A couple of months ago I decided to refinish my fully carved Christopher Flatback Double Bass(DB401). The bass sounded good, but the varnish used on it was chipping so badly around the edges that it was starting to look a little shabby. It originally had a very poor reddish brown spirit varnish. It is now finished in a very durable Waterlox(tung oil). I started off with a clear sealing coat of straight Waterlox with a second coat tinted with Yellow Ocre. I then wiped on 6 subsequent coats of Waterlox tinted with Van Dyke Brown, and sealed it with clear Waterlox(rubbing out with a 3M pad between each coat). All of the oil colors were Windsor and Newton professional oil paints(thinned with Liquin medium)I am VERY happy with the way this bass has turned out. It has a nice antiqued look to it now. It took about 4 weeks total to complete with 24-48 hours drying time between coats. I am not sure that I will be keeping the bass as I have another that I use for all of my gigs, but at any rate it was worth the time! Anyway, here it is, let me know what you guys think!

Before and After...

Here is one more of the back. The crack was repaired at Heinl's in Toronto(where the bass was setup/fingerboard dressed/new bridge as well) before the bass was refinished.

I dig it. Looks much better than it did before, in my opinion. Nice work!

agreed. big improvement!

Just out of curiosity; can you detect any difference in the sound? We have all been told over the years how much of an effect the varnish makes on the sound, so I am curious whether your experience bears that out.

The violins and violas I have refinished always sounded better, but it was because there were other issues being addressed, NOT just the finish.

yes, how does it sound? i would think that getting that thick stuff off would free up the instrument quite a bit.

"This particularly Christopher doesn't have that thick laquer finish on it. It has a VERY thin spirit varnish that chips so easily that I can practically run my nail over it and it chips and flakes away. It is extremely easy to strip with a scraper and light pressure."

I'm afraid it may be the other way around--the new finish is evidently thicker, and more durable, so I am curious whether it dampened the instrument.

Yes! The bass is a little louder, and more open sounding than it was before. The Waterlox is quite thin(actually thinner than the previous varnish), and I am sure it does contribute to a little more open sound. I do like the way it sounds. I have played several gigs on it before I had refinnished it, and it always had a nice fullness to it. I am not sure how soon I will have this one out to a gig. My main bass has a string length around 39" and for my hands it is perfect. This one is at 42" and while easy to play, I feel more comfortable on the smaller bass.

Good to hear!

That really looks grand! I have a Romainian bass with a heavy finish that I would love to work on. I think it would open the sound as well.
How did you remove the original finish?
Any idea how much it would cost to have a pro do the job?

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How did you remove the original finish?


I have the same model Christopher with the same chipping finish, i'd love to make it look (and sound) better.

Adrian, those are some of the most dramatic before and after pictures I've ever seen. *Very* nicely done. That finish was downright ugly before, and now it looks great.

Thanks a lot guys! I am very pleased with it. It has settled down nicely as well and is starting to sound like(and better) than it did before I refinished it. I used scrapers to remove the varnish. They worked particuarly good on the top and back, but I scratched the ribs a bit on the lower bout. However it gives it a really nice antique look to it. It actually turned out just great. If I had to do it again I would do as Arnold recommended and use a stripping agent and then scrape the top. The bass is darker looking in person.

Nice job Adrian, I know how much work that is!

truly a wonderful job and the fact that the sound is more open is such a bonus.