Dear TB Luthiers,

[ghostjs]

so i've been doing some research on refinishing stingray necks to have a glossy finish on them and emailed several well high end luthiers and i'm getting quotes that are to my taste a bit too expensive.
yet i see many capable bassists who can apply gloss finishes on their stingray's neck with no help at all from a pro whose been doing the business for a long time. So why spend bunches of money to someone who is a professional when i can help a fellow TB'er who enjoys working on guitars and doesn't demand a large sum of money like the big boys do?
how much as a homemade Luthier yourself would charge a project like this for if i were to ask YOU to finish my neck in a gloss finish?
(the neck being a standard raw finished Stingray 4 neck with a maple neck and fretboard and i would like to keep the headstock logo intact)

ready, set... GO!

 

[ghostjs]

or is this job so easy a newbie like me can refinish it myself without messing up the entire neck... if so can someone send me links on how to do this?

 

[mikeyswood]

There are luthiers here that would charge as much as the other guys. I, myself, would charge more.

Because this is something that you are able to do yourself.

 

[ghostjs]

hmm so far im getting quotes of around 100-125 USD plus s/h.. is thatcreally reasonable if its simple enough to do? can someone give me a few links how to finish a stingray neck or something?

 

[M0ses]

Yeah, I don't know if you realize it or not, but there are plenty of professionals around here, along with the tinkerers and hobbyists.

 

[Thunderthumbs73]

Actually an interesting proposition which addresses or at least attempts to look into one of the only (and IMO, minor for me) less-than-wonderful aspects of those instruments. Yes there are a select few models, runs, lines that have the laquer/glossy, but interested in prices as well.

 

[Dirk Diggler]

If you think $100-$125 is expensive, then you will not get an acceptable finish with less money unless you do it yourself.
Good luck,
Dirk

 

[ghostjs]

hmm ok. so where do i start? i heard of people who uee a bunch of tru-oil but how easy and effective is that?

 

[Ric5]

The easy way to get a gloss finish is to mix tung oil and mineral spirits. The more mineral spirits you mix in the more gloss the finish. But more gloss will expose any flaws in your finish.

 

[mikeyswood]

hmm so far im getting quotes of around 100-125 USD plus s/h.. is thatcreally reasonable if its simple enough to do? can someone give me a few links how to finish a stingray neck or something?

You need to know a good price when you see one. This isn't Wal-Mart and $100 for someone else's time is a great deal.

You will spend $60 in materials and run a great risk of missing your goal. Is $40 worth the headache?

Hint: The correct answer is "no."

 

[Musiclogic]

Let's break this down for the kid with no money. Strip neck, 2 hours and $10 in material, prep and fill 1 hour, acquire and apply proper decal(if restoring decal) $26 from EB maybe less from decal maker. Spray neck 2 hours total time. $25 - $40 in material, clean gun and booth, 1 hour. Wetsand and polish 2 hours. At my shop rate of $40 an hour, I think $100 - $125 is pretty fair. In my shop it would be upto $200.

 

[Rickett Customs]

^^^^ There's your answer. It don't get broken down any better than that.

 

[mikeyswood]

In my shop it would be up to $200.

I was going in the $250ish range to touch a neck.