Bass Project - What wood is this?

jimi_t

Just finished nitromor(ing) and sanding down an old bass. Wondering what kind of wood this is and how best to stain it or paint it - I'm easy as regards finishing it as long as it looks well, but would staining the wood improve the appearance of it?



Also, whats the story with these patchy white marks. I don't want to sand them down if necessary - is it a burning effect from Nitromores or White Spirits or what is it?



Any advice or opinions on how to finish it would be cool. I'm open to ideas

Rustar

Why, it looks like it could be....BASSwood! <chortle>


Seriously, though, it looks like it could be basswood...especially if the bass was on the cheaper side. Basswood has little or no grain and is very easy to work with.

Of course it's not easy to tell from the pics. Could be some sort of alder or swamp ash, too.

feylya

Looks too boring to be anything but basswood unfortunately.

Dord

Another vote for basswood here. you're best off painting it. I don't think it would look nice with a stain.

jimi_t

Right so. I've been looking at some sites but am none the wiser.

Is it very hard to achieve a sunburst finish? I was thinking along the lines of the fender antigua strats but a little darker. What kind of paints (available in dublin) would be most suited?

Also, any thoughts on those white blotchy bits?

Dord

The white blotchy bits look like filler.

As regards doing a sunburst here in Ireland. You probably could, put I wouldnt advise it for a first time. Along with the fact that regular guitar paint is not available here and its not possible to ship it or send it by air due to some law (dont know the exact law).

You're better off doing a solid colour, or stain. Afaik the Antigua (FUGLY colour!) were a solid colour burst. you could do that. It'd be difficult to get it looking right though.

For paints, I recommend the paints available in Halfords. I have used them previously. They have a WIDE variety of colours. basically look for a car colour that you like, search the net, look around the streets. Go in with the Make and model and you got it! Thats what I did. I used a VW colour found on the Lupo. They also have more standard colours available straight off the shelf for cheaper.
They also sell clear coat and primer there.

I recommend you check out http://www.reranch.com for their painting guide. Keep in mind that the paints commonly talked about in the guide are Nitro. The paints in Halfords as far as we can tell are Acrylic. they do work though.
The general information in the guide will be a help as regards preparations ect.

If you need anymore info just let me know.


DISCLAIMER: Care must be taken around paint and paint products. Adequate protection should be worn when spraying and spraying should be done in an open area.

Judge2112

joe robot wrote:

DISCLAIMER: Care must be taken around paint and paint products. Adequate protection should be worn when spraying and spraying should be done in an open area.

Yeah, you wouldn't want to end up looking like this guy :

jimi_t

joe robot wrote:

I recommend you check out http://www.reranch.com for their painting guide. Keep in mind that the paints commonly talked about in the guide are Nitro. The paints in Halfords as far as we can tell are Acrylic. they do work though.
The general information in the guide will be a help as regards preparations ect.

Cheers for that mate; just wondering is the only Halfords in Dublin in Liffey Valley? Also, are those paints spray cannisters?

(And the Antigua Strat on chrisguitars was an absolute beaut FYI )

Dord

There's also a Halfords on the Malahide Road beside Woodies/LIDL/MacDonalds etc. its near the UCI cinema.
I think there may be one in Blanchardstown too but I'm not 100% on this.

The paint is available mixed in tins, or in spray cans. If you're not planning on doing a lot of paint jobs, I'd recommend you go for the spray cans. For the tins, you'd have to buy yourself a good spray gun.

The spray cans off the shelf are 500ml, the mixed ones are about 400ml. You're looking for the Halfords brand spray cans if you're buying off the shelf. They sell other makes too, but not all are suitable for painting guitars.

Zapp Brannigan

There's a Halfords in Blanchardstown in the Shopping Center.