Members J. Posted September 15, 2007 Members Share Posted September 15, 2007 I have a Warwick 5-string Corvette that's exactly like the bass pictured. I bought it off the net from a seller who said it was in "excellent" condition, but it turned out to have a myriad of little nicks around the body and several good dings. Of course, I should know by now that "excellent" really means "fair" when condition is described by a seller. Anyway, I'd like to refinish this bass if possible. How hard would it be to get a natural finish on this body, if the original finish is a black stain with an oil/wax finish over it? Is it even possible? The wood is ash and I can see the grain fairly well. I'm thinking if I could strip it I could do a Tru Oil finish or something similar. My actual bass body is pretty beat up, unlike the one in the photographs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Thumper Posted September 15, 2007 Members Share Posted September 15, 2007 If it has an oil/wax finish, you'll have to strip it down to bare wood. That's going to take a lot of sanding. I don't know if a chemical stripper will remove the original finish properly. Anyone else with more experience on the process? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rusty the Scoob Posted September 15, 2007 Members Share Posted September 15, 2007 stain soaks in pretty deep, IMHO. It's not like a paint on the surface that can simply be sanded off. You might be better off getting some black stain and touching up the nicks and scratches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Crescent Seven Posted September 15, 2007 Members Share Posted September 15, 2007 stain soaks in pretty deep, IMHO. It's not like a paint on the surface that can simply be sanded off. You might be better off getting some black stain and touching up the nicks and scratches. +1. If they used a heavy dose of stain, you can likely sand down the larger dings a little bit and then touch it up. I'm talking like a millimeter or less, though, you don't want to go down to where the stain starts to thin, or you'll end up with a polka-dotted bass. Maybe contact Warwick to get an idea of what they used, and go from there... C7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bleepo Posted September 15, 2007 Members Share Posted September 15, 2007 http://www.warwickbass.com/tech/dings.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Markee Posted September 15, 2007 Members Share Posted September 15, 2007 The wood Warwick uses is of the open grain variety, meaning, a good deal of the stain hasn't soaked too deep because of the filler. This also means you'll need to get grain filler from reranch or Stew Mac to refill the grain before refinishing. Go to your local auto store and pick up some Touch Up Bondo paste, (not glaze), comes in a tube. Now, I don't use stripper on guitar bodies unless you can see or know for a fact that they are one piece. Most aren't for economic/price point reasons. I also use a orbital palm sander on flat surfaces and sand the sides by hand, but here's the key to this finishing business. The best primer you can use is paint or poly stain that's already holding on like a mother. You need only to skiff sand the existing paint or stain thoroughly and coat it with a shellac based primer. I've used Zinzer but Reranch has excellent sander/ sealer primers I like better. Once you have a good couple of coats on the body apply the bondo paste with a rubber squeegie at an angle over the effected dings, scratches and grain you want to hide and let dry overnight. The paste should only have build up at the trouble spots. At this point sanding by hand is a snap starting with 100 grit paper and a hard rubber sanding block. Sand in circular motions. Work your way down till you get to 400 grit. She'll be as smooth as a babies butt by then. If you want to explore more on refinishing I suggest you go to www.reranch.com It's "THE" site for the do-it-yourselfer. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jazz Ad Posted September 15, 2007 Members Share Posted September 15, 2007 Long story short, you won't be able to get a natural finish on this bass.If it's your goal, sell it and get a natural Warwick already.Oh and Warwick finishes don't protect anything. They always get dings. A lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members abstract Posted September 15, 2007 Members Share Posted September 15, 2007 I'll buy it! Cheap! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members hawkhuff Posted September 15, 2007 Members Share Posted September 15, 2007 I have a Warwick 5-string Corvette that's exactly like the bass pictured. I bought it off the net from a seller who said it was in "excellent" condition, but it turned out to have a myriad of little nicks around the body and several good dings. Of course, I should know by now that "excellent" really means "fair" when condition is described by a seller. Anyway, I'd like to refinish this bass if possible. How hard would it be to get a natural finish on this body, if the original finish is a black stain with an oil/wax finish over it? Is it even possible? The wood is ash and I can see the grain fairly well. I'm thinking if I could strip it I could do a Tru Oil finish or something similar. My actual bass body is pretty beat up, unlike the one in the photographs. If it's a stain it probably runs deep and will require lots and lots and lots of sanding. And when you're done sanding it will require still more sanding and then you still may not get all of it out. If it were mine I would sand it smooth then try to find a matching stain and re-do it. I never thought I would say this about a Warwick but that's one hot looking bass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members hawkhuff Posted September 15, 2007 Members Share Posted September 15, 2007 Long story short, you won't be able to get a natural finish on this bass.If it's your goal, sell it and get a natural Warwick already.Oh and Warwick finishes don't protect anything. They always get dings. A lot. Are they soft wood? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mudbass Posted September 15, 2007 Members Share Posted September 15, 2007 If you have to ask this question then you probably don't have enough wood finishing experience and the end result will be worse than if you'd just left it alone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members willsellout Posted September 15, 2007 Members Share Posted September 15, 2007 It's a bass...who cares if it has dings? Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Super Bass Posted September 15, 2007 Members Share Posted September 15, 2007 It's a bass...who cares if it has dings? Dan +1 Just play the damn thing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members J. Posted September 16, 2007 Author Members Share Posted September 16, 2007 It's a bass...who cares if it has dings? I do. It's the same reason why some people care about getting scratches and dings in their cars. I could care less about my car, but I want my basses and guitars to be nice. I have a DeArmond M75 that I bought in 1999, and aside from smudges, dust and fingerprints, it doesn't have a mark on it. I've gigged with the guitar and everything, but if you were to clean and polish it, it could pass for new. I don't understand how in the heck people can abuse their instruments so badly. I bought a Carvin once, and the owner said he'd had it for a year and half and had taken good care of it. I got the guitar, only to see a couple of big gouges right in the face. I swear some people are downright retarded when it comes to taking care of their stuff. I'm not super protective about my guitars either - I just use a little common sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members willsellout Posted September 16, 2007 Members Share Posted September 16, 2007 The bass in the pictures look in excellent shape. I think you might be a little anal. Which in some cases can be good, but in this case, let it slide. Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Kindness Posted September 16, 2007 Moderators Share Posted September 16, 2007 The bass in the pictures look in excellent shape. I think you might be a little anal. Which in some cases can be good, but in this case, let it slide. Dan The pics aren't of his bass. If they were and he was going to risk messing it up with a refin, I'd confiscate the bass myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jazz Ad Posted September 17, 2007 Members Share Posted September 17, 2007 It's a bass...who cares if it has dings?DanI think Warwick believe in this concept too.The bass lives with the player and gets dings along its life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members i_wanna_les_paul Posted September 17, 2007 Members Share Posted September 17, 2007 Sharpie? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jazz Ad Posted September 17, 2007 Members Share Posted September 17, 2007 Oiled and waxed instruments are supposed to age, like a furniture.If you want a bass that looks new for ever, Warwick is the last brand to buy.Get something with polycoating, Fender style. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.