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Double Bass Should i refinsh my Kay?

fuzzy beard

fuzzy beard

Mar 8, 2011
2,747
31
Aurora, Indiana
#1
Not been playing much since my surgery so my mind has been running wild. And this thought passed through. I love blonde basses. And i really love the old weathered dirty blondes like bert slides king mortone. So why not refinsh mine blonde?

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f1/nbd-1943-kay-m1-964855/

This most likely wont happen but i thought heck see what every one thinks. I could strip it sand off most of the signitures and light damage and then have it cleared or lightly stained.

What do you all think?
 
#3
I looked at the pix in your previous thread, when you got this bass. It looks great as is. Plus there is the added spice of having signatures from people who played? Owned? were in the audience? over the decades. I for sure would not disturb the vibe of that bass. It deserves to be cherished (and played a lot) for more decades. What a great piece of history.

I am sure there are lots of Kay basses (if you want to stay with Kay) in poor finish condition to be had. I understand the appeal of the blonde finish. (I never did, till a few weeks ago I had the opportunity to play an Engelhardt blonde, which I didn't really like the bass all that well, but enjoyed looking at the grain while I played, and then I met a guy with an old weathered blonde Kay.) I would suggest finding an old Kay in bad finish condition, and refinishing to blonde, or buying a newer Englehardt and doing the same (little historical value in Englehardts), or even putting up the money and getting a new or newish blonde bass. I think if you strip down that old Kay you have, as good as it looks, you will kick yourself over and over in the years to come for trying to save a few bucks.
 
#6
Ouch! there was an old fellow named Django who was out of comission for a while and had to turn down a few gigs. He made a reasonable recovery and so will you!

For all of the work you'll go through to refinish your old Kay, in the long run you're probably only looking at maybee $500 difference between selling yours and getting a blonde one, if that. You may well be able to make a trade or sell yours and come out ahead. Of all the things I do instrument related, even after 30+ years, finish work is by far the most difficult, least satisfying, and wastes an amazing amount of time. I say that comfortably as someone who can replicate almost any finish very well and gives classes and workshops to other luthiers around the country on finishing. It is interesting and the results can be quite rewarding, but think long and hard about going down that road. Kungfu's advice is pretty good. It is pretty rare that I see one that has been done right. There is a reason why you'll see images of very expensive instruments that I've made on my site covered in flames!

The "Secret Stradivarius cooked varnish technique"- avoid it unless you want to see the fire department show up at your shop!;):hmm::smug:

Good luck,

j.
www.condino.com
www.kaybassrepair.com
 
#7
Thanks for the faint praise, James. ;)

Fuzzy, if you're hankering for a blonde bass and enjoy long drives Elderly Instruments in Michigan has two blonde Engelhardts right now. Or if you're not in a hurry just sit tight and I'm bound to trip over something cheap and nice in your part of the country eventually.
 
#10
fdeck said:
Can a Kay even be stripped down to blond wood? I was under the impression that the plates are stained.
Click to expand...

I have an old C-1 that had been stripped and refinished before I got it and it looks blonde-ish. It actually looks kind of like a slab-cut top. I get compliments on the bass pretty regularly and people often ask what kind of wood the bass is made of. They always seem disappointed when I tell them it's plywood.

However, if this bass was in original condition, I would never consider refinishing it.
 
#12
KUNGfuSHERIFF said:
Thanks for the faint praise, James. ;)

Fuzzy, if you're hankering for a blonde bass and enjoy long drives Elderly Instruments in Michigan has two blonde Engelhardts right now. Or if you're not in a hurry just sit tight and I'm bound to trip over something cheap and nice in your part of the country eventually.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the offer. But my family is on a tight budget. I am truly blessed to be able to have this bass. I could never afford or justify another one.

Kind of odd thinking about it I am sitting here whining about not being able to play my bass due to injury. And yet an accident settlement 2 years ago funded me buying alot of bass gear even though I had just started playing. I sold most of that gear to fund my wifes maternity leave and she blessed me with giving me the money from income tax to buy this upright. One injury started this journey and another has delayed it.lol
 
#17
Hey fuzzy beard,

I'm curious if you were able to decipher any more of the signatures on the bass. Because, first off, "Tex Moose" is just about the coolest name ever--and second it sure would be cool to trace some of your old Kay's history!

I'm currently doing family history research and have access to a few genealogy and historical document research sites. Don't know if I'd be able to come up with anything, but would be willing to give it a shot (btw, no obvious hits on Paul Pierce or Tex Moose, but with a couple more names, who knows?). Let me know if you've been able to come up with any other ones and I'd be happy to see what I can find.
 

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