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Wood/Body Question

bassflyer19

bassflyer19

Nov 18, 2008
245
4
Florida
#1
ok. so i have a bass that i want to take the finish off of. the look just isnt workin out for me. i would really like to just take it down to the wood for a natural look. my question is what would be the effects if i dont clear coat it or anything and just leave it as the wood? i figure it would be more succeptable to damage since the finish wont be there as a sort of protection, but ill deal with that. would it cause any other damage to the wood or would it be fine without the finish?
 
#3
the first fretless bass I made, I played it before finishing and I really like the sound - you could hear the wood. I then proceeded to use a spray lacquer finish which looked great. But when I reassembled the bass that nice wood tone was gone, so I decided to strip it and apply an oil finish. it's true thicker finishes protect better from abrasions. If you start w/well seasoned stable wood and if you keep it out of direct sun and away from wicked heat or really humid/damp conditions it should stay pretty stable.
 
#4
Wood species makes a big difference on how stable the body will be. Some woods like mahogany can be extremely stable while others will cup. If the body blank is 1 piece 14" wide you may have cupping versus a 2-3 piece body blank. It depends on species and how long it has been drying/stored - longer drying means more stable
 
#6
bassflyer19 said:
its a peavey patriot. i think about an '83. im assuming that it would be a multiple piece blank.

so it is alright to just strip it and leave it if stored correctly?

also, what is a good way to strip a bass?
Click to expand...

An electric or orbital sander. Paint stripper (even the "good" stuff) sucks. Check the BB404 link in my sig. I used some nasty stripper and the little black and decker mouse sander destroyed it in much faster time
 
#7
SOT...Hello. I just picked up a Peavy Dyna-Bass ( 4 string, 3-band EQ in good shape..) that I want to do the same thing to.. It's painted black (:hmm:..) and I want to get it stripped back to the natural wood...I've never done it before so who up here is the best/available for this task..?....:D..
 

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