My P bass refinishing thread

[Tommy Hagen]

Just started a refin project on one of my fender Precisions. It had gotten a lot of dings in the paint and I thought I'd make a project out of it.
This is the first time I've ever done anything like this, so it is really learning as I go.
Anyone want to see how it's turning out?

Tommy

[Gord_oh]

always!

[kuys]

Originally Posted by Tommy Hagen

Just started a refin project on one of my fender Precisions. It had gotten a lot of dings in the paint and I thought I'd make a project out of it.
This is the first time I've ever done anything like this, so it is really learning as I go.
Anyone want to see how it's turning out?

Tommy

Yes.

[Tommy Hagen]

Ok, here I go:

This is the bass. Fender Japan '70 Precision. Black, Rosewood, Mirror pickguard.



This is the bass after taking it all apart.



I started sanding the finish off with a rought paper. Found out that it would be way too much work. So I got a friend to help me out with an electric sander.

Tommy

[Tommy Hagen]

Being really careful with the sanding machine i got all the paint off in a little over an half hour. I used a Dremel tool in the lower and upper horns and around the neck pocket. Using a face mask here is really important because of all the dust. It gets everywhere.
This is the bass just after stripping the paint.



Going gradually from rough to finer sand paper i got the body nice and smooth.



Tommy

[Tommy Hagen]

With the primer i did a few very light coats, let it dry, then sanded. Then repeat. I kept doing this for a few days until I felt that I got most of the dents and scratches out. I think using a lot of time on preparation makes the end result better. The primer i used was a cheap spray can primer from my local auto parts store. (Biltema)
I wanted to use just ordinary spray cans to see if i could get a good result from them.
Anyway, this is the bass when I was done with the primer. I used a little over two 400ml cans.



Tommy

[Tommy Hagen]

To be continued tomorrow.

Tommy

[selowitch]

Is that stick strong enough to suspend the body? It looks like it could snap at any moment....
Looks good so far. Did you use sand-and-sealer (like Deft) prior to priming? Lighter fluid before that to remove the excess sawdust?

[Tommy Hagen]

The stick started cracking, so it took it off, used the other end and I've been using it since. Works surprisingly well.
I didn't use anything before the primer. Just a very lightly dampened cloth to wipe away the dust.

Tommy

[Evil Undead]

Subbed.

[selowitch]

I can't wait to see the results. What's your target color, or is that a secret?

[FunkMetalBass]

Lookin' good so far, my man. I'm curious to see how your rattle-can finish turns out.

[EdHunter]

Black/mirror/rosewood Ps are the single best things ever...

Looking forward to seeing how this ends up!

[Tommy Hagen]

While thinking about what color to choose, I read up on finishing on reranch.com and other web forums. The Reranch finishing 101 is a good start for a beginner like me.

I thought about fiesta red and silver, but my favourite Fender color is Lake Placid Blue, so that's what i wanted to do.
I found the formula for LPB and other Fender colors here: DuPont Refinish - Common Web
These are the original Dupont car finishes that Fender used.

I went to a car paint specialist that made me two 400ml cans of LPB from the formula I gave them. It cost a little more but I feel it's worth it to get the actual LPB that Fender use.

I read that metallics shouldn't be sanded because it will ruin the properties of the particles in the paint. So I applied the paint in really thin coats, almost dusted it on, letting the paint fall on the body. Waited for it to dry then did another coat. Did front, back sides this way over two days, being very careful not to spray too much.
It's really important to do this in a ventilated place bacause of the fumes. I did it outside. Dusting the paint on will also give you paint dust on everything around you, so having a shielded area to work in is a good idea.

This is how the bass looked when done with the color coats. (I'm using my phone to take the pics so they are not the best quality)





Tommy

[EdHunter]

Woah! LPB should go with maple and mirror, IMO....

[selowitch]

Looks great! How will you get it smooth if you don't sand at all?

I have a LPB Jazz with maple board and white pearl pickguard. Looks good to me.

BTW, what was the original color?

[fourstringdrums]

Beautiful! Subbed.

[Tommy Hagen]

Seeing the nice blue color got me thinking. I already have a mirror pickguard, what if I had a maple/maple neck? I'm a big Iron Maiden fan so i thought I'd make myself a Steve Harris bass.
I ordered a maple fretboard, 20 fret neck with vintage tint gloss finish from Warmoth. It'll take 10-12 weeks since it's a custom order, but I think it's worth the wait.

Tommy

[EdHunter]

Originally Posted by Tommy Hagen

Seeing the nice blue color got me thinking. I already have a mirror pickguard, what if I had a maple/maple neck? I'm a big Iron Maiden fan so i thought I'd make myself a Steve Harris bass.
I ordered a maple fretboard, 20 fret neck with vintage tint gloss finish from Warmoth. It'll take 10-12 weeks since it's a custom order, but I think it's worth the wait.

Tommy

That was what I was hinting at...

UP THE IRONS!

[Tommy Hagen]

EdHunter: See my next post.
selowitch: You have to do clear coats over metallics so I'll do the sanding there. the original color was black. You can see it in the beginning of the thread.

Tommy