Your opinion on a 77-78 P Bass

Leave the finish as is, and post a few pics please.

 

Part of the reason is because those late 70's Fenders had an inherent problem with their finishes.

 

I had a '78 p-bass with a natural finish, on the center back, there was a patch where the finish softened to the point where you could scrape it away with a fingernail. I thought I had spilled something on it (Yukon Jack?) that had partially dissolved it, but that didn't seem right to me (it was the only explanantion I could think of at the time.). Interesting to find out it might have been something inherent in late 70's Fenders.

 

Just leave the finish. No idea about the 5th fret, though the neck looks authentic with the darkened headstock. That happened because they still sprayed the front with nitro whilst the rest of the neck was poly finished

 

Someone selling a late 70's early 80's era Precision bass on the classifieds a few years back had that exact same thing with the dark fret area around the 5th fret. For a second I thought maybe this was the same bass just refinished. So it's weird but not the first time I have seen it. That finish looks like sienna burst maybe? That would make the bass an early 80's model though. Have you had it apart at all to see the dates on it?

 

The S8 prefix was used up until about 1983 (with others in between too). Confusing I know.

 

Did the original case have a strap over the neck at the 5th perhaps? I'm sure you could smooth the back considerably with some buffing..I'd try that before the sandpaper

 

Nice bass! I would leave it alone rough finish and all and play that sucker.

 

Rub it down gently with 2000 wet and dry paper....wet. Then repolish using an auto paint cutting compound. All auto shops sell it in bottles, its like a very fine liquid sand.

You wont damage those late 70's poly finishes, its almost glass hard.

 

IMO, she must be mistaken since there's no way that the neck came that way with the discolored 5th fret. fender never would have released it that way, and even if they did (which i don't believe that they would) the dealer would've sent it back.

if you were to try and smooth the body's finish, i'd use super fine micro mesh and then buff it on a buffing wheel.

 

Well,I'd search the luthier forum here for the opinion of those in the know..Myself,I'm the finish guy at a custom cabinet shop,and I've seen this type of thing on Gramma's china cabinet that had a doily sitting on it for 40yrs,and have had to buff the thread pattern out. At the shop,it's the orbital sander/buffing disc/DuPont extra-fine buffing compound,but I'm sure there's an instrument-specific compound out there..

 

As far as the neck...it must have had a chunk of the original clear flake off, then to me it looks like someone recoated it with a shellac.

Sienna, but still has the chrome covers and thumbrest makes me believe this is a 1980 bass.

 

JMO but I think that finish is gorgeous as-is.

The 5th fret, yeah that's a little wack but with the discolored headstock you've almost got a matching body/headstock thing going which is super cool.

FWIW I have a 78 P in black and yeah, the finishes they used in that era are total crap. But mine still gets compliments even with all the hazing, chipping and checking.

 

A rotary buffer is kind of expensive. An orbital is a lot cheaper. Get some pads and buffing compound. I've used the same compound that funkingroovin uses when I do lacquer work on stuff. I think use some mequier's and a microfibre cloth to finish.

I had a 78 P where the finish had gone soft. If it wasn't for the sienna burst, I would've thought that someone had refinished this at home and did a lousy job of it.