tele jazz in the works ...

[tedsalt]

Just received a birdseye maple Warmoth wide tele neck for a jazz body I bought a while back. Currently the neck is unfinished. The jazz body has what appears to be a thick clear poly finish. I'm tempted to just put clear or nitro on it and play it that way for awhile. But I also think that ultimately I'd like to finish it with reranch neck amber, and strip and paint the body vintage cream.

Have nordy nj4 pups, a hipshot vintage bridge, hipshot ultralites, etc, and will wire it up passive VVT with a Stellartone ToneStyler. I have both 500K and 250K pots. Typically I use 250K pots, as I like the warmth. But I might try the 500Ks just to see what they'll do.

I'd like to just put it together and play it, but I should prolly take my time and do it the way I'd ultimately like it, even tho that will take longer.

I've never done any finish work before, so I tend to procrastinate ...

 

[UnDoNe]

I love tele basses. I built one earlier this year, using a Geddy body and a Warmoth Birdseye Maple and Ebony neck. Great quality parts from those folks. Good luck with the build.

 

[tedsalt]

Can I spray reranch vintage cream over the poly finish on the body? Then after it's covered well, then clear coat that? Not sure I wanna deal with taking the poly finish off ...

 

[Avezzano]

spraying is one of the most %$&£ tasks on the planet!!! Anything you "think" to hide below the coats will eventually pop up when the bass has been mounted, even months after!!! Definitely leave the body as is and maybe just spray something on the neck to darken it a bit. But this will happen automatically anyway with time.

Mind you: NEVER spray as-it-is!!! Always sand the surface to be painted to opaque 500 grit sandpaper at least, so that the painting will "grip". Otherwise you will have soon a... scratch & dented vintage vibe thing!!!!!

Then after it's covered well, then clear coat that?

you'll double the effort and the amount of time/troubles...

 

[tedsalt]

I think I found my answer here ... Guitar Refinishing ~ Solid Colors, Metallics and Blonde

"If the old finish is a polyurethane finish you will have a difficult time completely stripping the finish back to raw wood. It is acceptable with poly finishes to sand the old finish with #220 dry and use the old finish as the base. If that is to be your direction skip ahead to the section on priming"

 

[tedsalt]

ok, my order is in for white primer, vintage cream, fender neck amber, gloss clear coat and a pack of sandpaper. I already have satin clear coat for the neck. I'll sand the poly, then prime, paint, and gloss clear coat. The neck will get amber then satin clear coat.

hmmm ... I haven't done any finish work on basses before. But then I hadn't done electronics work on basses a year ago either, and I've completely rewired several since then.

 

[tedsalt]

Undone, that's a sweet looking tele jazz! I like!

 

[Avezzano]

I haven't done any finish work on basses before. But then I hadn't done electronics work on basses a year ago either, and I've completely rewired several since then.

you'll see: it's a... small nightmare!!!

only three advises from me:

1) PATIENCE
2) PATIENCE
3) PATIENCE

 

[tedsalt]

Message from The Guitar ReRanch:
You can track your shipment at UPS.com ...

my nightmare cometh! can't wait! Luckily I do have a fair amount of patience.

 

[BoRadBass]

Here is a thread I started about a Jazz-Caster that I built and love.
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f8/anyone-ever-seen-jazz-bass-tele-bass-neck-785021/
And here is a thread with more Jazz-Caster info.
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f8/telejazz-basses-550185/
And my bass.

 

[tedsalt]

Nice Jazz-Caster BoRad! Thanks for your link. I'm sure I've seen it before when researching for my project. And the first reply to your link is kinda what I'm going for, only I'm hoping my vintage cream body is not that dark, at least to start out with. That's probably from age I suppose. Link from your thread ...

Not sure how inspiring this will be
My old Schecter.. no idea how to date it but I got it used in 81...

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed] <<< ReRanch Vintage Cream

... and the waterslide I'll add to the headstock ...

Yeah, I'm a fan of the latest squiers ...

 

[tedsalt]

Anyone know where I can get a jazz pickguard with no pup cutouts? I think this build is taking a turn. I'm now thinking about selling my NJ4s and picking up a '51 P split coil and a NJ4SV and running it passive V/V/T ...

 

[tedsalt]

Spraying the neck with reranch satin nitro ...

... small run on back of headstock ...

... and at the heel ...

Although they're hardly noticeable, I'm sanding and re-spraying ...

 

[tedsalt]

shielded the cavities ...

wired up the control plate using a tonestyler ...

found my 500k linear taper pots ...

body / electronics pretty much together ...

adjusting the neck ...

completed project ...

I decided to keep the body with the poly clear coat. Just sprayed the neck with reranch satin nitro. It's playing nicely, altho the sound guys where I normally play say it sounds "bassier" than my usual five stringers. I'm digging it. It has Duncan Designed jazz pups in it. Was gonna throw some Nordies in there, but I sold my NJ4s thinking I'd get some SE's, but they sold to someone else. Oh well ...

 

[novenpeter]

nice bass

 

[MarcMurder]

makes me want to stop procrastinating on my telebass... only been like a 4 year project

 

[tedsalt]

Thanks novenpeter! Maybe someday I'll finish the body differently, but I'm really enjoying playing it the way it is ...

 

[tedsalt]

makes me want to stop procrastinating on my telebass... only been like a 4 year project

that's a bad habit of mine too. When you have all the parts, it's easier ...

 

[MarcMurder]

its actually assembled set up and everything... i just never painted it

 

[tedsalt]

yeah, I only had to spray the new unfinished neck. not enough patience to do the body at this point. heck, I haven't even sanded down the sprayed neck (except where I had a couple of runs). I'll take some really fine steel wool to the back of the neck, otherwise, it doesn't look too bad the way it is ...