebay, paint them some nice subtle(?) colours and stick them back on the bay? Hey presto...custom paint Ebay business![/quote] That's a good idea! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul h Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 [quote name='Golchen' post='703846' date='Jan 7 2010, 09:41 AM']That's a good idea![/quote] Thanks. It's my first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J3ster Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 (edited) Hmmmmm I may have a think on this if you are up for it. I want one painted red and yellow in a 'J3ster' stylie (you know like Red Yellow Yellow Red ???? Actually if I ever go and collect it I have an old body (Bass body not mine!) you can have to practice more on. It's a musicman copy thing, well i think it's a copy!!! Edited January 7, 2010 by J3ster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waynepunkdude Posted January 7, 2010 Author Share Posted January 7, 2010 [quote name='paul h' post='703840' date='Jan 7 2010, 09:36 AM']Why not get some cheap bodies off Ebay, paint them some nice subtle(?) colours and stick them back on the bay? Hey presto...custom paint Ebay business![/quote] That is a good idea. [quote name='Golchen' post='703846' date='Jan 7 2010, 09:41 AM']I'm intrigued? So where can we see your stuff???[/quote] [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=70521"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=70521[/url] [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=72147"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=72147[/url] [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=48552"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=48552[/url] [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=47678"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=47678[/url] [quote name='J3ster' post='703866' date='Jan 7 2010, 09:59 AM']Hmmmmm I may have a think on this if you are up for it. I want one painted red and yellow in a 'J3ster' stylie (you know like Red Yellow Yellow Red ???? Actually if I ever go and collect it I have an old body (Bass body not mine!) you can have to practice more on. It's a musicman copy thing, well i think it's a copy!!! [/quote] I'd do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrjim Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 @waynepunkdude How do you find painting with this weather? I'm assuming you have somewhere indoors you can use spraypaint... I've had a project on hold since mid november cos its been too cold - its driving me mad! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waynepunkdude Posted January 7, 2010 Author Share Posted January 7, 2010 I turned my shed into a spray booth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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