Hey there, I got my hands on a 1982 Daion Bass whose finish was in really rough condition. Chipped, cracked, and exposed wood was swelling unevenly and starting to slightly delaminate.
I’m thinking I want to darken the ash back up to a walnut type color, and want to have a matte/low sheen finish on it. I don’t want a glossy Nitro or poly finish like painted guitars have. Something more natural, like a lot of high end basses have. I was thinking about an oil finish?
I’m told I’ll need to tape off the maple segment and spray light coats onto the ash to prevent bleed. I’ve not really done much finishing before, so I welcome any and all advice. If you have steps for me the follow, even better. I’ve seen stuff about what order, sometimes people add in wet sanding, etc. I don’t think I’ll have more than 1-2 shots to get this right, and its a really nice bass, so I don’t want to mess it up.
First pic is original look – finish was much worse in person. The other pics aren’t the most recent, I have all the finish off now, but the ash grain still has that dark stain deep in there – I don’t see that coming out. Also, at the very bottom, the finish had been chipped off for years, and its super dirty in the maple/rosewood segment. It didn’t seem to come off when I was doing my initial sanding. Any insight into removing that grime would be great too!
Thank you!!
Replies
The most important step in finishing is preparation. From the pictures it looks like you need to do a lot more sanding to bring it back to an even surface. I would start with an random orbit sander and 80 - 100 - 120 grit sandpapers, the areas that are out to reach would be done by hand, always with a block except in the tightest places. Then 150 - 180 - 220 by hand. Oil on ash will not live well and need periodic maintenance, see if you can find what the guitar makers use.
Oh yeah, that picture is a couple of weeks old - I was just in the rough sand stage. I have 99% of the finish off now, just need to go back and hit where I didn't get all the finish off, then work on the finer sanding.
I'm open to other finishes - mainly I want to get a matte/satin type finish vs gloss.
Hey,
Looks like you bit off quite a mouthful there. I commend your results so far considering the task.
It's usually used to lighten wood but oxalic acid might help get the dirt out. You'd get the best results using a good stiff brush that won't scratch the surface with the acid.
I don't know a lot about luthiery, but to the finish. I believe pure tung oil would hold up, but it's not a great water (humidity) repellent. As an aside, back when the guitar was made, varnish was one of the finishes of choice.
In the end it's all about the guitar's sound. Oil might muffle the vibrations less than other finishes but I believe the finish is personal preference i.e. gloss, flat or somewhere in between.
Whatever you decide to do, I wish you the best of luck.
Mikaol
Thank you!
I used shellac on my Telecaster.
I rubbed on a number of very thin, light coats with a cotton rag. I was probably using a 1 pound cut. I'd do four or five coats a day, waiting at least a half an hour between coats. Then, did that over maybe three days.
It feels like a well worn vintage finish. It's soft, smooth, and just feels nice. The maple neck is so smooth and never gets sticky. The body has a nice, natural feel to it and is the same, never gets sticky.
Have a watch of Thomas Johnson antique restoration on YT - he goes into refinishing a lot, including matching colours. It's good bedtime viewing though as very relaxing....
A walnut stain will cover many sins...
I love his videos but find them too relaxing and wind up nodding off. I think he does it on purpose so he winds up getting two views out of me!
Thanks Yall!
I remember reading about using shellac to strip finish out of open-pored woods. You put shellac on, it sticks tenaciously to the finish down in all the nooks and crannies, and then you strip the shellac and it takes the unwanted color with it. I guess you would use stripper and not alcohol to remove it. Never tried it but I have always kept it in the back of my mind.
Looks like you got the answers you needed, but if you’re interested in a good resource check out StewMac’s YouTube channel and website. Good luck!
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled