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Trying to fix a worthless Bass

#241
Markshan said:
Probably should have put up a picture but I'm not sure they would even come across. The scratches are numerous but extremely fine. You don't even see them from certain angles. You only really see them when the light catches them just right. I already drove by a Harbor Freight so I picked up some 1500 wet dry paper. If that doesn't get it done then I'll go over it with 2000. As far as the thickness of the varnish or urethane or whatever it is it appears to be literally like 1/16 of an inch. There's lots of it.
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I would used an automotive scratch remover then car wax when you’re done. I use automotive products all the time.
 
#242
There's always the micro-mesh pads which go up to crazy grits. The last few aren't anymore abrasive than a brown paper bag. Micro Mesh - Soft Touch Sanding Pad Assortment - 3" x 4" - 9 Piece

When I was using them on turned acrylic (which can be a bitch to get scratch free) , I could get just about to the same place as the micro-mesh pads by sanding to 800 grit, then using automotive rubbing compound, then a brown paper bag. Similar to what @StereoPlayer is suggesting, some good options at the neighborhood auto parts store.
 
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#243
Markshan said:
Probably should have put up a picture but I'm not sure they would even come across. The scratches are numerous but extremely fine. You don't even see them from certain angles. You only really see them when the light catches them just right. I already drove by a Harbor Freight so I picked up some 1500 wet dry paper. If that doesn't get it done then I'll go over it with 2000. As far as the thickness of the varnish or urethane or whatever it is it appears to be literally like 1/16 of an inch. There's lots of it.
Click to expand...


Sounds like you won’t sand through. :D I haven’t had good luck with HF sandpaper but hopefully you have. Like @StereoPlayer player said, a more coarse compound could work. My process is to sand to 800 grit and then move to 3M super duty polish. 2 passes with that by hand usually get it to a semi gloss then use fine compound until things are glossy or my arms are tired.
 
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#244
Since I bought the 1500 grit I'll try that first. If I'm not happy with what happens following the white turtle Wax cutting compound then I will try to find a more abrasive compound. I have the white stuff that says cutting compound and I have the green stuff that they've sold for a hundred years
 
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#245
Here's a picture of the light hitting it just right so that you see all of the tiny hairline scratches. At any other angle it actually looks really good.
IMG_20231206_011234.jpg
 
#247
sissy kathy said:
I think you OCD is getting the best of you. Remember, this is/was a wall hanger. Just getting it serviceable again is quite an achievement. Little scratches like that can come from just wiping down the bass after use. I say 'forgetaboutit'.
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+1, plus it adds character and mojo. Prolly add to the tone too!…;)
Great job on getting this bass back in service!
 
#250
OCD or not, I am much happier with this now that I went back over it with the 1500 and then buffed. This is just the same one corner buffed with just the white turtle Wax. The whole thing is sanded again, but I don't feel like staying up late enough to get the whole thing buffed.
Before...
IMG_20231206_011234.jpg

After...
IMG_20231206_231137.jpg

As you can see, there are still plenty of scratches for the people who wanted it to have character. I'm just happy that it isn't so loaded with scratches now that it dulls the reflectivity like it did before.
 

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#251
I stopped at Harbor Freight tools today and picked up some 2000 grit. Not because I think this project actually needs it, but as I've mentioned somewhere on this board I am doing kits and repairs with the goal of honing my skills to where I can build my own from scratch. To that end I just want to see if the difference from 15 to 2000 is as dramatic as the as the difference from a thousand to 15 was.
Plus I'm pretty sure that the headlights on my 2012 Volvo are too fogged to pass inspection this year and I think if I do the bad spots with some wet 2000 it will save me a lot of time and effort with the Maguires.
 
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#252
Markshan said:
I stopped at Harbor Freight tools today and picked up some 2000 grit. Not because I think this project actually needs it, but as I've mentioned somewhere on this board I am doing kits and repairs with the goal of honing my skills to where I can build my own from scratch. To that end I just want to see if the difference from 15 to 2000 is as dramatic as the as the difference from a thousand to 15 was.
Plus I'm pretty sure that the headlights on my 2012 Volvo are too fogged to pass inspection this year and I think if I do the bad spots with some wet 2000 it will save me a lot of time and effort with the Maguires.
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I tried cleaning my headlight lenses just today. Just a test with some baking soda and a scrubbing pad. Preliminary results. It worked somewhat, will need more buffing. Plus…it was cold in the garage!
 
#257
I do wish that the people who sold the new control plate would have included at least simple instructions about where to solder the pickup leads. The telecaster was so straight ahead and easy to figure out, but this has those switches that I don't even really understand what they do and the two separate volume controls and I am just not sure how to wire this thing. I guess I'll figure it out.

Oh, and I will still need to use the Maguires, but it should be much less work now.
 
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#260
Markshan said:
I do wish that the people who sold the new control plate would have included at least simple instructions about where to solder the pickup leads. The telecaster was so straight ahead and easy to figure out, but this has those switches that I don't even really understand what they do and the two separate volume controls and I am just not sure how to wire this thing. I guess I'll figure it out.

Oh, and I will still need to use the Maguires, but it should be much less work now.
Click to expand...

The switches turn the pickups on and off. The plate mounts so you can read it when wearing the bass. The front switch, solo, goes to the neck pickup and the rear switch, rhythm, goes to the bridge pickup. Don't ask, after 55+ years I've never made sense of it either. (Why do they call them that?) I do know I seldom use the rhythm pickup (bridge).
 
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