painting your bass.

[Eric Killinger]

im gonna be getting a new j-bass in about a week, except its only in one color, the color I can only refer to as "gravy".

Whats the best way to strip the paint off a bass so I can paint it?

[doc540]

Here ya go:

[Eric Killinger]

need a little bit more background information.

like, that bass looks a little..."clumpy"- by that I mean it looks like it has a bunch of stuff on it, like the little stuff sticking out. would that normally happen?

Also is there a way I can strip the paint off and change it to an ash bass? cause thats technically what I really want.

[_christian_]

The only option to change it to ash would be to buy a new body. Then you could have it painted the way you want it. Warmoth does a good Fender copy.

[Eric Killinger]

ah, alright.

Well, Looks like I'll have a sea-green bass now.

[doc540]

I suggest you experiment on another piece of painted wood before you learn on a bass.

You brush that stuff on, let it sit about 15-20 minutes, then scrape it off with a putty knife.

Reapply and repeat until you're down to bare wood.

Sand, seal, paint (sounds simple, but there's a LOT more to doing it right).

I suggest you search around and do your homework on what it takes to refinish a bass body. I took the shortcut on that one, stripped and sanded it myself, then paid a pro to seal and paint it.

When you get it down to the bare wood, you can just oil it if you like the looks of the natural grain.

Here's my favorite natural finish goop:
http://www.westernwooddoctor.com/feednwax.htm

It's a combo of orange oil, beeswax, and carnauba wax. I just hand rub it into bare wood and keep applying it until it gets the shade I want.

Here's my '69 Jbass with that finish:

[_christian_]

When you sanded it and sealed it, who did you have paint yours? I'm thinking of having one of my basses refinished, its a nice shiny blue, and I'm not a flashy guy, so I'm thinking natural (if the wood grain is good looking, I'm doubtful of that though) or some solid color.

Thanks,
Christian

[Eric Killinger]

Originally Posted by doc540

I suggest you experiment on another piece of painted wood before you learn on a bass.

You brush that stuff on, let it sit about 15-20 minutes, then scrape it off with a putty knife.

Reapply and repeat until you're down to bare wood.

Sand, seal, paint (sounds simple, but there's a LOT more to doing it right).

I suggest you search around and do your homework on what it takes to refinish a bass body. I took the shortcut on that one, stripped and sanded it myself, then paid a pro to seal and paint it.

When you get it down to the bare wood, you can just oil it if you like the looks of the natural grain.

Here's my favorite natural finish goop:
http://www.westernwooddoctor.com/feednwax.htm

It's a combo of orange oil, beeswax, and carnauba wax. I just hand rub it into bare wood and keep applying it until it gets the shade I want.

Here's my '69 Jbass with that finish:

That looks really nice


My fathers friend runs a instrument repair shop, and I've seen him paint basses and stuff, I dont exaclty know what he did, but after he got down to the bare wood, he airbrushed the paint on it then coated it with acryllic and let it dry.

However, im still kinda worried. The guy packed up his shop and moved a few months back.

[_christian_]

Couldn't your father's friend do this for you? If you have the money for a profesional job, I think that would be the way to go.

[tbrannon]

Just a side note- be prepared for the mother of all burns when you work with wood stripper. It's gooey and gloppy- you're bound to get it on your hands or flick some off onto your leg.....

The first house I bought and remodeled had tons of beautiful dark wood that somebody had painted a lovely 70's Avocado Green and Harvest Gold. I got very friendly with Jasc wood stripper- the stuff works like a charm, but burns like a SOB.

Have fun~

[Eric Killinger]

Originally Posted by _christian_

Couldn't your father's friend do this for you? If you have the money for a profesional job, I think that would be the way to go.

I edited my post, he moved a few months back.

[Eric Killinger]

Question, is there any chain of stores that can do this whole process for me?

[doc540]

If you want it done professionally, give this guy a shout:

http://www.dolanguitars.com/

He does really good work, and he's one of the nicest guys you'll ever deal with.

btw: Here's the finished product of that guitar with the stripper bubbling off the white finish in the first pic:

[Eric Killinger]

Thats a nice bass.

[pty-rock]

I did this on an old XB-100 Washburn bass, (my first base which didnt work properly anymore), and I did an OK job. Not a pro finish, but it looks good enough to gig with and, since I changed the pickups, it sound really funky now!

Good sound for rock and funk.

[BASSMASTER105]

If your going to paint it a different color dont strip it!!The
paint that is on it will act as a great primer any top coat you put over it will have a good surface to adhere to.The only reason to strip it would be if you wanted a natural finish.
I would recomend you find a good body shop pick your
color let them do the work for you should cost very little
it can also be sanded and buffed for an awsome finish.I have
done this many times and have acheived wonderfull results.

[amateurbassist]

how much will it cost to repaint it to another color?

[BASSMASTER105]

Not sure what it would cost in you area i would think maybe 100.00-150.00 it doesnt take alot of matterial i usualy charge
150.00-200.00 depending on color.The cool thing is you have
alot of colors to choose from with auto paint pluss it is very durable.Let me know if you have any questions.