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should i refinish my '78 p?

jamestown94west

jamestown94west

Guest
Jul 16, 2011
1,416
14
the ozarks
thegiveup.bandcamp.com
#1
i just recently acquired a '78 fender fretless p, that was stripped of its original burst finish. the body is well taken care of, the bass actually looks great.

i feel like i need to do something about the finish though, because i want to preserve the body. i dont want it getting dirty, dinged up, etc.

im contemplating three different options.

1. clear coat the body as is. i dont know if ill like this, the body needs just a tiny bit of grain filler, and the wood looks a little "off" in a few places from sanding. however, a lot of that isnt visible from the front.

2. considering a period correct factory color. i havent looked to see what colors were offered in '78. id like to do ocean turquoise, lake placid blue, or something similar. ive also been seriously considering white.

3. leave it alone. i dont necessarily want to do this, but i dont want to hurt the value of the bass either.

heres a picture of the bass in question

Link Removed
 
#2
Man! I think it looks great the way it is..... I like the natural look of wood. Im not thinking the value is going to be affected much no matter what you decide to do as the original finish was stripped off already. How about a stain to darken it up just a bit? That would look super with that maple board I think.

Shes a beauty! Got any more pics? some closeups?
 
#7
I'm normally not a fan of maple necks but on your fretless it looks so good that I think you'd be going backward to refinish the body in anything but the natural color it is now. They really match nicely and look very rich together, although I'd love to see perhaps a mahogany wood guard on it rather than the black plastic.

Unless you have a lot of wood experience I'd say talk with a luthier or a good cabinet maker about the best way to handle the body issues you mentioned and how to handle the finish process for the best outcome.

Good luck and keep this thread alive with pictures of the outcome of your decision. I'll be curious to see what you do.

iJazz - As my avatar shows, twice!
 
#10
iJazz said:
It would seem the people have spoken and are all pretty much of the same opinion!

The beauty of wood is that each piece is distinctive. Don't make it just another blue P bass, please.

iJazz - Like I said, twice.
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Its hard to argue with the fact that I do have one very nice looking chunk of wood here. That's what started the whole dilema. I hate to cover up such nice wood, but I definitely dont want it getting messed up either. I plan to gig this bass, its a player, not a case queen. I have a good friend who's a professional auto body guy, and happens to also be really good at refinishing guitars. He said he can do a burst, I may go that route.
 
#12
jamestown94west said:
Its hard to argue with the fact that I do have one very nice looking chunk of wood here. That's what started the whole dilema. I hate to cover up such nice wood, but I definitely dont want it getting messed up either. I plan to gig this bass, its a player, not a case queen. I have a good friend who's a professional auto body guy, and happens to also be really good at refinishing guitars. He said he can do a burst, I may go that route.
Click to expand...

Paint it pink......:hiding: ;)
 
#16
jamestown94west said:
I have a good friend who's a professional auto body guy, and happens to also be really good at refinishing guitars. He said he can do a burst, I may go that route.
Click to expand...

That's a mistake waiting to happen.





I don't know what you mean when you say you want to "preserve" the bass. Clear coat won't stop the bass from getting dinged. Nor will it really do anything to make the bass last longer. It's a big hunk of ash/alder. Unless you're storing it in a shed outdoors, leave it the way it is.
 
#19
smcd said:
That's a mistake waiting to happen.

I don't know what you mean when you say you want to "preserve" the bass. Clear coat won't stop the bass from getting dinged. Nor will it really do anything to make the bass last longer. It's a big hunk of ash/alder. Unless you're storing it in a shed outdoors, leave it the way it is.
Click to expand...

I don't want the wood getting tore up. I sweat a lot at gigs, drinks get spilled, guitars get bumped into each other, I've been known to turn around stab my bass right into the drum set, I knock my basses out of the stand, and I could keep going. I know any bass I gig with will suffer this wear and tear, but the wood is finished ill feel better about it.

I want to protect it because it has a lot nice figuring in the wood, and I think it'd be a shame to let it get tore up. I don't really care if the finish gets tore up. It can be repainted again. I don't know why it'd be bad to have my friend do it, he and I have refinished several guitars. He just got done doing a beautiful metallic burst on a strat. He's REALLY good, and only charges me for materials.

Ill post a pic of the metallic burst he did. Ive about decided that'd be the way to go.

Ill post some close ups of the bass this evening.
 

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