How to un-relic a 03 mim j bass?

[spaz21387]

So this j bass has been with me for 7 years. In atleast 12 different bands. seen countless shows, house parties, and illegal generator shows. Shes starting to get kind of starting to get dull around certain places and it would be nice to bring back the gloss in the finish. I have tried many different waxes and guitar polishes and none seem to work any ideas? and in the pic theres still some wax left on the angled arm rest which is why it looks kinda discolored compaired to the rest.

[5string5fingers]

I would try an automotive buffing hand compound,something that has grit to it,take it to the body,then find a finishing compound. Other than that,not much you can do besides refinish the body.

[EagleMoon]

Have you used a buffing wheel? Looks like that would work if the shine is just off of it.

[spaz21387]

I have yet to try a buffing wheel. I have one for my dremel so Ill give that a try. The refinish idea isnt going to happen, It would almost be cheaper to buy a new bass and drop in my pickups and stuff. That new squier vm jag might be an option.

[walterw]

Originally Posted by spaz21387

I have yet to try a buffing wheel. I have one for my dremel so Ill give that a try. The refinish idea isnt going to happen, It would almost be cheaper to buy a new bass and drop in my pickups and stuff. That new squier vm jag might be an option.

ha! don't use the dremel one, you'll just leave squiggly lines of "shiny" all over the bass. you'd need a real buffing wheel, like one that was a foot across.

also, why bother with a cheapie like the squier? you've got a nice bass, and you've already upgraded the pickups and the bridge.

i'd just play it, keep it clean, and be proud of your non-fake relic, where every scratch and blemish was earned.

[jazzblade]

Looks to me like some Meguiar's swirlx20 or number 7 would take that right out or maybe some Zymol Cleaner Wax.

Just hand work it. I would rather go slow on one of my basses myself. On your knee while your watching a game or something

[spaz21387]

I like the scratches and dents but the wear on the contour bugs me. At a show friday night I had some kid ask me "if I reliced my bass with a file like on youtube." If I reliced my bass with a file it would look way worse then that. I just would like to bring the shine back to the arm contour. Ill look into the meguiar's though. And I happen to like squiers my other gigging bass happens to be a heavily modded squier vm p bass, I get comments on my tone all the time and they are amazed to find out its a squier.

[rojo412]

I wet sanded a Fender Jazz Plus body with 1200 grit paper, then hand polished to a mirror shine with...
MOTHERS BILLET POLISH!!! It's awesome, $13 for a small can, but it could do 30 basses. Autozone or similar.

You can probably make it look good without the wet sand, though.
Also, there is a plastic polish that we use on bicycle frame dullness and it works well, too.

[Pilgrim]

3-M Finesse-It II machine polish and a buffing wheel. Take everything off the body and it should buff up fine.

[walterw]

+1 to finely abrasive compounds like mequiar's #7 or stew-mac's swirl remover; a bit of elbow grease and a rag and you can likely bring back the shine.