jim_bass Posted January 20, 2010 Share Posted January 20, 2010 So, I've managed to get hold of this bass which I have offered to 'tidy' up. I was going to just chuck some new strings and knobs on it and use it to practice setting a bass up as I've not done one before. Now I'm wondering whether to refinish the body as it looks really nasty. Problem is, I've never done this before and I'm not really sure where to start. I'd be happy with the electrics / swapping parts etc, but the thought of sanding and painting freaks me out a bit. How easy is it and would I need to go and buy many thinks to do a good job of it? Any advice would be great. Photos here: [url="http://gallery.me.com/james.cartwright#100086"]http://gallery.me.com/james.cartwright#100086[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Low End Bee Posted January 20, 2010 Share Posted January 20, 2010 I masked the appropriate bits on the body of precision no. 2 and gave to to my car bodyshop (who have all the expensive kit) for an apprentice to practice on. I took pot luck on colour and it's now resplendant in metallic Honda Nighthawk Black with some lovely flecks that show up great under lights. There's not a drip on it and it's glassy smooth. Even if it wasn't perfect (which it is) it's 10x better than I could ever have done. I only specified for the finish to be as thin as possible. Only cost me a drink. Worth a try at your local big car dealer/ repair centre. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry_B Posted January 20, 2010 Share Posted January 20, 2010 Is that the wood grain showing through the paint there on the body? If so, it looks quite nice and may come out better if you strip it down to the bare wood and not go for the repaint option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim_bass Posted January 20, 2010 Author Share Posted January 20, 2010 Yeah it is the wood grain - I've just taken all the hardware off it and given the body a really good polish. I'm actually surprised how much better the body looks. I'm thinking I might just leave the body as it is. I've also polished the bridge and neck and it all looks nice and tidy now. Amazing what a bit of TLC will do Upon taking the pick guard off, I've noticed that there is nowhere to adjust the truss rod. It would appear that the allen key is at the body end of the neck, but there is no cut out in the body to get to it. Is this normal? (I might add that I don't need to adjust it, just thought that it was weird) I've restrung the bass with a set of Rotosound strings I had licking about and managed to follow the 'ultimate setup guide' in this months Bass Guitar Magazine, so feeling quite chuffed with myself. Now I just need to replace the pick guard screws with some new ones as someone has put some nasty screws in as replacements and get some silver barrel knobs. I think it's safe to say that this is no longer a 'build diary' just an evening of tidying up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillbilly deluxe Posted January 20, 2010 Share Posted January 20, 2010 (edited) Allen key adjustment at the body end of the neck is a common but annoying build feature on a lot of basses. Edited January 20, 2010 by hillbilly deluxe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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