chris squire’s rickenbacker refinish

[bon viesta]

he got his bass refinished in 1970, but through all of these years it almost seems like the finish is still exactly the same. little to no wear, no discoloration, no checking… what did they use to refinish it with? poly? conversion varnish? i know for sure it’s not nitrocellulose.

it’s pretty interesting considering that finishes of that time are renound for basically being fragile and bad at their job.

 

[Mike Anderson]

fragile

I see what you did there!

 

[EagleMoon]

I remember reading an interview years ago where he talked about the bass being refinished multiple times and that they’d sanded it so much that the body was quite a bit thinner than it started out.

 

[Jeff Scott]

I remember reading an interview years ago where he talked about the bass being refinished multiple times and that they’d sanded it so much that the body was quite a bit thinner than it started out.

I don't buy that, going by this photo I made in 2006. It doesn't look thinner to me. Perhaps the finish is quite a bit thicker so there is a null regarding the thickness, in the end?

 

[EagleMoon]

I don't buy that, going by this photo I made in 2006. It doesn't look thinner to me. Perhaps the finish is quite a bit thicker so there is a null regarding the thickness, in the end?

View attachment 4961719

Hard to say. It’s just what he said in the interview.

 

[buldog5151bass]

I remember reading an interview years ago where he talked about the bass being refinished multiple times and that they’d sanded it so much that the body was quite a bit thinner than it started out.

That was in Bass Player (back when it was worth reading on occasion).

 

[FranF]

Being done by a little known Chinese repairman in a London side street, it's unlikely to be conversion varnish. ;-) I'm guessing whatever common lacquer or auto finish was available at the time.