looks fantastic, my friend. that color is very very soothing to look at.
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SBO 2023: The Ocean - Assembly Build
- Thread starter MonetBass
- Start date
Decals are applied! Once those are dry, more poly.
Mounted the electronics and hit a snag: the output jack is the short shaft, and since I’m not using a plate, I need a long shaft. (Insert your jokes here.) 
It’s on order and will be here next week.
It’s on order and will be here next week. 
Luckily, there's more than two months of Buildoff left.
Lowendtech
Happily trending in my own peculiar direction.
Fender American Deluxe Jazz (up to 2009) was also a dinky (2010 and newer went back to full size). Still have my 2009 and don’t want to sell it for that reason alone.
That’s gonna be a sweet bass when you’re done @MonetBass . Sub’d because you’re inspiring me.
Mounted the electronics and hit a snag: the output jack is the short shaft, and since I’m not using a plate, I need a long shaft. (Insert your jokes here.)
View attachment 5126024
First coat of gloss poly went on the headstock face today. I need some advice: will I have to basically bury the decals in finish until they blend in?
Yes - basically the finish needs to be thicker than the decal so you can sand and buff the whole surface flat.
Water-slide decals adhere best to a smooth glossy surface. My concern, judging by the look of your pictures, is that you didn't have a very glossy finish built up before you applied them. If they have a cloudy appearance now, then I don't think any amount of finish over the top will help.
I was afraid of that. Well, I'll have to sand everything off and start over. Thankfully, I anticipated this and ordered two sets of decals.
Another example of the back-up saving the day!
Doing work again sucks - I have certainly called more than my share of "do-overs" and suspect almost everyone here has done it too at some point or another. Everything else about your project looks top-notch, and I believe a superior final outcome is worth the effort in this case.
I suggest sanding with a hard block, slowly and carefully. Once you contact the decal you may be able to moisten it and scrape it off, then gently sand just a little more to avoid sanding into your dye. If you do sand through, then I would continue to sand through the whole headstock evenly and then dye it again. You don't have to sand all of the dyed part out - as long as the whole surface is consistent it might even add some depth to the final appearance.
Trimming like C Stone illustrated helps to make the decal less visible too.
Rock on!
Doing work again sucks - I have certainly called more than my share of "do-overs" and suspect almost everyone here has done it too at some point or another. Everything else about your project looks top-notch, and I believe a superior final outcome is worth the effort in this case.
I suggest sanding with a hard block, slowly and carefully. Once you contact the decal you may be able to moisten it and scrape it off, then gently sand just a little more to avoid sanding into your dye. If you do sand through, then I would continue to sand through the whole headstock evenly and then dye it again. You don't have to sand all of the dyed part out - as long as the whole surface is consistent it might even add some depth to the final appearance.
Trimming like C Stone illustrated helps to make the decal less visible too.
Rock on!
That is exactly the plan. I'm hoping I can get the old decals off without taking any dye out, but may have to add some back. Then I will put the gloss poly on the headstock before adding the decals this time. And yes, if I'd followed the instructions that came with the decals, I would have cut them down as @C Stone showed. The backup decals have already been cut. Thanks for everyone's advice!
