SHOW YOUR DISTRESSED FINISHES!

[JIO]

Those 70's basses you posted JIO look like they were probably affected by heat. The 78 musicmaster especially looks like it was put right next to a bonfire.

More likely an attic in a very hot part of the country for a lot of years. Whatever caused it, it created such a beautiful and impossibly complex finish. There's a J (it's still on ebay - I've seen it recently) that is back in this thread somewhere with a super fragile heat and age related finish. The entire sunburst finish (or more like what's left of it) is a series of loose slivers of dried lacquer. Stunning. Like the blue Musicmaster above - they have transformed from instruments of use into artifacts to be visually appreciated. I wouldn't want to disturb one sunburst sliver or one chunk of thick curled blue paint. There are more than enough basses in the world to allow some to only be visually appreciated. The blue Musicmaster and that J get my vote.

 

[JIO]

Some shots of my 66!
Looks this way for a reason, best damn p bass I've ever played!View attachment 484339 View attachment 484340

beautiful - I'm sure it sings

 

[veebass]

Here's my 56. Been posted elsewhere on the forum- so you may have seen these before.

 

[Splods]

Hey Vee, where abouts in Aus are you mate? I'm pretty sure I've seen photos of your basses on gumtree before.

 

[thenazz]

My '76 Precision that I've owned since '83. Never found another bass that sounds and feels as good.

 

[veebass]

Hey Vee, where abouts in Aus are you mate? I'm pretty sure I've seen photos of your basses on gumtree before.

Hey,
Queensland, mate.
Sent you a message.

 

[narud]

Yah, it's wild - I've seen that kind of wear on 60's Fenders w/the old thin lacquer jobs, but it seems really unusual on 70's poly-finished basses. That blue Musicmaster is more in line as you can see how thick it is as it's checking and chipping off (not wearing through). Checking is common on thick finishes as it shrinks over time.

those 70's basses have super thick sealer coats (the dipped in plastic thing) with relatively thin color coats. you can strip off the color and still have a body that feels like it has its original finish on it.

 

[bassbully]

those 70's basses have super thick sealer coats (the dipped in plastic thing) with relatively thin color coats. you can strip off the color and still have a body that feels like it has its original finish on it.

Depends I had two 70's fenders with poly wear and color fade out that was real bad.Both were Oly white new and then turned mustard yellow.

I have had a few older Squiers that the paint wears and chips easy almost falls off. I think they cut back on the paint on a few of the old Squier's I have had.

 

[JIO]

Depends I had two 70's fenders with poly wear and color fade out that was real bad.Both were Oly white new and then turned mustard yellow.

I have had a few older Squiers that the paint wears and chips easy almost falls off. I think they cut back on the paint on a few of the old Squier's I have had.

Sounds like your question was answered by narud's post right before yours - thick sealer coat - thin pigment/colour/paint. Hard to say about older Squiers most likely MIJ (?) - not sure what they used back in the 80's.

 

[lowphatbass]

those 70's basses have super thick sealer coats (the dipped in plastic thing) with relatively thin color coats. you can strip off the color and still have a body that feels like it has its original finish on it.

There are certainly variables. My 75 3TSB has pretty significant buckle rash on the back that hasn't yet effected the color coats, just the clear.

 

[JIO]

There are certainly variables. My 75 3TSB has pretty significant buckle rash on the back that hasn't yet effected the color coats, just the clear.

Yes, there seems to have been a lot of variables then. The first obvious change was late 60's necks. Instead of seeing the "vintage-tint" amber lacquer on the Fender necks, (meaning the aging of at one time clear lacquer) you see late 60's necks (today) looking pretty pale (maple) with thick gloss clear-coatings. Also the natural finished bodies w/thick clear coatings. (with fine cracks as they age) Up until CBS took over, the most change you had in 3TSB finishes had to do with variation in colour density and application style of the particular sprayer. Some have very heavy black halo's, some are more evenly blended, some are more vibrant.., it's cool how unique each one actually is. Just look at veebass's '56 in the post above to see what a late 50's (2TSB?) looked like. Pretty crude by modern standards really, but it definitely has character.

 

[stanknuckle]

This is my 1974 Fender P. Converted to PJ in the early 80's. I saved her and had restored professionally. Refret, rewired and shielded. Original P pickup dated 14/9/1974. Very throaty tone and very light weight. The neck is stamped "Z. Armenta". Neck width at the nut is a smidgen over 1.5"

 

[JIO]

This is my 1974 Fender P. Converted to PJ in the early 80's. I saved her and had restored professionally. Refret, rewired and shielded. Original P pickup dated 14/9/1974. Very throaty tone and very light weight. The neck is stamped "Z. Armenta". Neck width at the nut is a smidgen over 1.5"

Very sweet! Do you have a pic of the back?

 

[stanknuckle]

Very sweet! Do you have a pic of the back?

Here's the back.

 

[JIO]

Here's the back.

Interesting… (the light tan layer between wood and burst) It could be a grain neutralizer coat. I've read that when the grain was too pronounced for a sunburst finish they shot a translucent neutral wash coat to soften/quiet the grain so the amber/yellow was more even.

 

[stanknuckle]

Interesting… (the light tan layer between wood and burst) It could be a grain neutralizer coat. I've read that when the grain was too pronounced for a sunburst finish they shot a translucent neutral wash coat to soften/quiet the grain so the amber/yellow was more even.

So would that add to the authenticity of the bass?

 

[JIO]

So would that add to the authenticity of the bass?

Well, it has been recorded as a practice that occurred at Fender so yes, it is an additional mark of authenticity I guess. Not sure how that figures value wise, as they were less common but most likely never documented. (didn't keep track of numbers)

 

[stanknuckle]

Sorry, my neck has X. ARMENTA stamped on it.
Research tells Xavier Armenta crafted the neck. I'd like to find out more about him.

 

[ninjaaron]

This do anything for ya?

I did a bit of the stressing myself with acetone. notice the huge spot where it got away from me and there are obvious drip marks. don't care. Teles are supposed to look like crap. There are plenty of chips, dents scratches and solder burns which I came by honestly as well. That nitro finish on the Hwy 1 guitars sure beats up nice.

 

[Energy]