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Should I refin my '68 jazz?

should I refinish ?

  • Leave it alone idiot!

    Votes: 157 58.4%
  • Restore sunburst

    Votes: 22 8.2%
  • Restore sunburst and relic

    Votes: 20 7.4%
  • Choose a colour you like that is a fender colour

    Votes: 70 26.0%

  • Total voters
    269
Since it has already been refinned you can do anything now. If otherwise all original parts you can keep them on, unless some pots, pups are not working properly. I always put in the Gotoh Resolite keys as they take a half a pound off the neck weight and are an exact fit so no drilling or extra holes.
 
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So a thought about "relicing"... I put a real thin nito finish on my most recent jazz bass and no clear coat. It's been aging rapidly and is getting a nice worn in look to it. Once I get it to the right place I plan to put some flat laquer on it. The wear and tear on my bass is still authentic, but just a little... accelerated.
 

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It's yours so I want to say do what will make you love it that much more... but.... I think the fact that it has such a history already, and all that real life, EARNED "mojo" looks awesome, i have to vote to leave it.

If you do refinish tho, pleeeeease be careful w/ the relicing. I've seen so many now that a poor or halfway relic job just looks like another color option - they still look new most the time.

Either way, awesome bass!!
 
Hi stevej1982 :)

will she play faster when you change the colour?

View attachment 2627124

Nothing is faster than racing- green :D:laugh::hyper::hyper::hyper:

I vote for "leave it alone" (and put a white pickguard with a number on her :cool:)

greetings

Wise(b)ass

I didn't know John Deere made motorcycles!
 
Hi all, hoping I could get some opinions on here, I have a 1968 jazz bass all original parts and wiring, very playable condition, it has been refinished at some point in the 70's in nitro and was a pretty good job, apparently done by George Lowden a fairly well know guitar maker in Ireland, this stacks up as it's a local guitar.

The original colour was sunburst and it has the original tort pickguard. The finish has aged very nicely and has that light relic look with checking and great mojo.

However, I'm not sold on the colour but had to buy the bass because it's clearly awesome!!! The colour is not an original fender colour so should I

1. Leave it as it is, it's already vintage after all

2. Refinish it in orginal colour and if so should I relic it?

3. Pick a fender colour available in 1968 it's refinished anyway so value won't be affected much by another refinish
 
Hi all, hoping I could get some opinions on here, I have a 1968 jazz bass all original parts and wiring, very playable condition, it has been refinished at some point in the 70's in nitro and was a pretty good job, apparently done by George Lowden a fairly well know guitar maker in Ireland, this stacks up as it's a local guitar.

The original colour was sunburst and it has the original tort pickguard. The finish has aged very nicely and has that light relic look with checking and great mojo.

However, I'm not sold on the colour but had to buy the bass because it's clearly awesome!!! The colour is not an original fender colour so should I

1. Leave it as it is, it's already vintage after all

2. Refinish it in orginal colour and if so should I relic it?

3. Pick a fender colour available in 1968 it's refinished anyway so value won't be affected much by another refinish

Green is not everyones favorite colour - since it isn't original, and if you would prefer a different colour (doesn't have to be the original 3TSB) - go for it. It's your bass, and it's a cool one, so why not have it in a cool colour you like? People get too weird about icon/fetish resurrection sometimes...

I just had my '66 J body refinished in Oly white (originally 3TSB and later stripped sometime in the 70's and refinished in a crappy DIY brown stain...) and I'm pleased as punch.

fullsizeoutput_d3d.jpeg
 
I must admit, thatʻs an ugly color for a beautiful bass, even in Ireland! I would see how the wood looks underneath. Iʻd use clear nitrocellulose lacquer (guess what-Krylon spray lacquer is nitrocellulose).If the woodʻs not great looking, the original color would increase the collectorʻs value over a non-Fender color. I like Pino Paladinoʻs P-bass color, donʻt know if they ever used it for J-basses. Black, white, seafoam, Mustang Blue are all winners, red is awesome, sunburst is passe, IMO and hard to do. "Relic-ing" is the stupidest thing I ever saw unless you are trying to look like you have a lot more experience than you really do, which is the first thing I think when I see a reliced bass or guitar. Just play it for another 15 years and it will be genuinely distressed rather than a phony knock-off.
 
Green is not everyones favorite colour - since it isn't original, and if you would prefer a different colour (doesn't have to be the original 3TSB) - go for it. It's your bass, and it's a cool one, so why not have it in a cool colour you like? People get too weird about icon/fetish resurrection sometimes...

I just had my '66 J body refinished in Oly white (originally 3TSB and later stripped sometime in the 70's and refinished in a crappy DIY brown stain...) and I'm pleased as punch.

View attachment 2635488
Thatʻs beautiful!
 
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