• 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.

Pleasant Surprise? Stripping a Dean Guitar...I think???

T

Trus1te

Nov 21, 2010
23
0
#1
So I've been stripping a Dean Guitar the past WEEK *10 PLUS HOURS*, and now that I am down to the skinny... I'm completely perplexed at how sexy the wood is on the guitar. It was supposed to be a cheap Dean that I got for $60 at a going out of business sale... but *** mate, if this wasn't some of the most beautiful wood I've ever gotten... I mean seen...

Anyway, check it out... Let me know what you think... let me know what to even make of this. I was going to have a great local artist paint this guitar... but everyone is telling me to just seal it up and put some clear on it...

Thoughts?
IMG_20110612_142246.jpg

IMG_20110615_141219.jpg
 
#2
I might stain it a little to bring out some extra color, but yeah, I'd just clearcoat that. I had pretty much the same bass a few years back, and painting it was fun, but I would have reconsidered with wood like that.

I'd also add a bridge pickup, but that's just me.
 
#9
Thanks for the advice guys...also... I'm not done stripping, i.e., i have not even prepped this bad boy for finishing...

bajerovaquero - sapele (though still I type of mahogany I believe) would make sense since it is one of the cheaper guitar woods. thanks for the input!

Alex - While I really appreciate you showing me examples of "special mahogany," I'm not sure you needed to degrade my body in the process.

Down & Outman - Tung Oil looks like a good choice. I'm really thinking about using some dye stains to paint it... I'm pretty sure I'm going to call this guitar the "Stripper" and will lace it rather artistically with pinup girls... I assume after staining the wood I would then apply my tung oil, going through the whole grade stepping of the sanding process

AltGrendel - Is it not? I mean, after having worked on it it feels like one piece...Do you believe that discoloration to be a second plank?

jmorbita - totally agreed :)
 
#10
It actually looks to me it's a 3 piece body... the glue lines are very well done, so it will feel like one piece, but still looks like 3 pieces.

you should check the way the grain runs along those lines to confirm it. It might be easier to know if you look on the side of the body instead of the top.

It's a difficult choice, I find wood always beautiful with a natural finish... but if you dig the design the artist was going to do...

maybe you can talk to him and have him design something that might hide the glue lines and still leave other parts of the wood natural? I'm sure this could be done...
 
#11
Trus1te said:
Alex - While I really appreciate you showing me examples of "special mahogany," I'm not sure you needed to degrade my body in the process.

AltGrendel - Is it not? I mean, after having worked on it it feels like one piece...Do you believe that discoloration to be a second plank?

jmorbita - totally agreed :)
Click to expand...
Definitely some nice looking pieces of wood. My eyes see three separate pieces.
And since we seem to be whipping out our half scale foot long rulers, This is special mahogany.
284038360.jpg
 
#13
Here's what I'd do:

The wood is looking quite nice, yes. But what would bother me on a natural finish would be the seam around the pot hole area.

I'd simply do both. Ask the artist to come up for a framework of some sorts, but leave the middle natural. Vines maybe, flames, whatever he might come up with. Then you could clear coat it. Natural wood in the middle, outlined by artwork (and hiding that seam). Could work the same on the back.
 
#14
makkE - I could definitely see some sort of racing strip down the seems... I really dig that idea...

I was actually thinking doing Vines around the edges of the guitar with a pinup girl below the pickup and between the bridge with a larger pinup across the back of the body...

Again, though, since I really enjoy the beauty of the wood I was going to have him paint it with stain rather than nitro...

Anyway, these are all great suggestions and as I said before, my plan is to do a great job on refinishing this baby and sell it. However, learning that it is possibly 3 panes of wood, this may detract in sale price, so I have to be cautious in how much labor and parts goes into it.

What sort of ceiling do you see for the sale of this bass? (at least in relation to the body. View it as, if the neck, artwork and electronics were all done beautifully and without flaw, what would be its ceiling?)

Thank you so much, again for the feedback!
 
#15
Trus1te said:
Alex - While I really appreciate you showing me examples of "special mahogany," I'm not sure you needed to degrade my body in the process.
Click to expand...

Oh gosh, why did you ask for an opinion if you don't want it?

TO ME, it's an average looking 3 piece body... I'm not degrading your bass. There's nothing wrong with average, but that's how most mahogany looks like.

Sapele___Sapelli___Mahogany_Flooring.jpg
 
#17
Allex - I think the delivery didn't translate well. No worries.
Bass- After further examination I'm nearly 85% that it is 2, but still, more than 1.

Again, still want to resell it, but do understand that this probably is a detracting factor *sigh*
 
#20
Trus1te said:
Hopkins - that's a beautiful piece. Not my cup of tea, but I really love the grain detail; very different from what we generally see. Has kind of a denser feel to it, visually.
Click to expand...


Thank ya.

Have you tried wiping that body down with mineral spirits to see how it would look finished? That body seam could become a lot less noticeable once everything is darkened up a bit.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back