• 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.

Red Oak Finishing Problems

S

shameandspite

Oct 12, 2005
58
0
#1
I'd first like to profess my undying thanks to whoever decided to mount the output jack on my cheap fender onto an eigth inch pickguard, so the first time somebody trips over the cord it broke and pulled out all the electronics. I also thank the lord that none of the previously mentioned electronics detatched themselves from thier connections.

That being said, I need a new pickguard, and according to all the local music stores, somebody made my bass unique (it was made on a machine, I'm slightly doubtful). They all wanted $90+ to trace a new one that would just end up breaking again. So I decided to build one. I have plentiful amounts of approximately 1/8" to 3/16" Red Oak stock, and a small shop in which to shape it. My only problem is on my preliminary tests, I cant get a stain to sink into it almost at all, and I'd really prefer to have something other than just the natural color and I dont want to lose the grain. I've sanded to open the pores, I've tried conditioning, but I'm still getting a weak color, even using an ebony stain (which I really dont want to use). I'm using a minwax oil based stain, I dont know what I'm doing wrong. Advice if you will.
 
#6
Finished it with what looks and smells to be some sort of cedar instead, it took the stain quite a bit better. Pics to ensue as soon as the polyurethane dries. I could use a little critisim to verify I didn't just do something stupid.

P.S.
Dont laugh at my bass, I'm in college, I'm allowed to be poor.
 
#9
Nice job, that looks pretty sweet man....

When I was a kid, i got the urge to sand down my starter Ibanez and stain it a red mahogony... That stain took to it awesome. My buddy saw what I had done and wanted me to do the same thing to his starter Peavy guitar. He wanted a blue stain though. Anyways, my point is that the wood they used on his guitar didnt take to the stain half as well as how mine did.

I guess it depends on the wood. It will get stained, you may just have had to take above and beyond actions to get it to work...

For me, I gave it about 30 coats of stain and even had his guitar sit in it for a little bit...
 
#10
That looks an awful lot like mahogony plywood!! Not bad at all. Since you had to make a new cover, you could have bored a hole from the electronics cavity through the side below the strap pin and mounted your jack with a metal "football" or a Telecaster thimble. Then when your bass gets dropped it can do some real damage!:bawl:
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back