NBD! 1976 fender precision. lots of mojo. to refinish or not to refinish? (pic heavy)

since its already a refin I would say yes if that's what floats your boat. it's sorta cool looking but I'm pickin up what your puttin' down about A more authentic period correct finish.

 

I wouldn't change a single thing except to drop a SD 1/4 lb in there

 

That grain pattern is nothing special so I'd have no problem painting it over with a solid color. But then I'm not big on natural finishes to begin with.

Don't lay a finger on the neck or headstock, though. Those are gorgeous as-is.

 

Here's a couple of pics of my '76, if you're interested:

 

It looks very cool the way it is, methinks.

 

Leave it.

 

I love it the way it is. Get a new pickguard and upgrade whatever hardware needs replacing, but the stripped finish looks great.

 

I say refin. Not natural though...

With the mods already in place, it's not like you are "ruining" a perfect example of a '76.

Translucent blonde with a tort guard would be awwwwesome!

 

depending on who did that refin you may need to grain fill it before refinishing it. if you can feel texture in the existing grain it will need to be filled to get a smooth finish. ash is a tricky wood for that reason.

 

looks great to me just the way it is...

 

Tough call. The body mojo is pretty cool.

Personally I am not a fan of a walnut stain on light wood, so I would lean toward refinishing.

Here's a restoration I did on a 73 that came to me with a crappy refin, crappy in a bad way.

 

It depends. What kind of look/vibe are you after? This one definitely nails the Honky-Tonk/Smokey ol' Barroom feel. I'm a "pretty bass" guy, and if this was just a beat-up paint job I'd vote refin. But I'd be tempted to keep this one as is; maybe just sanitize it and call it good.

[edit] Yeah, it's ugly, but in a good (?) way.

 

I vote you keep the finish as it is. I think it looks good and worn, like a real working man's bass. I'd spend my money on changing it to a passive bass though, that battery will be a serious pain to change out mid-gig.

 

I like it as-is, but as mentioned, what are you looking for? I would never re-fin an old bass as I don't like "new" basses. If you want it shiny and new or older beat up, its up to you.
If you re-finish the body, will the "old" neck look good on a "new" body?
I love the look of it!

 

Olympic White with a red torty scratchplate
could be nice.

 

Not if he sends it here:
MJT Custom Aged Guitar Finishes Photo Gallery

Mark does some really nice work...as does Dan of DANOCASTER VINTAGE REPLICAS, but I don't know if Dan does work on stuff other than his own builds - really authentic looking

 

Hell no!! Throw some black hardware on that thing!!