Fix my finish?

[twocargar]

Hi All,

I just got an old Aria Cardinal Series bass, and unfortunately the finish is beat to heck. As a matter of fact, I can chip pieces of the clear coat away with my finger nail. There are a lot of holes like the ones in the photos.

My question is (and I did a search before I posted, so forgive me if this has been answered already), is there a way to repair this or strip it down so I can re-polyurethane over the factory finish? I'm thinking Citristrip would take EVERYTHING off.

Thanks,

TCG

[praisegig]

You need to know what the clear coat is, poly or nitro. If poly, you may be able to pop the clear coat off with a heat gun. If nitro clear, then use lacquer thinner and wipe the clear coat off. The overall coloring may stay in either case. Once the clear is off, do the repairs, and then try matching the coloring.

[twocargar]

Cool. Thanks for the reply!