Repainting a bass?

[Kwesi]

I have a Squier P bass that i want repaint. It's a nice glossy black but the finished is scratched in various places. How would i go about bringing back its perfect glossy black-ness? Also my i want my headstock to match so how would i paint the headstock? Would i have to remove the Squier watermark thing?

[dreadheadbass]

if the scratches are really deep you will have to flat it and repaint it otherwise 9 times out of 10 you can polish scratches out

if your painting the neck you'll be better off sanding off the logo and dont forget you need to mask off your fingerboard too

[MarkMyWordsXx]

youl probably find its more trouble then its worth. when i was a newb i looked into this and it was cheaper to buy a new bass then to have it repainted.

[SWILLKILL]

if you are going to do it and are looking to go more then the ''home depot'' route (couple cans of spray and coat).

reranch is the place for the top end stuff.
http://www.reranch.com/

its alot of work like previously posted - but worth it if you have the time,desire and patience.

... it also helps if you already have supplies (sander,tools etc..)

there was a good post or two on here with some step by step of people that have done it but i cannot locate them.

[BackwaterBass]

I repainted one with Krylon glossy spray paint over the course of a couple weeks and it turned out pretty well. The secret to a glossy finish is to sand it REALLY smooth between coats and then use some sort of polishing liquid to finish up the final coat. Professionals would actually use a flat paint and then put a glossy clear coat on top, but its all relative to how much time you want to invest in this and what results you are going for. Whatever you do, take your time, use THIN coats of paint, and sand it very lightly, using finer grit paper/polish as you go.

[lethargytartare]

agreeing with all of the above --

I did a headstock on a cheap guitar because I wanted to give the full process a shot. After I was done, I couldn't imagine doing a whole guitar without the right equipment (sprayer, paint booth, etc.)

So I used krylon clear coat, and black paint from an auto store. I followed guitar reranch's instructions (rule of threes), and did it over the course of 2 or 3 weeks (since I wasn't able to keep on a precise schedule to get it done). Just don't try to get by without the right sandpaper (400,600,800,1000,1200,2000...I think...see reranch) and a polishing compound (finessit ii).

It was a very neat process -- how each course, when you sand it, looks like a black chalkboard, and the coolest part (for me, as a rookie) was watching the glassy mirror-like finish reveal itself in the very very last step...I absolutely believed that I had wasted all of my time, and that it was a complete failure until I applied that finessit and saw glass appear under my vigorous buffing...I didn't think that finessit was going to do anything, but it did indeed get the job done.

as said by the others -- many many THIN coats, take your time taping, and don't scrimp on the sanding steps.

I personally think doing a headstock is a great project -- if nothing else, it really makes you appreciate the amount of work that goes into a really top-quality paint job!

best of luck!!

ltt

[Raycozu]

Just wondering... I've never done any painting in my life so I don't feel like taking my chances and winding up with a ruined bass... How much does it cost to have a bass repainted? With a simple colour or sunburst in particular?

[Pilgrim]

Go straight to the 3-M Finesse-It III machine polish and try that FIRST. You may get rid of enough scratching to make other work unnecessary...and you're surely have a shinier instrument. Remove the hardware and buy a small buffing wheel that you can chuck up in a 3/8" variable speed drill, and go after that body.

BTW - if you do the buffing wheel thing, do it outside - polish will get slung everywhere! (Including on you.)