sanding

Hey! I’m looking to turn a gloss black finish into satin without spraying over it. Would it work to sand the existing poly finish down to 100-150 grit and then apply something like carnauba wax or a hardwax oil (like Rubio Monocoat) on top to get the satin look? Do these products need to bond...

Hey there I have a nice Retrovibe bass that, after a few modifications made by a luthier (new pickups, pickguard, Hipsgot D Tuner) I would like to become my main axe for the rock cover band I’m in. First time I gigged with it I got compliments from the sound guy and fellow players. There’s just...

Hi all, This is the first thread I've ever made on TalkBass :bassist:, so please kindly let me know any etiquette/protocol things I need to account for or change;). Thanks for understanding! My hope is to check this every couple days, so sorry for any delays on requests for more...

Hi everyone! So I recently bought an instrument for the purposes of having a summer project. It’s from DH Gate and it’s pretty decent but as expected, it needs a little love. The primary concern is the fret ends and nut, which are all pretty poorly finished. The nut is easy enough to deal with...

Just did my second coat of Tru-Oil. Putting it on pretty light - dropping it onto the body relatively liberally and then rubbing it it with a cloth. It is soaking up pretty good, by the time I finish the whole thing it's already dry to the touch. I noticed some scratches on the arm contour...

Hey LC - I finally got motivated to finish sanding so I can slap this Tru Oil on and get this baby done. Finished everything to 320, wiped it down with mineral spirits, went back to examine, and I found this weird light spot in the horn area. Is this a natural figure of the wood? Continuing...

So I decided to finally fix the ebenol fretboard on my Squire VM fretless.. The white fretlines "spurring" and there was a "ski jump" hum down at the heal of the neck. It was driving me crazy and it was really killing the fretless sound. No real mwah or swell sound. I got a used Fender fretless...

I just got a 2002 streamer LX, in a stunning "honey burst" with figured maple. I love it so far, and it's been a huge clean-up job. Those bronze frets were green... After waxing the bass, I can see cloudy/milky patches. Where the poly finish is dulled and hazy. It doesn't look great imo. The...

Hey Guys, my Fender PJ bass neck has a glossy finish; it gets kinda sticky and hard to navigate when on stage. My Fender Jazz has a satin finish and is easier to play but I like to tone of the PJ. Has anyone sanded-down a glossy neck to get a more satin finish? Did it work? Any tips and/or...

Just sanded down a Fender Jazz Bass neck to be refinished. This is a first time for me and I want to learn to do it correctly. I did have to use 80 grit to get all the old finish off which still took a lot of elbow grease to do! Now I want to properly prep the neck before I start spraying the...

I have a bass that was defretted that cannot achieve a low action because the bridge saddles won't go low enough. I know that shimming the neck tends to be a solution to this, but would sanding down the bottoms of the saddles of the bridge, or even sanding the entire bridge base down, also be a...

So I've discovered that I much prefer to play with a pick after the sharp pointy tip has been worn down a little, so now I simulate the wear by sanding the tips of my new picks a bit, first with coarse sandpaper then with fine. Mind not by much, just getting rid of the sharp pointy tip and...

So- a few weeks back I put out a request for broken gear so I could learn to work on stuff. @charlie monroe threw caution to the wind and sent me this defretted MIM jazz neck to refret. As you can see, the slots are filled with... stuff. Maybe wood filler? With the utmost confidence I...

So I've been working on and off on a Short Scale Fenderbird for a while. I wanted to redo the stain on the back becuase there was a little blotch that showed up in the original pass (first photo). I applied some stain primer and followed the directions. The result was nonsence. I dilligently...

I bought a Guild B-301 a while back from a seller who, by all accounts, was reputable. In the listing, the pickguard showed no marks other than the scratches and dings one would associate with a 40+ year old instrument. No mention was made of any graffiti or defacing of the bass by its previous...

For the last couple days I've been researching how I am wanting to finish my current build. The wood I am using is American Chestnut (harvested locally off Bowen Island) and it is very porous. I would like to stain the back of the bass dark, have a natural faux binding, and finish the top with a...

Other than stewmac. 100 bux just seems a bit high (plus shipping). I have a 19 inch beam but looking for a 24. Links if you have them. Searching for a couple of hours now. Thanks all.

Forgive me if the answer is obvious but how do you do this without getting it on the sides?... Do you tape it off? Is there wax involved? Do you accept that some finish will get on the sides and then just sand it off afterwards? I want to to finish just the face of my headstock with multiple...

One of my basses, has a glossy neck that is pretty sticky and hard to move smoothly over it. I've been watching threads and posts of people fixing this same issue, and most of them use the sanding approach. My concern is that, the bass finish it's pretty cool so I don't want to sand it all the...

Hi… new user here so I apologize if a similar question has been answered and I just can't find it. This is the first time I've undertaken this level of tinkering; I'm cobbling together my own customized fretless Fender Jazz Bass from a 2019 Daphne blue Squier Classic Vibe (fretted) Jazz Bass...

Hello TBers, I have this Warwick Corvette I wish to let go and before I do that I would like to bring it back to pristine condition. The main issue I want to correct is small scratches/dents on the swamp bash body as the neck is pretty much immaculate. A friend of mine has informed me that the...

OK Quick question. I have a neck and body that I really want to use for a build... Both fender parts. However the neck seems to be a 1/16(ish) of an inch to wide for the pocket on the body? Odd that they are both fender parts and they don't fit but I digress... Is is acceptable to sand the...

more sanding

lots of sanding

salut all I like my 4003 I like the neck size On all my fender I have a sanded neck, never felt any better necks. Find the 4003 neck a little sticky . I WANT TO SAND IT. Did someone ever do the same thing ? I REALLY don't care about the resale value. I like dings and custom things so I don't...

I have an alder blank from Warmoth that is already joined and planed to 1-3/4". I want to take off 1/8" to save some weight but I only have a drum sander. I suppose it'll take 10-20 shallow passes with 60 grit to remove most of the material, then go up to 80, 100, 120 as I get close to my...

Hey, do it yourself buddies! So I got with me a cheap bass, a passive copy of a StingRay 34, made by Harley Benton (Thomann) as model name: MB-4. To be fair, this is a beast. Even though the pickup is passive, each coils have their own volume knob. The tone knob is a bit bad but okay. The tone...

I have a late '90's Fender Jazz bass I really like but hate the old school gloss finish on the back of the neck. I love the satin/natural finish on the backs of the necks of my Music Man Stingrays. I am playing the Jazz more now and really want to smooth out the back of the neck. Any...

Final sanding commencing

sanding the body wings

more final sanding

final sanding prior to finishing

worked on the belly cut and general sanding

Sanding the wings smooth

12" radius wooden sanding block - $10 shipped.

I tape sandpaper to the body of the bass to set the feet. I can't seem to get them flush with the surface of the bass, though. Is there a technique?

If a raw roasted maple neck is sanded will it change color (presumably to the natural maple color)? Or does the roasting process "tint" the wood throughout? In other words, is the roasted caramel color surface only or all the way through the wood?

I sanded the neck of my kit guitar this evening. I started with 180, then did 220, 320, and 400 dry. It went surprisingly quick... less than 45 minutes all told, hand sanding. I realized something... I don't really know when I've reached "enough" with each layer of sanding. I guessed by...

Hi all, I'm currently restoring on old Schecter Jazz. The 2 pickups have scratched pole pieces. I'm wondering how I can get these smooth again. I'm thinking about light sanding, maybe 600 grit or above to get the scratches out. Does anyone have any tips/ideas how I can do this? FYI - the...