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getting a bass refinished

#2
wolfs said:
i'm considering a nice p-bass, but all the colors and finishes i come across i don't like (outside of the far too expensive vintage 60s ones)... how much would it cost to get the body stripped, painted, and refinished in nitro professionally?
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I think Wilkins gets $250-$300 to do a body on a bolt neck. No idea if they shoot Nitro or not. Word is that they do great work.

http://www.wilkinsguitars.com/faq.html
 
#5
The big rub is the stripping. I was looking into a refin and most places wanted 150 bucks just to strip, then anywhere from 175-300 to do the new finish. You might be better off to just start with a naked warmoth body (They are about 170 bucks for an alder one) and get somebody to spray it. I am doing a J this way. My wife's cousin is just getting started as a luthier and he is cutting me a pretty good deal on a nitro finish.

OTOH, my brother got a bass body stripped and refinished for about 175 bucks a few years back. Looked really good, but I'm not sure how they found the guy. I think he was a hobbyist reccomended by a music store that didn't want to monkey with paint.
 
#8
xgabriel said:
Why nitro though? Isn't that a pretty weak finish compared to poly?
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It all depedns on the kind of vibe you want. I like nitro on vintage style stuff because I like how it ages (weather checking, fading, yellowing, etc). I wouldn't want it on some modern looking bass since it doesn't look new long, but a yellowed white J bass just gives me a special feeling...

There are some debates as well about tone and such, but no real consensus, except that nitro tends to be sprayed a little thinner.
 
#10
savit260 said:
I think Wilkins gets $250-$300 to do a body on a bolt neck. No idea if they shoot Nitro or not. Word is that they do great work.

http://www.wilkinsguitars.com/faq.html
Click to expand...

I had a F Bass refinished by Pat. Closer to $500 for breakdown refinish and setup. Pat does not shoot nitros. Illegal her in CA.
Emissions standard. However the poly finish came out great.
 

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