Coloring Walnut?

[Fat Freddy]

Hi guys and guyesses.....

So, I'd like to have my Walnut Birdsong Fusion refinished in the near future....

Here she is but pic pic makes her look lighter than she really is....

She plays and sounds wonderful but her dark looks can be a bit depressing sometimes...

I've had a look on Google for examples of any color being used on a walnut body and came up with many 'natural' looking basses but nothing kinda bright and shiny....

I was thinking of something along these lines if possible....

Can it be done?

 

[Jisch]

I've never seen a way to make walnut lighter, other than perhaps a ceruse type finish, though I'm not sure if the grain on walnut is open enough for that process to work well.

 

[Fat Freddy]

I've never seen a way to make walnut lighter, other than perhaps a ceruse type finish, though I'm not sure if the grain on walnut is open enough for that process to work well.

Thank you sir.....I suspected that I may have trouble going with that kind of finish.....

Hmmm....Thinking solid opaque colors now.....or maybe a dip?......

 

[Jon Clegg]

I would look at trying some other cosmetic changes first: going to chrome hardware, cream pickguard, etc

 

[Fat Freddy]

I would look at trying some other cosmetic changes first: going to chrome hardware, cream pickguard, etc

Yes....I've considered changing the hardware and have been thinking about doing something with the pickguard but....

The black hardware has to stay....(economics).....

Pickguard will, hopefully, be changed to suit the bass....

Another question while I'm here if you don't mind....

The bass has some kind of oil finish going on at present....

What would I have to do to prep it for either a solid opaque finish or a swirl type dip?

 

[58kites]

How about buying a different shiny new toy and leave this bass exactly as it was built?
It is a beautiful and perfect thing just the way it is...anything you do to it will make it less so.
If you have to do something to it, you could choose lots of different woods to make a different pickguard, I would guess that highly figured maple with a glossy yellowish finish might satisfy your cravings.

 

[Arie X]

walnut is a dark wood and just gets darker over time.

if you paint it you'll need to neutralize that finish (it's likely an oil finish) and not much will stick to it until you do. even if the oil has fully polymerized there always seems to be some left. talk to Birdsong and ask them what they used.

were it mine i'd leave it alone, but if you must change something, start with the hardware. those basses are build to showcase the woods and they do a fine job of it.

 

[chinjazz]

I realize this isn’t what you asked for but If it were me, I would embrace the dark by making the walnut grain pop on the darker side (dark brown to blackish), and you’d have more balance with the black bridge.

It might look stunning and cool.

 

[dwizum]

It's possible to bleach walnut. It's sometimes done on commercial furniture, the dark heartwood is bleached until it matches the lighter sapwood then the whole piece is finished uniformly (ironically, usually with a dark stain that brings it all back to the color the heartwood started out with). There are two part wood bleach kits you can use for this, after which you could finish with that sort of yellow honey burst look you posted above.

All that said, I agree with the others that this is a lot of work for what may not be an ideal result. If you want to DIY the finish, you may be better off selling this body and buying or making your own unfinished body in a naturally light wood. It would certainly be less work and you'd have more control over the result.

 

[Scoops]

You could try to Lime it.

Old world way:Treat the wood with a lime/water solution.

New world way: Use Liming wax or thinned Latex/whitewash/stain

 

[Fat Freddy]

Blimey guys, that's a lot to consider already.....
Many thanks to all....

Any of you have any experience with the swirl dipping thingy?.....

 

[58kites]

Oh please, please do not turn this bass into a spin art thing, the drippy swirl paint jobs are so far from the woody goodness that you have there it would be absolute sacrilege.
Maybe you could do it to your Jaguar bass.

 

[Gary_M]

One point of correction here... walnut actually gets lighter over time, not darker. Don't get me wrong, it won't go blonde, but it tends to lose that deep richness, especially if exposed to a lot of light.

Now, if walnut has a thin oil finish and is touched by human hands every day, that is a different story... it may indeed get darker or muddier.

Cherry, on the other hand, does get darker with age, UV, oxidation, etc.

Carry on.

 

[Fat Freddy]

Oh please, please do not turn this bass into a spin art thing, the drippy swirl paint jobs are so far from the woody goodness that you have there it would be absolute sacrilege.
Maybe you could do it to your Jaguar bass.

Ok.....I've been considering all that has been advised and I've decided to leave it alone and enjoy it for what it is.........

Many thanks to all who have contributed....

Cheers to one and all....

(The Jag stays as a Tux btw....)....

 

[58kites]

Ok.....I've been considering all that has been advised and I've decided to leave it alone and enjoy it for what it is.........

Good choice ...

 

[RBS_Johnson]

Ok, so:
A) I'm glad you decided to leave the Brodsong alone finish-wise.
B) I'm got some experience with the swirly dippy thing. If you have any questions feel free to ask me, I'll help out how I can.

-Jake

 

[Hevy T]

Change the pickguard, knobs, and finger rest to maple, and the hardware to black or gold. I bet it would look a maze ing

 

[Fat Freddy]

Ok, so:
A) I'm glad you decided to leave the Brodsong alone finish-wise.
B) I'm got some experience with the swirly dippy thing. If you have any questions feel free to ask me, I'll help out how I can.

-Jake

Many thanks for the offer of help with the swirly thingy....

I've definitely decided to keep her as she is though.....

 

[Fat Freddy]

Change the pickguard, knobs, and finger rest to maple, and the hardware to black or gold. I bet it would look a maze ing

Thanks for the thoughts......Hardware is already black though.....

 

[Jon Clegg]

I'll offer a counter-intuitive thought: it might look less dark with the pickguard and thumbrest black. HUH? Well it's about contrast. Right now the whole body/pickguard/thumbrest and pickup cover are about the same shade. The black bridge stands out as a feature by being completely different. Case in point:

Even though it's a dark walnut and there's a lot of dark features, the contrast breaks it up so that it doesn't feel dark. Just a thought.