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Refinishing bubinga body?

Taylor Livingston

Taylor Livingston

Commercial User
Dec 25, 2002
3,210
2,310
Oregon, US
Disclosures
Owner, Iron Ether Electronics
#1
I have a custom bass with a solid bubinga body. Today I was cleaning it, and noticed how much more beautiful it looks wet down. It currently has an oil finish.

I'm wondering what would be a nice finish to bring out the grain and depth in this wood. I know finishing is an entire world, and I've got too many other DIY projects right now to get really deep into it, so any thoughts would be appreciated.

Ideally, I don't want something thick and super-glossy. I like wood to look and feel like wood rather than plastic. I just want a little more contrast and depth in the grain. Any suggestions?
 
#5
conical johnson said:
Would that really be much different from what's already there (which I think might be Tru Oil)?
Click to expand...

Some of the oil finishes get rather dull and lifeless looking as they oxidize with time. Sometimes just adding a coat of the same or similar oil finish will restore the look.

Myself, I'd clean the bass of all dirt and wax first. A good washing with paint thinner like Varsol will dissolve any old wax and grease. Then clean off any remaining dirt with a cloth dampened in water with a drop or two of dish soap. Then give it a rinse with a cloth dampened in clean water. Then look and see what you've got.

If there are dings and scratches, adding a coat of any new finish will make these flaws stand out more. If you can't live with that, you'd need to strip off all the old finish and then refinish. That's a lot of work with an oil finish.

You can get an idea of how the bass will look if re-oiled by wiping it down with paint thinner or naptha. While the thinner is still wet it'll look something like what it will be like with a finish. It'll have that wet look you got when cleaning it.

As far as putting on another coat or two of oil, there are a lot of products. True-oil looks good but multiple coats will make it look more shiny. But that will increase the look of depth of the wood. For a flatter look Minwax Antique Oil finish is good. A couple thin coats wiped on about 12 hours apart really brings out the grain of the wood. I like it myself on dark woods. If you wipe on thin coats you won't build a shiny surface. It will darken the finish slightly but I like the look.

There are a number of these oil/varnish blends that can be used.

What I'd avoid though is coating it with something like Minwax Wipe On Polyurethane finish. That's simply a polyurethane varnish that's been thinned out for wiping on with a cloth. It will dry fairly shiny although you can dull it down after it's dried by using some 0000 steel wool. It does build up to a thicker finish though. I don't think that's the look you want.
 
#6
Warwick recommends rewaxing their bubinga bodies once a year with beeswax. If you think someone knows more about it than Warwick, then go for it.
Homework: research beeswax finishes, and how to clean them. Mineral spirits? Don't listen to some guitar player :-)
Clean it appropriately, then reapply beeswax. Steel wool will actually leave steel dust in the grain. Find synthetic ateel wool - like a scotch brite pad, in varying grades.
 

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