Okay, so I'm currently rebuilding my beloved Sunn Mustang P-bass copy, as it always looked like crap but played like the best bass ever. I thought I might walk you guys through my happy project. Here it is before I got started on it. It weighs a ton, and sounds like a P-bass should, was the only bass I owned up until a couple of years ago when I got bored of guitars.
It's a late '80s fender licensed made in India P copy from an Argos catalogue (any brits on here will remember these, they have an awful reputation). Though I intend to change all that.
I bought myself a relatively cheap Kent Armstrong Hot Alnico P-bass pickup, some 250k CTS pots, olive green woodstain, danish oil, and a very naughty 70s look fender decal from ebay (sorry, I know, but after some discoveries I feel more justified in that now).
The plan is to have an oil finished neck, for super smooth slidy playing, and an oil finished olive green body for super resonant loveliness.
There are online rumours that they made these from bits of real fender shipped to India to be put together cheaply, with cheap electronics and slightly ugly bits of wood. After taking it apart, I think those rumours might be true.
Nitromors specialist is the product you need for an '80s poly finish, discovered it a couple of years ago while stripping an 89 strat. Excellent stuff, just don't leave it on while you walk the dog, or it dries out and is a total waste of time and effort. You will also get a numb finger and an aching shoulder for your troubles.
I found a solid wood body (not sure what wood, any ideas people?) which put my worst fears to rest, and made me sure I was doing the right thing.
I got to the back of the neck, and found a micro-tilt button glued in by a passing dog, no problem to me, I don't have a micro tilt system in the body, and don't like them anyway.
I also found that the ferrules are really wedged in there, and I must find something of the right roundness and width to whack them out, and probably heat them up with a soldering iron as well. Thanks for the tips on that one fellow Tbers, I'll let you know.
I also found that the body has had a terrible veneer put on it, before the shiny red finish was sprayed on, problem no. 2.
However after a couple of hours with a chisel and a heatgun, we're ready to strip the last of the gunk with more Nitromors, and then sand away til it's smooth and lovely.
More to come once I've been to the shops this weekend for more Nitromors and a lot of sandpaper.
It's a late '80s fender licensed made in India P copy from an Argos catalogue (any brits on here will remember these, they have an awful reputation). Though I intend to change all that.
I bought myself a relatively cheap Kent Armstrong Hot Alnico P-bass pickup, some 250k CTS pots, olive green woodstain, danish oil, and a very naughty 70s look fender decal from ebay (sorry, I know, but after some discoveries I feel more justified in that now).
The plan is to have an oil finished neck, for super smooth slidy playing, and an oil finished olive green body for super resonant loveliness.
There are online rumours that they made these from bits of real fender shipped to India to be put together cheaply, with cheap electronics and slightly ugly bits of wood. After taking it apart, I think those rumours might be true.
Nitromors specialist is the product you need for an '80s poly finish, discovered it a couple of years ago while stripping an 89 strat. Excellent stuff, just don't leave it on while you walk the dog, or it dries out and is a total waste of time and effort. You will also get a numb finger and an aching shoulder for your troubles.
I found a solid wood body (not sure what wood, any ideas people?) which put my worst fears to rest, and made me sure I was doing the right thing.
I got to the back of the neck, and found a micro-tilt button glued in by a passing dog, no problem to me, I don't have a micro tilt system in the body, and don't like them anyway.
I also found that the ferrules are really wedged in there, and I must find something of the right roundness and width to whack them out, and probably heat them up with a soldering iron as well. Thanks for the tips on that one fellow Tbers, I'll let you know.
I also found that the body has had a terrible veneer put on it, before the shiny red finish was sprayed on, problem no. 2.
However after a couple of hours with a chisel and a heatgun, we're ready to strip the last of the gunk with more Nitromors, and then sand away til it's smooth and lovely.
More to come once I've been to the shops this weekend for more Nitromors and a lot of sandpaper.
