I got some Peavey parts...

[Lonnybass]

I had considered doing something to the top to make it stand out from the back but it's extra work and extra chances to screw up a project that has to date gone pretty smooth

My plan was to coat the body in an amber tinted poly, Minwax oil-based PolyShades in pecan. Then clear with minwax oil based clear gloss, cut, buff, and polish. I know the products work together and I've gotten good results in the past.

A burst is intriguing... but again if a chance to screw it up. What product(s) do you use for the color? I want to darken the alder a bit cause it'll help hide my plugged holes better than clear which is part of why I was gonna amber the whole thing.

It's definitely a bit of extra work! But with all the time going into an instrument, what's a couple more hours? Fortunately, the chances of a calamitous screw-up while doing color coats are pretty minor.

I've been using Transtint dyes for more than 10 years now. You can buy them on Amazon, and Rockler and Woodcraft carry most of them in stores.

TransTint Liquid Dyes Store - Homestead Finishing Products

To do a burst, you'll need at least two colors. Fades and MTD-style nebula blends are also relatively easy to do if you know what you're doing. (see my thread with my nine year-old!) The red burst bass is a combination of "Perfect Red" and "Lemon Yellow" with red on the outside and a blend of the red and yellow to create a fiery orange in the center.

Pretty much any oil-based finish is going to amber your wood tone pretty significantly. That's partly why I think a bright contrast color is going to work really well on your bass - you've already got a lot of amber to medium brown tones going on in the flame figuring. If you look at my build thread you'll see how much darker the natural-finished bass got after I started applying oil to it.

I used to use the Minwax stuff but I was never quite happy with the end result...to my eyes it always looked more like a plastic shell on the outside of the wood. Back in 2009 or so, one of the guys in the LC group gave me a recipe to make my own finish and I've been much happier.

Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore both make clear gloss varnishes. Combine this roughly 50/50 with mineral spirits, and a few drops of Japan Drier. Mix and apply. You now have a thinned, oil-based wiping varnish that is cheaper than the big box stuff, and will give better results. As you start to build topcoats, increase the ratio of varnish to spirits and it will form a nice hard film.

The other alternative is the General Finishes Arm-R Seal-stuff. I much prefer it to Minwax. There have been a number of pro woodwork finishing comparison videos on youtube and the GF stuff always seems to win out.

Just make sure you use the high gloss version of whatever you decide to go with. The lower sheens have silica in them that are really good at making your bass look like a cloudy, blotchy mess. Better to start with high gloss and buff out to whatever sheen you prefer. Let me know if you have questions!

 

[Reedt2000]

It's definitely a bit of extra work! But with all the time going into an instrument, what's a couple more hours? Fortunately, the chances of a calamitous screw-up while doing color coats are pretty minor.

I've been using Transtint dyes for more than 10 years now. You can buy them on Amazon, and Rockler and Woodcraft carry most of them in stores.

TransTint Liquid Dyes Store - Homestead Finishing Products

To do a burst, you'll need at least two colors. Fades and MTD-style nebula blends are also relatively easy to do if you know what you're doing. (see my thread with my nine year-old!) The red burst bass is a combination of "Perfect Red" and "Lemon Yellow" with red on the outside and a blend of the red and yellow to create a fiery orange in the center.

Pretty much any oil-based finish is going to amber your wood tone pretty significantly. That's partly why I think a bright contrast color is going to work really well on your bass - you've already got a lot of amber to medium brown tones going on in the flame figuring. If you look at my build thread you'll see how much darker the natural-finished bass got after I started applying oil to it.

I used to use the Minwax stuff but I was never quite happy with the end result...to my eyes it always looked more like a plastic shell on the outside of the wood. Back in 2009 or so, one of the guys in the LC group gave me a recipe to make my own finish and I've been much happier.

Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore both make clear gloss varnishes. Combine this roughly 50/50 with mineral spirits, and a few drops of Japan Drier. Mix and apply. You now have a thinned, oil-based wiping varnish that is cheaper than the big box stuff, and will give better results. As you start to build topcoats, increase the ratio of varnish to spirits and it will form a nice hard film.

The other alternative is the General Finishes Arm-R Seal-stuff. I much prefer it to Minwax. There have been a number of pro woodwork finishing comparison videos on youtube and the GF stuff always seems to win out.

Just make sure you use the high gloss version of whatever you decide to go with. The lower sheens have silica in them that are really good at making your bass look like a cloudy, blotchy mess. Better to start with high gloss and buff out to whatever sheen you prefer. Let me know if you have questions!

It's not the additional time, but not bring familiar with the products. I do like the transtint dark vintage maple. Do you mix it with water? Alcohol?

You apply the Arm R seal with a foam brush? Will you do much wet sanding after the final coat? What's your final buff/polish process like?

 

[Lonnybass]

It's not the additional time, but not bring familiar with the products. I do like the transtint dark vintage maple. Do you mix it with water? Alcohol?

You apply the Arm R seal with a foam brush? Will you do much wet sanding after the final coat? What's your final buff/polish process like?

I usually mix with water but alcohol will work as well. Just need to knock back the grain a little bit with 400 as it will open up when you dampen it.

I used to apply Arm R Seal with old t-shirts but I was always chasing lint fibers no matter what I did. I switched over to brushes and it works really well. Regular oil brushes are actually preferable to foam if you want to reuse them, but both will get the job done. The main advantage of a regular brush is that you may see less air bubbles than a foam brush (most go away on their own).

I will usually apply about 20 coats over the course of a week. Then, let the whole thing cure for about two to three weeks. Then the real fun begins...I'll begin wetsanding (warm water and a few drops of dish soap) at about 800 grit. Then 1000, 1200, 1500, 2000 and 3000. At this point, it's a nice eggshell sheen. Assuming it's even across the surface, it's buff time. I use Meguiar's Scratch X 2.0 (automotive compound) and then either Meguiar's Swirl Remover or Ultimate Polish. Then, hit the entire thing with finishing wax. The end result is a warm oiled "wet" look.

 

[Reedt2000]

I usually mix with water but alcohol will work as well. Just need to knock back the grain a little bit with 400 as it will open up when you dampen it.

I used to apply Arm R Seal with old t-shirts but I was always chasing lint fibers no matter what I did. I switched over to brushes and it works really well. Regular oil brushes are actually preferable to foam if you want to reuse them, but both will get the job done. The main advantage of a regular brush is that you may see less air bubbles than a foam brush (most go away on their own).

I will usually apply about 20 coats over the course of a week. Then, let the whole thing cure for about two to three weeks. Then the real fun begins...I'll begin wetsanding (warm water and a few drops of dish soap) at about 800 grit. Then 1000, 1200, 1500, 2000 and 3000. At this point, it's a nice eggshell sheen. Assuming it's even across the surface, it's buff time. I use Meguiar's Scratch X 2.0 (automotive compound) and then either Meguiar's Swirl Remover or Ultimate Polish. Then, hit the entire thing with finishing wax. The end result is a warm oiled "wet" look.

View attachment 4996947

That's pretty much exactly how I've finished poly before. I've only ever applied it with a rattle can which is a PIA. Brush on would be cool, do you get a lot of brush marks? Doesn't look like it from your thread, but I don't know how hard you scuff it between coats.

 

[Lonnybass]

That's pretty much exactly how I've finished poly before. I've only ever applied it with a rattle can which is a PIA. Brush on would be cool, do you get a lot of brush marks? Doesn't look like it from your thread, but I don't know how hard you scuff it between coats.

Brush marks are negligible for me - thin, even coats will self-level before it sets up. The bigger issue is chasing drips and runs! Just need to keep an eye for any of them as you get the coat applied, and blend it back to level as best you can.

Every two coats I do a scuff wetsand at 400 grit. (Just posted photos of this very step - just completed a few moments ago). Main idea here is to get everything smoothed back to a matte glass, and then apply another round over that. Progressively doing this will eventually yield some fantastic results.

 

[Reedt2000]

OK, gonna give it a shot with transtint and Arm R Seal. Partly because I really like their dark vintage maple, it's a rich amber just like I envisioned for this project (and not too far off from where peavey was headed, though less orange).

Outside of the aesthetic qualities of the dye, and @Lonnybass's results with the Arm R Seal, I've decided to go this route cause the stuff I wanted to buy is scarce at the moment and really expensive anywhere online I can find it.

Not sure if the whole thing will get the dye, or just the top.

Lonny, how many coats of color do you use? Does it darken on multiple layer application? I don't want a 2 color burst, but I am considering laying one even layer of dye, then seeing if I can put a second around the perimeter creating a fade from the edges in. If this will work I'll likely do the back that way too. I've got a piece of plain maple to practice on cause this body didn't come to me with off cuts

 

[Lonnybass]

OK, gonna give it a shot with transtint and Arm R Seal. Partly because I really like their dark vintage maple, it's a rich amber just like I envisioned for this project (and not too far off from where peavey was headed, though less orange).

View attachment 4997555

View attachment 4997556

Outside of the aesthetic qualities of the dye, and @Lonnybass's results with the Arm R Seal, I've decided to go this route cause the stuff I wanted to buy is scarce at the moment and really expensive anywhere online I can find it.

Not sure if the whole thing will get the dye, or just the top.

Lonny, how many coats of color do you use? Does it darken on multiple layer application? I don't want a 2 color burst, but I am considering laying one even layer of dye, then seeing if I can put a second around the perimeter creating a fade from the edges in. If this will work I'll likely do the back that way too. I've got a piece of plain maple to practice on cause this body didn't come to me with off cuts

It largely depends on what sort of effect you are going for. More often than not, I will typically apply two heavy coats of any color in order to get the boldest, most vibrant results. In your particular case, I'd start with one - simply because you'll want to see how the Dark Vintage Maple coloring contrasts with the existing highlighted grain pattern (your dye color and the already highlighted grain color in your pictures appear to be pretty close). I think you'll be pleased with the effect, it's just a matter of how much striping you're going to want as the dominant look on your bass. If it looks too light to you, hit it with another coat and apply in small circles to hit the grain from multiple angles.

In answer to your specific question about doing a fade (or burst): applying a second layer of the same-colored dye around the perimeter isn't going to create a fade effect on its own, unfortunately. There just won't be enough contrast between the first coat and the second coat. To accomplish the fade effect you are going for, I think you've got three basic options:

1) Mix two batches of Dark Vintage Maple dye - one with a small dye/water ratio (for the center), and a second with a heavy dye/water ratio (for the perimeter)

2) Do a light sand (400 to 600) in center part of the burst to pull back some of the dye.

3) Mix two colors - one of which is Dark Vintage Maple (for the perimeter), the other one which is half Dark Maple, and half of a lighter color (Honey Amber, Golden Brown and a few others would be good options). This would give you a very subtle burst effect.

Personally, I'd do the third option!

 

[Reedt2000]

It largely depends on what sort of effect you are going for. More often than not, I will typically apply two heavy coats of any color in order to get the boldest, most vibrant results. In your particular case, I'd start with one - simply because you'll want to see how the Dark Vintage Maple coloring contrasts with the existing highlighted grain pattern (your dye color and the already highlighted grain color in your pictures appear to be pretty close). I think you'll be pleased with the effect, it's just a matter of how much striping you're going to want as the dominant look on your bass. If it looks too light to you, hit it with another coat and apply in small circles to hit the grain from multiple angles.

In answer to your specific question about doing a fade (or burst): applying a second layer of the same-colored dye around the perimeter isn't going to create a fade effect on its own, unfortunately. There just won't be enough contrast between the first coat and the second coat. To accomplish the fade effect you are going for, I think you've got three basic options:

1) Mix two batches of Dark Vintage Maple dye - one with a small dye/water ratio (for the center), and a second with a heavy dye/water ratio (for the perimeter)

2) Do a light sand (400 to 600) in center part of the burst to pull back some of the dye.

3) Mix two colors - one of which is Dark Vintage Maple (for the perimeter), the other one which is half Dark Maple, and half of a lighter color (Honey Amber, Golden Brown and a few others would be good options). This would give you a very subtle burst effect.

Personally, I'd do the third option!

Cool, I really appreciate all of your help

I'm gonna run a bunch of tests before I commit. I won't be testing on exactly the same surface (I will stain and sand back my test piece so it's at least close) but I can try a couple techniques and see what works best.

Gotta wait for the dye and poly so in the meantime I'm gonna clean up the crap ton of dust I made and finish the neck cause I've got what I need to do that

 

[Reedt2000]

Time to finish the neck. Got the fingerboard and head-nub taped off, hung it in my custom made jig

Tack clothed it, and wiped the 1st of 8-10 coats on

It'll get smoothed with 600 grit around 4 coats in. Last time I did this I hit it with 2000 grit before the last coat and it came out great, super smooth and just a hint of gloss from the satin so that's the plan here

 

[ctmullins]

Nice! And an extra 333 bonus points for the use of “head-nub”.

 

[Reedt2000]

Neck finishing continues. The first 2 coats were almost entirely drunk up by the wood so I've gone to 5 coats at this point.

It's finally looking like it's got consistent build all over and it's nearly entirely smooth, would be passable as is. Now I'm gonna give it a few days, then this weekend scuff it and flatten any imperfections before the last coats. It's looking good, moving forward

 

[Passini]

Just now I see your post with this amazing job you're doing!

And thank you so much for the compliments, I do appreciate it!

Regards, Andre Passini

 

[Lonnybass]

This looks awesome!

 

[Reedt2000]

This looks awesome!

Thanks! This minwax wipe-on poly is the product I have the most experience with so I'm very comfortable with it. It doesn't build very heavy at all, even at 10 coats plus which makes it great for a neck where you don't want a thick layer, but not for a high gloss body (if you're going to cut and buff). I've seen @Beej get some great results with it on bodies, but the possibility of burn through when wet sanding has always freaked me out too much to use it on one

 

[Lonnybass]

Thanks! This minwax wipe-on poly is the product I have the most experience with so I'm very comfortable with it. It doesn't build very heavy at all, even at 10 coats plus which makes it great for a neck where you don't want a thick layer, but not for a high gloss body (if you're going to cut and buff). I've seen @Beej get some great results with it on bodies, but the possibility of burn through when wet sanding has always freaked me out too much to use it on one

Totally get it! I had experimented with the high gloss Minwax stuff in my earlier days of building. I will say, a super quality high gloss is possible with the stuff - see the bass I did with it below. Trick is to do many, many coats, and let it cure for three or four weeks. Ultimately, I've been much happier with the result from the Arm R Seal though - the basic methods are the same, but it lends a bit more of a "warm oiled" look compared to the Minwax.

A good comparison video for you to check out:

 

[Lonnybass]

Here’s the jazz bass style I mentioned earlier, this was done in high gloss Minwax poly. I think I did about 25 coats, let it sit for three weeks, and then buffed up to high gloss sheen.

 

[Reedt2000]

Here’s the jazz bass style I mentioned earlier, this was done in high gloss Minwax poly. I think I did about 25 coats, let it sit for three weeks, and then buffed up to high gloss sheen.View attachment 5002236

I can see the haze and plastic look the video references (though it still looks pretty awesome, I'd rock that )

 

[Lonnybass]

I can see the haze and plastic look the video references (though it still looks pretty awesome, I'd rock that )

The best way to think about it...the Minwax is sort of like putting a thin, crystal-clear glass pickguard on top of the wood. The Arm R Seal looks a bit more like the crystal glass comes from within it. A subtle difference that a lot of people probably won't even notice.

 

[Beej]

Yeah, I don't know if I'd actually recommend Minwax Wipe-on for a body, but I have used it, and also have used it a lot on furniture. I refinished a few pieces of 60's teak for my place and two thin coats of wipe-on give the look of an oiled surface but much more resistance to liquids, stains and general nastiness produced by children. I have used it on guitars, but it can look a bit plasticky - similar to a polyester finish IMHO. It dries quite hard though, so once you've built it up, you can wetsand without burning straight through as it's somewhat resistant to sanding.

Where I have been using it regularly is on fingerboards to seal them up. Ideally I'd like StewMac's colortone fretboard finishing stuff, but they won't ship it outside of the CONUS. Last couple of boards have used Osmo Polyx and I think I'm a convert.

 

[Reedt2000]

I'm testing out the transtint today, as well as if any of the other (orange, red, and brown) stains I have are viable for a burst. I learned a lot. I made 2 concentrations of transtint and did 1, 2, and 3 coat test patches. There isn't a benefit in more than 2. I've also decided against a burst, I just can't blend it well enough whether it's the products I'm using or my lack of skill, it's just not in the cards for this one. I tested on a stained and sanded side, and the natural side of a plain maple board.

I warn you, it's ugly in spots

The best burst result is this 2 coats of the more dilute mix (the transtint recommended starting point for mixing with water) with orange and the tiniest bit of brown at the edge:

I'm still not confident enough to try it on the bass. I did throw a single coat of gloss wipe-on poly over it to get an idea of what top coat would do.

The plan is to mask and twice coat the top. I like the transtint, it's a rich amber like you just turned the saturation up on a natural finish. It should let the grain accents shine through without issue. Once I get it on I'll give one more thought to a subtle orange burst (but probably freak out and devide against it ).