Phil O'Keefe Posted May 25, 2016 Share Posted May 25, 2016 Anyone got any color suggestions? Pics are always appreciated! I've got several different custom color Fenders. Seafoam green, candy apple red, shell pink, Dakota red, fiesta red... I was thinking about maybe going with Daphne blue for the Squier Bass VI (it's currently sunburst, as shown in the picture), but like I said, I'm open to suggestions. I do have a white pickguard for it too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bieke Posted May 26, 2016 Members Share Posted May 26, 2016 Sonic Blue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bieke Posted May 26, 2016 Members Share Posted May 26, 2016 Lake Placid Blue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bieke Posted May 26, 2016 Members Share Posted May 26, 2016 Silver Sparkle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bieke Posted May 26, 2016 Members Share Posted May 26, 2016 Shell Pink Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bieke Posted May 26, 2016 Members Share Posted May 26, 2016 Seafoam Green Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bieke Posted May 26, 2016 Members Share Posted May 26, 2016 Dakota Red Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bieke Posted May 26, 2016 Members Share Posted May 26, 2016 no wait, go Jack Bruce on it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gspointer Posted May 26, 2016 Members Share Posted May 26, 2016 Flo-green Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators ThudMaker Posted May 26, 2016 Moderators Share Posted May 26, 2016 However you refinish it, I would consider a matching headstock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WRGKMC Posted May 26, 2016 Members Share Posted May 26, 2016 My advice is Get over it. Unless you refinish instruments all the time its never going to look as good as an original finish. If its a poly finish on there you'll need a psychiatrist afterwards to try to figure out what made you attempt the project in the first place. Seriously, that's a fine looking bass with its sunburst finish. Don't mess with something that looks good just because you're board with it. Take that money you'd blow on screwing it up, and go buy another bass of the color you desire. Or simply buy some black or colored lights to hang in your studio which will change the color of the instrument when you play it. You'll save yourself all kinds of hardship. Add to that that the $100+ you spend on tools, supplies, chemicals and the immediate depreciation of the instrument's resale value being flushed down the toilet and it winds up being a lose + lose proposition. If it is a poly body and you're intent on painting it, just poly over the existing finish. Roughen it up with sandpaper and use poly paint and finish over it. I made the mistake of removing the poly finish on one of my Strats. The original finish was so thick the neck over hung the one side of the neck pocket by 2 mm by the time I got down to bare wood in that area. It looked like hell because of that. I tried a natural finish for awhile but that overhang really bothered me so I used epoxy putty to build the surface back up and then I painted and finished it. I did a class A job but in retrospect, I should have just left the dam thing alone. I could have bought another guitar for the money I spent getting that one right. If you're in the mood to do refinishing, buy an unfinished body, a kit or a fixer upper that actually needs a finish. At least that's a step up for it, not a step down in value. This Steinberger kit is only $180 You mentioned you had smaller hands and this might be ideal for you. http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Afant...4-59adcf8238df [ATTACH=CONFIG]n31743200[/ATTACH] Here's a music man copy for $167. http://www.aliexpress.com/item/DIY-E...4-59adcf8238df [ATTACH=CONFIG]n31743201[/ATTACH] Here's a Rick copy for $329. http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Weifa...4-59adcf8238df Of course you'd have to add the cost of finish, but any of these would look good natural with Tung Oil which is about $10 a can and doesn't even need brushes to apply it. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n31743202[/ATTACH] This jazz bass kit is only $69 and has free shipping. http://www.aliexpress.com/item/JAZZ-...4-59adcf8238df [ATTACH=CONFIG]n31743205[/ATTACH] This would be my choice for about $300. A jazz box bass that has binding. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pit-Bull-Guitars-ESB-4SC-Electric-Bass-Guitar-Kit-/182145358576?hash=item2a68b59af0:g:1qIAAOSwDV1XRDtt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mikeo Posted May 27, 2016 Members Share Posted May 27, 2016 My advice is Get over it. Unless you refinish instruments all the time its never going to look as good as an original finish. If its a poly finish on there you'll need a psychiatrist afterwards to try to figure out what made you attempt the project in the first place. Seriously, that's a fine looking bass with its sunburst finish. Don't mess with something that looks good just because you're board with it. This is where I stand on the refinish myself. If I get bored or think about doing something crazy to and instrument, I stick in in the closet and come back to sometime later when it excites me a bit more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members onelife Posted May 29, 2016 Members Share Posted May 29, 2016 Removing a poly finish is difficult so, unless you want to remove a thick layer of gunk from your guitar, just put the new finish over the top of the original I had a poly sunburst strat and had my luthier friend put a champagne mist finish over it to mach the bass player's precision for a gig I had for a couple of years - when the gig was over, I was able to take it back down to the original sunburst btw, I eventually removed the poly from the strat and it became a much better guitar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted May 29, 2016 Members Share Posted May 29, 2016 Removing a poly finish is difficult so' date=' unless you want to remove a thick layer of gunk from your guitar, just put the new finish over the top of the original . . .[/quote'] Here's your ideal finish: [ATTACH=CONFIG]n31744436[/ATTACH] Close to the "Silver Sparkle" bieke suggested, goes on over poly like onelife suggested, and easy to apply. Just peel it off to refinish. Seriously, I'd leave it as is. It really sounds like it would be a pain to refinish. A guy I knew in college bought a used P-Bass and refinished it. If you looked closely, you could see plane marks where he'd removed the old finish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bieke Posted May 30, 2016 Members Share Posted May 30, 2016 I did a rather impulsive refinish on my MIJ JM a couple of years ago without any knowledge or experience and without thinking, it was the only guitar left in my stable with a poly finish stripping the poly finish off was the easiest part, took about 15 minutes put a heat gun on the body, wait a couple of seconds and use a chisel scraper to remove the finish, together with most of the primer don't overdo it with the heat gun or the poly will leave burn marks in the wood then start sanding, I wanted a walnut stain, so I had to sand it down to remove the filler that took very long, I started 120 grit, 240, 360, 600, 800, 1200 grit don't use water on the stripped body, remove dust and residue with naphta then I applied the stain, it was water based, 4 coats, sanded it down lightly with 1200 grit to get a smooth surface and a ind of worn look then used a rattle can of nitrocellulose lacquer to finish the body applied 3 thin layers, wait an hour or so in between layers, wait 3 days or so for the lacquer to harden then sanding again with 1200 grit another 3 layers of lacquer and repeat then leave it for a couple of weeks allowing the lacquer to harden that's how I did it if you want a color, you can just strip the poly finish off, sand it down until it is smooth, I would not bother to get rid of the filler, just put a primer on, and then the color and a nitro finish anyway, here's my JM before and after before after I fool myself to believe it sounds better, but it feels better, less sticky very prone to buckle rash and dents replaced the ketchup pickguard with a darker one all in all, refin cost me less than 100$ alternatively, for your Bass VI, you could buy and put a finish on a USACG body and keep the sunburst body (or sell it, if you're certain not wanting to go back to sunburst). Or you could just put a finish straight on the poly, save the trouble Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bieke Posted May 30, 2016 Members Share Posted May 30, 2016 link for bodyhttp://www.usacustomguitars.com/essential_grid/baritone-vi/ build project on OSGhttp://www.offsetguitars.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=11667 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted May 31, 2016 Author Share Posted May 31, 2016 Oooh! That DOES look good on a Bass VI! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted May 31, 2016 Author Share Posted May 31, 2016 My favorite custom color... but I already have the Duo Sonic in that color. Not sure if I want a matching color bass or not... might be cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted May 31, 2016 Author Share Posted May 31, 2016 That actually looks more like Fiesta to me than Dakota. Either way, I already have guitars in both colors... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted May 31, 2016 Author Share Posted May 31, 2016 Removing a poly finish is difficult so' date=' unless you want to remove a thick layer of gunk from your guitar, just put the new finish over the top of the original[/quote'] That was what I was planning on doing. I figured I would hit the old finish with a couple of coats of BIN shellac primer (stuff sticks to, and covers just about anything), and then lacquer over that. I figure, why not? Fender used to spray "over" finishes a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted May 31, 2016 Author Share Posted May 31, 2016 However you refinish it' date=' I would consider a matching headstock.[/quote'] Absolutely. I think a matching headstock looks fantastic on a Bass VI, or any Fender with a rosewood fingerboard! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted May 31, 2016 Author Share Posted May 31, 2016 My advice is Get over it. Unless you refinish instruments all the time its never going to look as good as an original finish. There's always that possibility, although it wouldn't be my first refinishing project. I know exactly what's involved. If its a poly finish on there you'll need a psychiatrist afterwards to try to figure out what made you attempt the project in the first place. It's a Squier... I'm not sure that taking the poly off would really make a huge sonic difference in this case, and I wasn't planning on pulling the old finish - I was going to go directly over it. Seriously, that's a fine looking bass with its sunburst finish. Don't mess with something that looks good just because you're board with it. I'm not really bored with it... I just prefer the look of custom colors. Take that money you'd blow on screwing it up, Dude, with all due respect, you're being pretty presumptive here. What makes you think I am going to "screw it up"? Some examples of my previous refinishing work: I was very happy with how these projects turned out, and even years after refinishing them, I don't regret it in the least, so while I appreciate your cautionary warnings, they're not necessary. and go buy another bass of the color you desire. Or simply buy some black or colored lights to hang in your studio which will change the color of the instrument when you play it. You'll save yourself all kinds of hardship. Unfortunately Fender doesn't make a Squier Bass VI in the colors I prefer. As far as the lights, I already have an assortment of them in the control room. Add to that that the $100+ you spend on tools, supplies, chemicals and the immediate depreciation of the instrument's resale value being flushed down the toilet and it winds up being a lose + lose proposition. I already have most of the tools and things I'd need from previous refinishing projects - primer, blush out, Finesse It, etc. etc. If it is a poly body and you're intent on painting it, just poly over the existing finish. Roughen it up with sandpaper and use poly paint and finish over it. I made the mistake of removing the poly finish on one of my Strats. The original finish was so thick the neck over hung the one side of the neck pocket by 2 mm by the time I got down to bare wood in that area. It looked like hell because of that. I agree that it's not worth the hassle to remove the poly - I was planning on just going over it, but with shellac, then with lacquer. There are compatibility issues to worry about when using poly over lacquer (or vise versa), but less so with shellac in between them. Since shellac will work fine with both, you don't have to worry about the paint bubbling or other compatibility issues. If you're in the mood to do refinishing, buy an unfinished body, a kit or a fixer upper that actually needs a finish. At least that's a step up for it, not a step down in value. This Steinberger kit is only $180 You mentioned you had smaller hands and this might be ideal for you. http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Afant...4-59adcf8238df [ATTACH=CONFIG]n31743200[/ATTACH] Here's a music man copy for $167. http://www.aliexpress.com/item/DIY-E...4-59adcf8238df [ATTACH=CONFIG]n31743201[/ATTACH] Here's a Rick copy for $329. http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Weifa...4-59adcf8238df Of course you'd have to add the cost of finish, but any of these would look good natural with Tung Oil which is about $10 a can and doesn't even need brushes to apply it. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n31743202[/ATTACH] This jazz bass kit is only $69 and has free shipping. http://www.aliexpress.com/item/JAZZ-...4-59adcf8238df [ATTACH=CONFIG]n31743205[/ATTACH] This would be my choice for about $300. A jazz box bass that has binding. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pit-Bull-Gui...IAAOSwDV1XRDtt Those all look like fun projects... maybe someday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators ThudMaker Posted May 31, 2016 Moderators Share Posted May 31, 2016 Absolutely. I think a matching headstock looks fantastic on a Bass VI, or any Fender with a rosewood fingerboard! I hope you share pics of this project when finished. Judging from the picture you posted of the other refinishing projects, you've done good work and chosen great colors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted June 1, 2016 Author Share Posted June 1, 2016 I hope you share pics of this project when finished. Judging from the picture you posted of the other refinishing projects, you've done good work and chosen great colors. Thanks Thud. If I do it, I'll probably take a ton of pictures and may even do a write-up / article on DIY refinishing. I'll keep you posted. Do you have any custom color suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members onelife Posted June 1, 2016 Members Share Posted June 1, 2016 I like the Lake Placid Blue in post #3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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