ES4-B 1st Build

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Originally Posted by RocknRolf

Gosh, you must be happy with that part out of the way.

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Oh yeah. Very happy to move on.

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What are you planning for the next finish? (and sorry if it was already mentioned)

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I have a little more clean up to make sure there is no pigment on the binding. Once that's complete, give the whole thing (except the fingerboard) 2-3 coats of shellac.

Things don't always go to plan, but the plan is for a solid color two-tone finish. I'll do the top and back of the body in cream and the sides and neck in a medium brown.

Attachment 42432

I have had good luck with MTN94 painting outside in the highly variable, often hot and humid temps we have in FL. It's also an acrylic so I can let it dry/cure in the house.

I was mostly concerned that the cream color is called "shining green" but my fashion consultant/daughter thought it looked more creamy the various whites and yellows on their pallet, and that it would go well with the coffee brown.

We did a lot of comparisons...MTN94 comes in 217 colors and I feel like we looked through half of them.

Trying a new clear with it. MTN makes a satin acrylic in a rattle can that I am hoping will go on flat enough to save me some sanding and should cure quicker than the brush on clear that I have been using up to now. If I am as happy with it as I have been with their rattle can paints, I'll use it for everything...but we'll see ;-)

Nice colours!
Even though they have 217 colours you will always want that other shade they don't have (at least, that is me haha)

I have been happy with the MTN waterbased sprays on my boards. I am unfamiliar with their acrylic clear though, will order that for a next board, as I am not happy with the acrylic clears that you typically get from the big DIY stores. They remain soft, peel off, and yellow extremely quick, so keen to see/hear how MTN clear goes!

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Originally Posted by RocknRolf

...keen to see/hear how MTN clear goes!

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Me too! Actually learned about it watching a video on painting a surfboard.

I'll report here when I know more.


Sent from my LE2125 using Tapatalk

Well it has taken a while to get back to this project. Many long, albeit boring, stories... Meanwhile I have (a) determined that the MTN Acrylic clear is not acrylic and did not produce very satisfactory results on my test cases. And (b) I have finally gotten some color on this bass.

Paining is a bit more awkward than my other projects because the neck and body are attached, but since the plan is to do a two tone finish... I decided that a little paint on a cheap guitar stand wouldn't be a problem... So the front and back were relatively easy after taping up the sides.

Attachment 44122

I was able to paint the back and sides after making a stand out of a chunk of plywood, a couple of electrical utility boxes and a conduit connector.

Attachment 44123

Now I have at least several weeks to figure out how to do a brush-on clear coat with this thing. I have used brush on finish with bodies and necks using some kind of stand so that I could turn them over without touching any wet surfaces. But I haven't done that with the body and neck attached to each other. Will welcome any ideas or experience others have. I'd rather not brush on vertically, partly because I am not sure where I would do it, and also to avoid drips. But there is the problem of flipping the thing if I do it horizontally as I have done with detached bodies and necks in the past. Does anyone have a simple solution to this for someone with no spray equipment and limited budget?

"Does anyone have a simple solution to this for someone with no spray equipment and limited budget?"

Can your plywood stand be tipped upside down? Is there enough height to paint between the ply and the top?

If yes, I would mount the ply onto a beam of wood perpendicular to the length of the body. Then clamp the beam to a table or similar. You may then be able to rotate the beam to shift between the top and back!

Thanks Trevor, that's sort of what I am currently thinking. I could attach my electrical boxes to a length of 1.34" wooden rod. I'd either need something at both ends of the rod to hold it/turn it. Or I'd need just one, but I would need to counterweight it so that it wouldn't tip....

Took off the masking today and and was pretty pleased with the results. The paint is dry but the guitar will stay on the stand on a high shelf out of harm's way until it fully cures.

Attachment 44133

MTN94 is a very flat paint. My son told me that he likes that better than a gloss. I kind of think he has a point, but it's still getting clear coat which is harder and more resistant than the paint. I have actually been considering using a glossier finish with the body mostly because I understand from the mfg that it's easier to get it flat with a brush. The mfg also says it's clear coats can be combined so I may use satin on the neck and gloss on the body and headstock... If it meant less sanding it would be worth it, and I have some time to think. The paint and the clear coat mfgs both say to wait until the paint has fully cured to apply the clear. That's about 3 weeks. I'll have decided by then (I hope).

Looks great!

Finally got around to doing final sanding and polishing. It's not perfect, but it's as good as I am going to get it if I want to play it while I am still young enough to do so!

Attachment 45069
Attachment 45070Attachment 45071

This bass has three more painted parts that are still curing. I had made pickup "rings" out of maple* for the Dano pickups, and a small maple block for the crazy cobbled together tailpiece (p 5 from this build diary)

With the original paint job I had those three pieces painted the pieces red, like the rest of the bass. With the new two tone paint job, I thought it didn't really look right, and would be better if they contrasted...so they have been repainted, and the clear coat still needs a few weeks to completely cure before final sanding. Since those pieces are cosmetic, I may see if I can assemble the bass and get it working while they cure.

I also have a a few rosewood truss rod covers to try to modify. I need to get it a little shorter so that it fits. I have already botched on, so won't try again until the nut is in place... And the beat goes on...



* When I started I had in mind that the pickup rings and tailpiece cover would be stained, and I wanted them to look like the rest of the bass. If I had known then that I was going to do a solid color paint job I'd have used a softer wood... I made templates out of paulownia and then cut the maple riings on a router. If had ad known how long it was going to take me to sand the curve into the bottom of those maple rings, I would have DEFINITELY used a softer wood... maybe the templates would would have become the rings.

Very nice. This is going to look great when all assembled!