color change without removing finish?

[Conkal]

Ι am recently searching for ways to recolor my old bass.

I have found out that it is possible to use vynil membrane from car wrapping. (the ones they use for matte finishes for example)

I have seen some videos and pictures. Has anyone tried it ?

 

[Gilmourisgod]

It seems technically pretty straightforward, if the OP has the spraying skills and equipment, its just getting the right tint and careful surface prep. Lots of practice test shots on similar colored scrap mandatory. The only real downside I can see is that any future chips will be pretty glaring lighter spots unless the over-coat is pretty low-contrast. Not sure I'd risk it on a what looks like a pricey bass, but it's his to do with as he pleases.

I have seen one bass done in the "wrap", badly I thought. It looked exactly like what it was, a layer of colored plastic film over wood, telegraphing every tiny bit of debris the guy left on the bass. The seams look lousy too, but maybe somebody with car-wrapping skills could do a nice job of it. The one I saw was pretty inept.

 

[Conkal]

if you happen to find the video, can you post it ? i saw one
and i have a friend who wraps cars for a living .

I thought about pulling the trigger on my old ibanez. It is an older bass that has a collection of scratches and color defects. i thought of using it as guinea pig for making a transformation project. both aesthetically and the hardware

 

[joseplluissans]

With a vinyl wrapping, you get a scratch aaand it peels off

 

[JW56789]

In my opinion, if you don't spray it over a clear coat, you won't have an even colour. I still prefer that way of applying the tint, as I'm not comfortable with dying directly the wood.

Alembic finishes any axe that's not oil or natural exactly that way: Many coats of sanded clear, then the tint or solid color. They prefer that way as if you ever want to change the color, the wood is still its' original color beneath the finish.

 

[Conkal]

With a vinyl wrapping, you get a scratch aaand it peels off

Is this true also for car-wrap grade of vinyl ? i can hardly believe it . All these matte cars would be peeling

 

[joseplluissans]

Is this true also for car-wrap grade of vinyl ? i can hardly believe it . All these matte cars would be peeling

Might not peel straight off, but it'll not look good on an instrument, ie you won't get the mojo. Roadworn vinyl wrapped instruments?

 

[Conkal]

the thing is i have a bass that has too worn a color finish and too wrong a color for my taste anymore. It is not my primary bass , it wont get road worn. more than bedroom worn.

 

[BobaSeth]

if you happen to find the video, can you post it ? i saw one
and i have a friend who wraps cars for a living .

I thought about pulling the trigger on my old ibanez. It is an older bass that has a collection of scratches and color defects. i thought of using it as guinea pig for making a transformation project. both aesthetically and the hardware

remember if you do try it, that any imperfections will show through, any chips or scratches in the bass will still be visible, the wrap doesn't hide anything

 

[BobaSeth]

just as an update, after getting the carvin, and totally loving everything except the lack of color, I didn't think it was financially feasible to keep the ESP so I returned it.
on another note, speaking of vinyl car wrap, have you seen the transparent stuff? I got a sample to see what it would look like.