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Anyone ever tried stripping poly off a bass and refinishing?

pablomigraine

pablomigraine

Commercial User
Feb 9, 2005
3,458
611
New York
neuraldsp.com
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Director of Commercial Sales - Neural DSP
#1
So, I have this beautiful Lakland bass, with a really nice 1 pc swamp ash body and really nice grain, but the poly make the bas look really yellow, and the finish is very thick, so I was considering stripping it down and refinishing it with my special Boiled Linseed oil / Butchers paste wax combo that had worked so well for my on my Musicman necks.

Now, I know that swamp as is going to soak up a tone of wax, thats not may main concern, my main concern is how difficult is it going to be to get the poly off. I have a decent sander.....

anyone ever tried this before?
 
#2
Yes. Miserable job. Stay away from sanding as you'll end up opening up the neck pocket(learned that one from a job a friend did), and altering the contours and curves of the body. Do yourself a favor, and send it out to a pro to have done. I've done a couple, and I'll never do it again. Major pain in the backside.
 
#3
chemical strippers might work on a lakland finish. I have no idea but they dont do anything to fender finishes, that I know. And like the above post says you have you have to be really careful about altering the contours.
 
#4
hmmmm................ thats what I'd always heard, that its a bad move to try and do on one's own, and that it should be sent out and done by a pro.......... but Ive been unable to really get a referral to anyone who does this sort of thing. I had also considered doing some work to another bass, like having the finish redone, and sanding the body down a 1/4 inch and having a nice Buckeye Burl top installed, and several people recommended I contact Mike Dolan. Since that recommendation was made 2 weeks ago, I've sent two emails to Mr. Dolan, both of which were read the same day they were sent, neither of which got any kind of response at all......... so even if he did get in touch tomorrow I still wouldn't use him.

That being the case...... who can be trusted with this type of work in TB's opinion? People in the Northeast preferred.

Thanks!
 
#8
jaymeister9195 said:
I remember a post here where somebody stripped all the finish off an SX (granted not a Lakland). He used a chemical paste to take off the poly and paint. It was left with a natural alder body that looked amazing.
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I used something similar on an ESP LTD B-50. It was a messy job, but a lot easier than sanding. The trick with the pastes and gels is to give them time to work. I left the paste on for about 30 minutes at a time and it still took about four coats to get all of the poly off. If you do it yourself, make sure that you have enough time to do a thorough job. Don't rush yourself. Also, make sure you have the right materials and facility to do it right. Good luck.
 
#13
savit260 said:
Yes. Miserable job. Stay away from sanding as you'll end up opening up the neck pocket(learned that one from a job a friend did), and altering the contours and curves of the body. Do yourself a favor, and send it out to a pro to have done. I've done a couple, and I'll never do it again. Major pain in the backside.
Click to expand...


LOL! I could have written that post myself! +1

I tried refinishing two different basses & one guitar. One was a horrible failure, the other two came out so half-assed that to call them a "success" is a disservice to the English language. Not only is a sander in the hands of a neophyte a recipe for damage, but the alternative (chemical strippers) is a stinky messy nuisance that leaves both the wood and you wishing you were still in a tree.

Farm it out to an experienced pro if you have any interest in winding up with an attractive usable instrument.
 
#15
Years ago I stripped a Korean-made Jazz copy that had a "bowling-ball" gloss finish on natural wood (not ash -- I never was able to identify it) and let me tell you, it was a real all-day sucker.:p I never was able to get all the finish off, using a sander and chemical strippers, and it looked like aitch ee double hockey sticks.

Since it was cheap bass, it didn't matter as far as resale value -- it didn't have any when it was pristine -- but we're talking Lakland here.

Don't do it.
 
#16
lpdeluxe said:
Years ago I stripped a Korean-made Jazz copy that had a "bowling-ball" gloss finish on natural wood (not ash -- I never was able to identify it) and let me tell you, it was a real all-day sucker.:p I never was able to get all the finish off, using a sander and chemical strippers, and it looked like aitch ee double hockey sticks.

Since it was cheap bass, it didn't matter as far as resale value -- it didn't have any when it was pristine -- but we're talking Lakland here.

Don't do it.
Click to expand...

+1

Words of wisdom.

I spent chunk of change undoing an "DIY" strip-sand-refin-job on a vintage 1955 Fender Precision. The guy who did it was a friend and a deeply great guitarist, but he did a fighteningly wretched job of "refinishing" that poor old bass. Granted, it was 1973 when he did it. :p

Imagine what words will be uttered in 25 years about "who ever would do that to a 'vintage' Lakland"--not that you should mind--but is it a distinct possibility you may achieve such plaudits with mere sandpaper and solvent. :ninja:

Leave the bass alone or hire a real pro to put nitro on it. I recommend RSguitarworks, who have done restoration, refinishing, refretting, fret dressing, and electronic work for me. :hyper:
 
#17
I began this project with what I thought was a simple pickup and pre Amp install. In doing that when I went to place the pick ups in the cut-out slot the factory cut-outs were about .050 to narrow. when i went to open the slot up to make up the difference I ruined the clear coat, Rookie move I know. Several people told me "just leave it alone its not that bad" But i just couldn't leave it like that . Now I am in process of sanding it down to do a complete refinish. And yeah its a pain and a mess but i cant turn back now. Does anyone know what the process is to get the black stripes to show in the new paint job?

1.png 2.png first sanding.png untitled 1.png
 
#19
I’ve stripped multiple poly finishes and they all act differently. Some come off in big sheets when I got one edge started, some came off in stages and I had to sand a sealer off, and some cane off in tiny brittle chunks and pulled the veneer up with it.
I’ve always used a heat gun and a rigid putty knife, but it took a few rounds before I got good at it. Lots of control, patience, and steady movements.

That being said, if I had a Lakland and I didn’t like the color, I wouldn’t touch the finish. I only strip bodies that I’m prepared to be okay with damaging. Pawn shop finds and stuff like that. If I had quality instrument like that I’d either close my eyes and play it or sell it and get 5 squiers to mod.
 

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