Is a Geddy Lee Jazz (MIJ) a viable clear refinish candidate?

[BK Bass]

I'm considering buying a MIJ Geddy Lee that has some pretty major blemishes in the finish, well beyond the usual wear marks. Why? The price obviously, but also it presents an opportunity to unite two desires: to get a GL, but I also have a serious thing for that old school Fender walnut/mocha which is only found on vintage ($$$) or MIJ FSR (hard to find). So, the aim would be to refinish it.

However, that walnut finish is semi-transparent, so it does rely on what's underneath the finish being semi-presentable. Conventional wisdom is that the ugly bodies are the ones that get covered up in paint. But, I don't have a terribly high threshold when it comes to woodgrain aesthetics; I just want to avoid something really egregious like jarringly mismatched body pieces. Can anybody shed some light on this with expertise in MIJ bodies, the type of wood used on a GL, etc?

Also, how viable can this be as a DIY thing? I like a good project and saving money but I am also all for leaving it to the pros if it is prohibitively difficult. I'm not going for showroom level as this would be my gigging bass (see my other thread about the value of a banged up instrument) but I also don't want it to look horrible, either.

Thanks!

 

[80jazz]

I believe the wood is alder and that the finishes can be difficult to take off.

I have considered doing this to a GL J in the past to get a color that I desired more than the black (yes, the black is fine). Please share pics if you do this. I think the walnut finish looked the best with black blocks.

 

[BK Bass]

I believe the wood is alder and that the finishes can be difficult to take off.

I have considered doing this to a GL J in the past to get a color that I desired more than the black (yes, the black is fine). Please share pics if you do this. I think the walnut finish looked the best with black blocks.

Thanks for the input. Based on some research on here I'm not terribly worried about the finish removal step (I own a heat gun), unless there's something special about what they used on these. The tricky part is that the previous owner filled in the chips with black paint so that would have to be sanded off.

 

[80jazz]

Then do if it you want...and give us pics!

Walnut is a nice finish.

 

[BK Bass]

Then do if it you want...and give us pics!

Walnut is a nice finish.

If I get around to it, I shall! Just want to make sure it's not a totally bad idea first--I don't have the most money to sink into a potentially problematic project.

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

I would go for it. Sounds like the perfect candidate .

 

[chechunka]

Reviving this thread. Wanting to do the exact same thing and curious how it came out.

 

[arbiterusa]

Reviving this thread. Wanting to do the exact same thing and curious how it came out.

I'm curious myself. I wouldn't do this with anything other than a MIJ Fender. They have high standards and your odds are better than even that the wood underneath would be decent.

MIM or US? I wouldn't dream of it. Probably looks like my fence under the paint.