Mahogany Covered Barts.....

Bluzboy66 · #1 11-06-2008, 10:43 PM

Thought you guys might dig this. One of my customers asked me if I could cover his Bartolini soapbars with mahogany veneers to add the final bit of 'finish' to his custom built bass. I had to give this some thought, and I went for it. I think they turned out pretty nice......

By the way, I knew that a clear lacquer topcoat would quickly deteriorate under heavy use, and epoxy seemed like it would be a huge hassle in this application. My decision? I used 2 different viscosities of Hot Stuff (excellent pro-grade super glue.....I've been using it for finish drop-fills for years). I applied the water-thin Hot Stuff at first, allowing it to penetrate the mahogany veneer, followed up with the heavier viscosity Hot Stuff going one thin layer at a time, block sanded between coats, and wet sanded the final coat followed by buffing. The result is a beautiful rock hard coating, and the pickups will definitely look great in the bass. What do you guys think?

Thanks for looking,
Mike

Jeronimofesto · #2 11-06-2008, 10:52 PM

I never would have thought the glue could be so glossy. Great work.

::::BASSIST:::: · #3 11-06-2008, 10:53 PM

Wow, they look great. Forgive a novice question, but how are you going to keep them in the bass? I see no screw holes.

stevetx19 · #4 11-06-2008, 11:00 PM

eleonn · #5 11-06-2008, 11:03 PM

They look great. Did you cover only the top of the PUPs?

Bluzboy66 · #6 11-07-2008, 07:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeronimofesto

I never would have thought the glue could be so glossy. Great work.

I was actually a bit surprised myself. I've used the Hot Stuff for drop-fills, and it always buffs out very nicely, so I figured I'd give it a shot on these larger applications.

Mike

Bluzboy66 · #7 11-07-2008, 07:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ::::BASSIST::::

Wow, they look great. Forgive a novice question, but how are you going to keep them in the bass? I see no screw holes.

The original holes are hidden under the veneers. I'll gently dremel them open just before installation. I didn't want the Hot Stuff to fill the holes in the pickup covers during the coating process.

Mike

Bluzboy66 · #8 11-07-2008, 07:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eleonn

They look great. Did you cover only the top of the PUPs?

Yes, I sanded the tops of the Barts flat, removing the raised logos, and glued veneer only to the tops. The sides of the pickup casings are still the original plastic.

Mike

Stealth · #9 11-07-2008, 09:21 AM

Amazing stuff. Thanks for the explanation. This would be very interesting, if I could use a similar approach to hide my pickups behind a layer of turtleshell pickguard material.

Bluzboy66 · #10 11-07-2008, 09:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stealth

Amazing stuff. Thanks for the explanation. This would be very interesting, if I could use a similar approach to hide my pickups behind a layer of turtleshell pickguard material.

I would think that the process would be exactly the same, BUT, I wouldn't use the thick, multi-ply tortoise pickguard material that's typically found on electric guitars and basses. It's entirely too thick, and would push your pickups too far away from the strings.....you'll lose signal. I'd use the thin, single ply tortoise guard material that's used for acoustic guitar pickguards......

http://www.lmii.com/CartTwo/thirdpro...ckguard+Sheets

Buy a pickguard blank WITHOUT adhesive backing. Use Hot Stuff or an equivalent to glue the material to the pickup casing. Also, the top surface of the Bartolini pickup casing is already very thin. Use extra caution when sanding it smooth prior to mounting the veneer. The pickup is epoxy potted, but you don't want to sand through the casing if you can help it.

Good luck. Let us know how you do.

Mike

kgrundy · #11 11-07-2008, 11:05 AM

Hey man those look great I think I might try that on an old peavy I'm overhualing...

Quick question I new to the building thing and maybe I missed it but what did you use to glue the pieces on or double sided tape??

And with the Hot Stuff I've never used it so when you say water thin coat does this stuff just pour on like an epoxy or what really interested in this process since I might try to do it on the finger board if possible

Stealth · #12 11-07-2008, 11:14 AM

Hmm. The pups in my case aren't Bartolinis - rather, on this particular bass it's a set of NoNames(tm), regular P and J with small open polepieces. Would that create too much of a problem for gluing the P/G material on it?

Bluzboy66 · #13 11-07-2008, 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stealth

Hmm. The pups in my case aren't Bartolinis - rather, on this particular bass it's a set of NoNames(tm), regular P and J with small open polepieces. Would that create too much of a problem for gluing the P/G material on it?

Shouldn't be a problem, as long as the polepieces are slightly recessed or flush with the tops of the existing covers. Glue your new material to the tops of the covers, and the polepieces will be directly under the new veneers. No problem.

Mike

Bluzboy66 · #14 11-07-2008, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kgrundy

Hey man those look great I think I might try that on an old peavy I'm overhualing...

Quick question I new to the building thing and maybe I missed it but what did you use to glue the pieces on or double sided tape??

And with the Hot Stuff I've never used it so when you say water thin coat does this stuff just pour on like an epoxy or what really interested in this process since I might try to do it on the finger board if possible

Double stick tape (or 'any' type of peel and stick adhesive) should never be used for anything permanent.....ESPECIALLY on something like this. I used the extra thick Hot Stuff to glue the wood veneer to the covers after I sanded the covers level. I also scored them in a cross-hatch pattern with an Xacto knife for extra insurance. Hot Stuff comes in 3 or 4 different viscosities, water thin, like rubbing alcohol, to extra thick like honey. There are many different brands of pro-grade super glues out there, but I have a lot of experience with Hot Stuff, it's never let me down, so I prefer it. You're probably going to want to practice on scrap before tackling the actual project.

Good luck, and let me know how you make out.....and by all means, post pics!

Mike

leppikallio · #15 11-07-2008, 04:52 PM

CA glue gives hard and durable finish indeed. However it tends to yellow over time. Some brands more than others. With mahogany or dark woods it won't be big or noticeable problem but with light colored / whitish wood it can look quite bad. Just an own, yellowish, experience

Bluzboy66 · #16 11-07-2008, 04:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by leppikallio

CA glue gives hard and durable finish indeed. However it tends to yellow over time. Some brands more than others. With mahogany or dark woods it won't be big or noticeable problem but with light colored / whitish wood it can look quite bad. Just an own, yellowish, experience

Thanks for the heads-up on yellowing CA. Haven't experienced it with Hot Stuff, but I'll pay more attention now.

BTW, my customer just came and picked up his custom bass with the new mahogany covered Barts. He was all smiles, and couldn't get over how nice they look in the bass.

Mike