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Good or Bad Refinish?

Good or Bad Refin?

  • Good

    Votes: 11 47.8%

  • Bad

    Votes: 10 43.5%

  • Meh

    Votes: 2 8.7%

  • Should have gone with Carrot Orange

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    23
PortlandBass77

PortlandBass77

Jul 11, 2013
4,827
4,021
Portland, OR
www.youtube.com
#1
Hey TALKBASS! So I recently completed my first refinishing project on a 1977 Fender Musicmaster that had paint thinner damage when I got it (seriously, idk what the previous owner was thinking.....). So when I got the bass it was unplayable do to the paint literally chipping off all over me as I played, so I decided to refinish it. Do to my lack of tools and experience I stripped the remains of the paint (and veneer coat) using a sander and heat gun. I then refinished using generic wood primer and like 10 coats of lacquer spray paint. So how did I do? Also any tips and advise are greatly appreciated as I have a second refinishing project coming up on August. The bass plays amazing now BTW.

Here are the before photos:
m 1.jpg
m 2.jpg

m 3.jpg


For some reason the site won't let me upload the after pics, so here is a link to them (there are a lot more than the before pics).
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
 
  • Like
Reactions: RAMUSIC
#7
I like the grain look, would personally prefer a more transparent lacquer. Still, huge improvement. I'd rock that. Reminds me a bit of the finish on some of Meshuggah's instruments (compliment). Also, good taste in old Peavey basses, T-40s rock! :D
 
#11
mbelue said:
I think you should just get a supporting membership and use the classifieds here.

But I like the grain showing anyways.
Click to expand...

Don't want to bother with shipping.

Hopkins said:
If the heavy grain showing through look was what you were going for, then you executed it well. Personally I would have preferred a flat gloss finish like it would have had from the factory.
Click to expand...

I would have also preferred the factory like finish, but I lack the tools and knowledge to do it so I went for the grain and I think I pulled it off.

Lownote38 said:
You needed to sand that grain and then use grain filler before priming and painting so the finish comes out nice and level with no raised grain showing.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the advise, I will definitely keep that in mind for my next project!

OldDirtyBassist said:
Or just use lemon juice from the grocery to raise/even it all out.
Click to expand...

Interesting idea, has anyone ever tried this with before and after photos?
 
#13
Most any kind of moisture will rise the grain, but if you paint over it while that moisture is still in the grain you will get cloudy blooms under the paint when the moisture tries to escape, and the paint will shortly begin to blister and peel.

A couple things on sanding. It is vital you maintain smooth even edges and avoid the gouges into the wood that you can see in the close up of the inside of the curve on (I think) the lower body horn.

Grain showing is one thing, but wavy irregular edges and gouges in the wood basically ruin the body.

Strictly a personal opinion, but the sanding during paint removal ruined the body, or at least turned it into a learning experience that might bring $100. If it was mine I'd keep it or part it out.

Granted you had a hell of a mess, but removing the remaining paint with stripper, then a light sanding to knock down the fuzz would have been IMO a more productive approach. or just scrapping until you had all the loose paint removed, then a light sanding to taper the edges on the remaining finish and calling it good would have been plenty and would have preserved the original body lines.

Again, strictly a personal opinion, but the bass was worth more before you redid it.
 
#14
fhm555 said:
Most any kind of moisture will rise the grain, but if you paint over it while that moisture is still in the grain you will get cloudy blooms under the paint when the moisture tries to escape, and the paint will shortly begin to blister and peel.

A couple things on sanding. It is vital you maintain smooth even edges and avoid the gouges into the wood that you can see in the close up of the inside of the curve on (I think) the lower body horn.

Grain showing is one thing, but wavy irregular edges and gouges in the wood basically ruin the body.

Strictly a personal opinion, but the sanding during paint removal ruined the body, or at least turned it into a learning experience that might bring $100. If it was mine I'd keep it or part it out.

Granted you had a hell of a mess, but removing the remaining paint with stripper, then a light sanding to knock down the fuzz would have been IMO a more productive approach. or just scrapping until you had all the loose paint removed, then a light sanding to taper the edges on the remaining finish and calling it good would have been plenty and would have preserved the original body lines.

Again, strictly a personal opinion, but the bass was worth more before you redid it.
Click to expand...


I think the main problem is that he has a very light finish on an ash body with very heavy grain that isn't filled at all.
 
#15
I think that bass is a candidate for a re-finish :)

No offense, but you asked for opinions... It does look almost as good as some modern USA Gibson finishes...

Not sure if I could do much better myself, but if I was selling that bass, I'd probably say "someone attempted a re-finsh" in my ad...
 
#18
Hopkins said:
I think the main problem is that he has a very light finish on an ash body with very heavy grain that isn't filled at all.
Click to expand...

I'd have to see it in person, but to me it just looks like there is some serious wave action happening inside that lower horn. Trick of the light is possible but it looks more like where some kind of power sander was digging in more than it looks like patchy application of the paint.

Ereybody got they thing and all, but if it woulda been mine I believe Ida just scratched off all the flakes and feathered the edges of whatever was left. Or just go straight up hardcore and set that puppy up and start using it. You could look like the Schultz character that carried his own little dust cloud, dropping flakes everywhere you played, at least for a while. :D

If it looks in person like it does in the pics I might take after it with some paper and shrink it just enough to pull the lines back out and let whatever happened to the paint happen, then fill, finish sand, and and shoot it with a top coat of satin clear. Make it look like an old barbecue grill.

Please don't get me wrong here, since it was up for sale and opinions were asked and I gave mine, strictly from the standpoint of someone in the market for a bass. Even if all it needs is a quick fill and paint there not enough wiggle room, especially if you are gonna hire it done. The asking would be my top dollar for an original finish in good shape.

Sorry, didn't mean to come off preachy or anything. oh and BTW, I'd love to hear the story of how it got splashed with whatever it was it got splashed with. :cool:
 

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