Restore
 

Hi!

Could use some good tips in how to improve the looks of a bass with this kind of wear. Is it a big project?
http://i.ebayimg.com/11/%21BdCGetQBm...21%7E%7E_1.JPG

Well....
 

Why would you want to? Is there wood missing? If so, you can't easily replace wood that isn't there, so, I would recommend leaving it as is. Maybe you could use it as your gigging bass?

No, it's just the finish... But if I would like to make it look just a little bit better... Any tips? :)

noooooo
 

The wood is scratched there as well from fingernails or more. That can't be replaced. The Bass would need to be sanded in that area till the wood is clean and then finished over to match which is nearly impossible or the body itself completely re-finished.

Yes, it's a big job IF you want it to look good and professionally done.

But if the finish is waxed, isn't it enough to sand it, just a bit to make it a little nicer and then wax?

yes, but..
 

The 'Finish' is waxed BUT, the finish is Oil and Varnish mixed, several formulas laid over coat after coat. Once you go through them to the wood, the 'finish' is gone.. You would only be waxing the raw wood IF you don't 're-finish' the bass at least in part if not the entire body so it all matches.

Well, I've bought it now. :D
Hope I can work some wonders on it.
Will add more pics later.

Good for you! Lookin forward to seeing it.

Isn't there alot of posts missing in this thread?

missing?
 

Not that I'm aware of. Even if someone deletes a Post, I will see it stuck here until I delete it from the system.

What do you think is missing?

I went back to this thread to read the tips I got but can't find the ones I was looking for. Someone mentioned steel wool and you wrote a post with tips I'm missing.

oh..
 

Ok, yes. That was a total misleading suggestion. I deleted any and all mention of it. I don't want anyone going down that path. There was nothing useful there except the warning to NOT use any steel wool in finishing a bass. Waxing an oil finished bass with dry 0000 steel wool and wax combined is ok but you are 100% better off with white colored non-abrasive Scotch Brite.

You bass is missing finish. It need Finish first. Then you can worry about how to polish and protect it.

Like waching and waxing a car. If the Paint is missing, there is nothing to wash or wax. It needs Paint! No?

I understand. So except from the Scotch Brite your next suggestion is a total re-finish of the whole body?

Nothing I can do just to protect the bare wood and get somewhere close the same color as the rest of the bass?

well..
 

The Scotch Brite is NOT your fix. Use the Scotch Brite to apply wax over the Finish IF you even have a Finish. If not, you need new Finish. I cannot tell you what the bass needs from pictures. A doctor can't tell you what pills to take or how deep to cut from pictures, you have to be there WITH the Doctor in person just like your bass would need to be in my hands to know what it needs. Even then, touching up is an Art for the expert, not the novice. Finish accounts for 25-33% of the making of an instrument.

The other thing I often think is that if you have to ask, it may be best you leave it alone and take it to someone that knows what he is doing. Doing it wrong will cost you 2-3x more the amount to fix than if left alone and given to a professional.

Do not take medical advice on the internet. Treat your bass with an ounce of the same respect. It will live longer.

Ok, I see...

Sorry for going on about this but you never answered one of my questions.
If I don't have the ambition to make the re-finish looking pro. done, what could I do after cleaning and sanding the area a bit to give it somewhere near the look of the rest of the bass? Could you sell me something that could help me get a nicer look on it?

??
 

By Law, we cannot sell or ship our finish mixes. You will have to buy some oil/varnish stuff on your own. This is our formula we worked on for years. We don't give it out, sorry.

Ok. Thanks anyway.

So......
 

So, Jens, what will you end up doing with the finish on this bass? Have you decided?

Ended up cleaning it from the grease, sandpapered a little at some places, polished it with steel wool and last I rubbed it with some Smith-waxpolish I use for my BSR6GN and fretboards. Not as recomended but happy with the result.

Before:
http://i.ebayimg.com/11/%21BdCGetQBm...21%7E%7E_1.JPG

After:
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...ffle/BSR5b.jpg

Evened out the colours a bit. Far from good but I'm satisfied. Can't tell from a distance any more. The bad camera makes it look purple.