Experience with paint and vinyl wrap

[Choupique]

Does anyone have experience with how much the sound of a bass is affected by any paint applied? I'm assuming that more and more and more paint will result in deadening or muting the sound.

If painting affects the sound, how about a vinyl wrap? You've seen some guys "wrap" their trucks with camo. I'm thinking of doing the same thing. Is it going to deaden the sound? Anybody have experience?

Will the change in sound be minimal or will it really make a difference?

[DC Bass]

Paint will adversely affect the sound of your bass. I have a bass that had a thick "poly-goo" gloss finish on it- once removed and refinished properly it was like a new bass- a much better sounding bass that had more volume and character of tone. As you surmise, the more paint, the more dramatic the loss of tone and volume will probably be.

I'm not sure about the wrap- sounds like a neat idea, but I'm sure there would be some kind of loss of tone or sound depending on how thick the stuff is.

Big warning: Be sure to find out how that wrap would be applied- if it is shrink wrapped with heat it would be a really bad idea. Also, be very mindful of things like your soundpost- it most likely fall down in the process if/when you remove your strings.

Also, prepare yourself for the onslaught of slings and arrows from those who will condemn this idea as folly!

Joe

[DC Bass]

Oh, and remember that something like this will dramtically affect your resale value!

Joe

[Choupique]

Originally Posted by DC Bass

Also, prepare yourself for the onslaught of slings and arrows from those who will condemn this idea as folly!
Joe

Yeah, the sticks and stones thing.....

I am very worried about the vinyl wrap thing deadening the sound too much. I'm not so worried about the paint. I'm buying a Shen SB-80, and they are just plain ugly. I tested one today and liked it a lot. Of course, the luthier is an expert and it's all about the set up.

[Jsn]

Not against it for purist purposes; your bass, your aesthetics.

But vinyl wrap, being several times thicker than even the thickest coat of paint, would almost certainly kill your sound dead. That's before some of it peels up or bubbles, and starts buzzing. And possibly before the subtle but constant tourniquet-like effect of a tight plastic blanket opens up some seams.

If you think Shen SB-80s are ugly but want to have one anyway, I'd suggest other modes of decoration. Cut some stripes out of vinyl contact paper, the kind that's designed to peel off.

I played a gig once at a venue where children were encouraged to come up on the stage, see the instruments up close and dance their little hearts out. I put some foam star stickers on my bass for the occasion, and ended up keeping one star on for the next three years (I just liked having it there). When I did take it off, sucker peeled right off, leaving no trace.

[fdeck]

How about some sort of air brushed fabric cover? It's simple enough that you could try it out with no harm done if you don't like what it does to the tone.

[Choupique]

I think I'm going to give up on the vinyl idea. It is the type that's supposed to just peel off and leave no residue, but I need about $200 worth to cover my bass. That's too much money for an experiment.

I've done quite a bit of painting with automotive quality stuff, and I know that the colors are REALLY light weight and thin. A coat of color is less than 0.001" thick. The clear that goes on top is a little thicker.

I'm not sure what an air brushed fabric cover would be. Like a sheet?

[uprightben]

If you strip the bass first, then tint some instrument quality varnish and put that on, you should not end up changing the sound too much. If you have experience with air brushing or hplv I would recommend using spirit varnish thinned and tinted to your liking. Auto paint is not good for acoustic instruments.