/ Register

Sanding a bass

Discussion in 'Basses [BG]' started by jblmusic1994, Jul 21, 2013.

  1. Jul 21, 2013 #1
    jblmusic1994

    jblmusic1994

    May 15, 2013
    Jackson, Ohio
    I'm attempting to sand the ugly, childish paint off of my Washburn Taurus t14. I already converted it to fretless (it's was an alright procedure and sounds okay for my first time doing so)

    I want to know if any of you know how to sand the entire bass body. By this I mean: do you have any pointers or past experiences?

    I already disassembled the bass. I took the neck off, I took out the pickups and hardware.. So, my main question is how to handle the wood.

    Example:
    -Grit of sandpaper
    -Direction to sand
    -How deep to sand
    -Should I put some kind of wood finish on afterwards
    -what to expect

    Any help is appreciated, thanks!

    (Please don't discourage me by saying that it will not turn out. Lie if you must. :) I went through all the trouble of dissecting her, and she is not going back together without SOME alterations. And remember, it's already basically a "project" bass and I rarely play it due to the "toy" look that the glossy color provides. So, hopefully she will look pretty afterwards and I can dive into the study of fretless bass)
     
  2. Jul 21, 2013 #2
    TinIndian

    TinIndian Supporting Member

    Jan 25, 2011
    Micco Florida
    Most likely it has a polyurethane finish on it. Sanding will take a very long time and chemical strippers wont touch it. I've stripped two and have a third I'm in the process of. The best way I've found is to use a heatgun and a scrapper. Just be careful you dont burn or gouge the wood.
     
  3. Jul 21, 2013 #3
    paparoof

    paparoof

    Apr 27, 2011
    Minneapolis
    fEARful koolaid drinker
    I've sanded poly finishes to bare wood before. Both times I swore I would never do it again.
     
  4. Jul 21, 2013 #4
    tabdog

    tabdog

    Feb 9, 2011
    I defretted mine also. The pickups work better
    fretless than they did fretted. At least to my
    ears they do.

    I shaved that thick neck down thinner and
    more narrow than a Jazz bass neck.

    I like the finish on mine. They are bass wood,

    10-29-4.jpg

    Good luck,

    Tabdog
     
  5. Jul 22, 2013 #5
    jblmusic1994

    jblmusic1994

    May 15, 2013
    Jackson, Ohio
    That's the exact bass I have tabdog.

    I just don't like how it is so bright.
    It looked like a more natural wood color online.
     
  6. Jul 22, 2013 #6
    Stumbo

    Stumbo Guest

    Feb 11, 2008
  7. Jul 22, 2013 #7
    pattyløve

    pattyløve

    Apr 7, 2009
    Sydney, Australia
    Endorsing Artist: Ashdown Engineering, D'addario
    +1
    I've stripped a poly finish before.. this is the best way to go about it.
     
  8. Jul 22, 2013 #8
    2saddleslab

    2saddleslab Supporting Member

    May 30, 2003
    Kentucky
    Just stripped a thick poly finish, took a day and a half to complete and i have the scars to prove it.
     
  9. Jul 22, 2013 #9
    willydee

    willydee

    Jan 21, 2013
    UK
    Best of luck with this project. Never done sanding myself but love the ethos of taking an instrument and making it unique to you. Will say this though: take your time :)