refinishing a yamaha trb4 - possible?

[fhqwhgads44]

Hi all...first-time poster, long-time lurker here with a possibly stupid question.

So, I've got a blue 1994 Yamaha TRB4 that I've been playing since, well, 1994. It's my only electric, as most of the intervening years have been spent as a student and therefore in poverty. I can afford to buy another now that I'm an actual adult, but I love my old bass's sound and feel.

But after years of gigging, not to mention me being a little careless in my younger years (I got the instrument as a young teenager), the bass has gotten scratched up quite a bit. It doesn't have a laminated top...just wood, so it scratches easily. The scratches are basically all right below the pickups (probably caused by wayward picking). The thing sounds great, feels great...but looks awful. On stage, when everyone else is playing their beautiful PRS's and classic Tele's, I'm standing there with this scratched-up thing.

Bottom-line question: Is it possible to refinish the bass? I'm not at all skilled in this department and would need to source it out to someone...but I don't even know if it's possible. I would really hate to stop using this bass live just based on its looks.

Thanks in advance for any advice you guys might have. I really appreciate it.

[62bass]

Originally Posted by fhqwhgads44

Hi all...first-time poster, long-time lurker here with a possibly stupid question.

So, I've got a blue 1994 Yamaha TRB4 that I've been playing since, well, 1994. It's my only electric, as most of the intervening years have been spent as a student and therefore in poverty. I can afford to buy another now that I'm an actual adult, but I love my old bass's sound and feel.

But after years of gigging, not to mention me being a little careless in my younger years (I got the instrument as a young teenager), the bass has gotten scratched up quite a bit. It doesn't have a laminated top...just wood, so it scratches easily. The scratches are basically all right below the pickups (probably caused by wayward picking). The thing sounds great, feels great...but looks awful. On stage, when everyone else is playing their beautiful PRS's and classic Tele's, I'm standing there with this scratched-up thing.

Bottom-line question: Is it possible to refinish the bass? I'm not at all skilled in this department and would need to source it out to someone...but I don't even know if it's possible. I would really hate to stop using this bass live just based on its looks.

Thanks in advance for any advice you guys might have. I really appreciate it.

Certainly it's possible to refinish it. I've done it on several basses with good results. But it's a lot of work and requires some experience with refinishing work to do a professional job.

So, if you're not going to do it yourself you can send it to someone qualified. But because it's so much work (stripping off the old finish is a real bear of a job) it will cost you. It's possible to touch up the scratces and dents, then put a new finish over what's on there now. That will be less work and cheaper. But take it to someone who knows their stuff. They can give you a quote.

[fhqwhgads44]

Thanks, 62bass, I appreciate your help. Now to figure out whether it makes sense money-wise.