Ibanez Destroyer: my first refinish

My first real bass back in the early 80s was a metallic red Ibanez Destroyer with a P bass pickup in it. I had defretted it somewhere in the mid 80s and eventually sold it off to a guitarist/friend. A few years back in a fit of mid life crisis I started hunting eBay for a replacement. The wife was very amused at it all and when a 'chromed' version came up cheap, she bought it for me



Someone (very badly) refinished the top with reflective mylar and black modeling paint (originally black with cream pickups and binding). It looked cool in pictures but was really hideous in person... Invalid Link Removed

I toyed with the idea of doing a refin but second guessed my skill level. Twice I had taken steps to have it done by people with some better skills (wouldn't say Pro as they don't paint instruments regularly) but neither panned out. Between the 2, I did actually remove the mylar and stripped the face.

I also picked up a PJ set from Delano to put in it and considered having it routed for a Kahler.

Unfortunately time and interest was lost and it was boxed up and put in storage...

Then I saw a thread on here on TB about a guy looking to refinish his Destroyer of the same model and it sparked interest in me again


I pulled the body out and finished all the sanding


and after a bit of thinking and chatting about the direction I was taking it... I proceeded to pull the binding so I can replace it instead of just painting over it.



I am doing it silver... from a rattle can. I've not bought the primer or paint yet and haven't made the call on adding clear to it or not.

So to the TB Luthiers, What advice can you give on finish? I intend to prime it before installing the binding but I'm unclear how to best polish the stuff and if I should clear coat over it.

So far I'm looking at Home Depot chrome/silver paint, reranch inca silver or the stuff from liquid stainless. I don't necessarily need high gloss chrome, but I am looking for a silver not a gray.

The binding I picked up is tort.


Here are the pickups...

Oh yeah, the bridge is being replaced with this

Thanks for all the encouragement I'm being held back by me fear of messing up the routing at this point... I just bought a new router and some bits last week. I'll just need a couple more practice routes and I should be good to go

NKBassman said:

Let me know how those pickups work out.

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I wired them up briefly before stripping the body... they are tight and aggressive at first opinion. I will be doing a bit of recording once it's all together

BigOldHarry said:

hmmmm

A dead-flat top like that would make me want to put a graphic on it - something I could laminate over it... Like a nice print from Hubble, some nifty fractals or something - then paint the rest gloss black.

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good call, I briefly thought of incorporating my favorite image from Fred Gallagher of MegaTokyo called "Broken Miho". The wife and I have been reading the web comic for over a decade, own all the printed books and have both a framed poster and tee shirts of the image.

It ended up being too involved and I committed to the silver/tort theme

s_mcsleazy said:

might keep a eye on this

just dont pick a colour thats brash or vulgor

god knows it aint the 80's anymore

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like I said... Silver. I originally bought some shellac based white primer and some 'Chrome' spray paint at Home Depot. Since getting back to the project, I was thinking of using the rattle cans of this stuff [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

On reading a lot of mixed reviews on the Liquid Stainless Steel stuff... I'm wondering if ordering Fender's Inca Silver from reranch might just be my best bet.

I need new knobs too... I'm thinking black speed knobs might work nicely.

any luthiers want to chime in on my finish choices? Any binding tips/advice?

Thanks

Rip Topaz said:

I'm really interested in that Liquid Stainless. I might give that a shot sometime.

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I'm wondering if the brush on stuff with top coat might be better than the rattle can? It has a higher metal content and gloss by the descriptions.

Musiclogic said:

I am not going to give much advice on binding, as everyone does it differently, and comfort level is personal. make sure you scuff the surface to be glued to the wood so there is a good dull surface to hold. Make sure your binding channels are also scuffed and clean before applying. you can use a hair dryer to heat the binding for bending, and it is always a good Idea to heat and bend the binding to shape before it is applied(save yourself some serious heartache with this step). Also know which approach you are taking to finishing the binding. scraping is the usual tack, but if you are not careful, you can nick the body or finish, so practice helps.

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what is the sanding / polishing needed for the plastic binding? I've read a few 'how to' guides on the heating and shaping first and I have it set in theory but none that I've read speak much beyond the attaching of the binding. This stuff is hard and has an imperfect top and bottom edge. I've sanded a sample with up to 400 grit (I need to pick up some finer stuff before finishing) and have just made it cloudier but think it'll polish up with some really fine stuff.

Should I top coat over it?

[edit] and thanks for the reply / info. I like the 'witness coat'... makes complete sense and will be part of my process no matter which paint I go with [/edit]