Most refinishing places want about $350-$400 plus shipping. That pretty much eliminates the additional value in the bass over what I paid.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
NBD: Stripped 1998 EBMM SR5 OHSC $500!
- Thread starter selowitch
- Start date
I paid $500 for it with essentially no real finish (it was originally black) and the OHSC. Nothing to sneeze at, but $300-$400 is steep for a paint job.
OTOH, I am not really all that good with primer/paint/cleancoat. It seems like undertaking a "rattlecan" project would be a mistake for me.
Haven't got an accurate measurement yet, but it seems like it's about the same as my 2001—probably 10.3 lbs.For $600, you can afford a chair to go with that heavy bass!
Makes one wonder, why the strip job? Did it get dropped and the original finish got damaged? Maybe just a wild hair to strip the finish? I suppose we'll never know.
I know it's easy for me to say this since I'm not fronting the Bemjaimin's, but I say go for it! Get the refin done and be happy! It's not like you "needed" to buy it in the first place, so adding a few more coins to the investment is totally worth it IMHO.
Nice score, by the way!
I know it's easy for me to say this since I'm not fronting the Bemjaimin's, but I say go for it! Get the refin done and be happy! It's not like you "needed" to buy it in the first place, so adding a few more coins to the investment is totally worth it IMHO.
Nice score, by the way!
The gentleman I bought it from said that the previous owner "didn't take good care" of the bass so there were big defects in the original black finish and at some point someone decided to strip it. Seems to me that the strip job resulted in some surface imperfections that were not particularly well filled. If the grain of the wood and the quality of the refin were decent, I'd be inclined to keep it as is, but—I strongly prefer the "factory look."
I would keep calling around to the autobody shops in your area and see if you can get some more estimates. I got a quote from a local place here in Salem, OR and they said they'd do black (neck and body) for $200. I've had one other body done by an auto place (black) and it came out fine.
Edit: for that price I would need to have the bass already stripped to bare wood (to maybe 320 sanding they said).
Good suggestion, but would an auto body place need me to sand down the body first? How many coats would it receive? Would there be a clearcoat on top?
If yours has some kind of clear coat on it then I would guess yes, you'd need to do some sanding. But if you found someone willing to do it, they would tell you for sure. The guy I went to said they'd shoot a primer, black, then clear. I don't know how many coats of each, though.
I wonder if an auto place would think of sticking toothpicks in the pickguard screw holes to keep them from getting full of paint (and other details like that).
A local detailing place quoted me 'up to £120' to respray a bass in 2K lacquer. The guy was apologetic as he thought that was expensive for a guitar.
The other thought that occurs to me is that if a good refin by an auto place is worth $200, a stellar job by a guitar specialist may well be worth $400 to me.
My job also would have also included the neck as well, so that may be why it was more. I do think it's still a lot of money and you can probably find cheaper; that was just one shop. To me $100 sounds more reasonable for sure! 
Best to call around as many shops as you can or check craigslist, etc to see if someone paints guitars.
Best to call around as many shops as you can or check craigslist, etc to see if someone paints guitars.
In my case I've done a couple of basses and first used a heat gun then sanded. But that was the stock finish I needed to remove. I'm guessing you could just run an RO sander over yours with 220 grit, being careful not to overdo it or remove original contours. Is it glossy now or already pretty sanded down? You might take this question to the Rattle Can Club where I'm sure there are for more experienced, uhh, strippers.
Right, you've gotta factor in what your time is worth. The hard, messy, time-consuming work is in the prep.
And if the prep work isn't done well, the finish won't look all that great no matter who sprays it. Catch 22.
Very true. On the other hand, it seems to me that a little time and care taken with the right equipment and technique can save me some money if done right.
Sure you can.
Consider this...
If you're willing to go through the prepping work, why not also do the spray job as well, and save the rest of the money? Spraying, wet sanding, and buffing is the easy-fun part. You can get remarkably good results with rattle cans. In this way, you'll actually gain equity.
You can do this!
