Originally it looked like the black one on the right, only fretless, and not terribly heavy:
http://www2u.biglobe.ne.jp/~plum/bass/MyBass_4.JPG
The true Steinbergers, which were a composite of fiberglass, carbon fiber, resin, and some other synthetic black magic, were heavier than they looked like they should, given their smallish size. But they were $2k+ new back in the mid / late 80s. I got the Hohner B2AFL for $400, but it's wood, and cheap pickups, compared to the composite and EMG electronics. It does have a true, licensed Steinberger bridge / tuner combo.
My father, who was into furniture restoration and refinishing as a hobby, took my first good bass, a candy apple red Kawai KRB55, stripped it bare, and put a natural, slightly-darker-than-plain stain on it, clear coat finished it, and I hot-rodded it with EMG PJ pickups & preamp.
After that project, I removed all the hardware from the Hohner, and Dad stripped it, but we never completed it. So it's sat in its gig bag in my closet for over a decade now. I'm thinking about finally doing it. Just not sure I'm as capable or confident in my abilities as my late old man was. Actually, I'm sure I'm not as good as he was...but I'm willing to try it.
A few web searches and I found this:
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?p...Select=Details
To get the color I'm after, it'll probably take a mix of their purple and cordovan, and probably multiple coats. I'll seal it off with something protective, though I'm not sure what just yet. I'll have to look through old notes and records to see what Dad used, as it's got a good feel to it, and has held up---color-wise and protection-wise---for a long time now. Really wish he were still around to help, give insight, and see the finished product.
The Hohner is a thru neck of hard rock maple for the neck and body, so from what I've read, it should take the stain well, and show some grain through it. "Semi-transparent" is just the term that a bunch of stain MFRs use. I'm nowhere near able, patient or skilled to attempt a burst on my first try.
To finish it off, I'm putting Bartolini humbuckers and an Aguilar preamp in to replace the EMG Select and whatever preamp was in there. Yes, the new electronics will cost more than the entire bass cost new, but it has sentimental value, and a bit of an homage to my old man.
It'll be an interesting project. Just wondering if anyone else has taken on something like this, especially as a newb, and how the final product turned out.
Didn't mean to threadjack you, so thanks for playing along, and allowing me to do so as well.
