Jazz bass Mod becomes Build?

[fender3x]

I have a feeling there was a dollop of irony in the post from Mr. Bits ;-)


The paint powdered up today, so I sanded a bit and then used some AquaCoat filler which dries transparent. I have used it over color in the past... As well as over shellac, raw wood, wood hardener, and top coat. Will put on one more coat today in the bumpy spots, sand, and keep fingers crossed.

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[fender3x]

Well my experiments to gently (and in one case not so gently) remove the sticky on the binding have pretty much failed.

I got the best results with the not-so-gentle use of a razor blade. Not very satisfactory though. I was able to remove some, but not completely and sometimes it just moved gummy around.

I tried a gentle brush cleaning soap (called Pink Soap) by the mfg. It's what I used to clean my brushes after use with the clear coat. Did not harm the clear coat (good!) did not much bother the gummy (bad).

I also tried lighter fluid. One forum recommended the use of naphtha, which I could not get at the big-box store* But then I saw that it was used in Ronson brand lighter fluid--which I have. So I tried it...only to discover that it (a) wasn't naphtha but rather butane and (b) didn't do any better than the pink soap.

*No big green shed here. The biggest one is Orange. We don't have a fun nick name for it because shopping there is not a joyful experience.

[Trevor Davies]

At least now you (and we) know what does not work!

[fender3x]

At least now you (and we) know what does not work!

Today I tried white vinegar with a little dishwashing liquid. It sort of worked on the fingerboard. It may have made the gummy a little softer on the binding. I worked it with a soft cloth about as long as I could stand. Then I alternated between that, a hotel card-key and a popsicle stick. I got most of it off...but also took off a tiny bit of topcoat on one side of the binding. Ultimately what got the last of it off was some 350 grit sandpaper that I sacrified...since it clogged pretty fast. I used a tiny paintbrush to touch up the spots where I took the finish too far down. Turns out a credit card *can* damage the finish.

So, I don't have a recommendation for something to take off the gummy without taking off the finish or damaging the binding. Closest I get is that you should not leave leave a neck too long (a) with even low tack tape stuck to it or (b) near a window where it gets direct Florida sun (how in the world did I not think that would be a problem?)

[fender3x]

I have not had much time this fall, and that seems to be continuing into the holiday season. I have a partial buffing of my Tele body, and the neck is ready for sanding, which you would think would put it ahead of the PJ bass project, and it may still be....however... After a couple of sessions wearing my paulownia P bass for a few hours at a time, my back has informed me that it doesn't want to be without a light bass ready to throw in the gigbag. I have an old Fender, but it's not as light and I don't like the neck as well, so... I flat sanded the PJ bass, and now have a couple of coats of clear on it...

With any luck I'll still finish the Tele first. The BriteTone finish that I am using takes a good 30 days to cure thoroughly. Work on the Tele is suspended until I get the finish on the PJ. Once I have the PJ finished, I can strip and refinish the P-bass's neck of the *&%@#$% General Finishes clear, and replace it with BriteTone...or something more durable.

I am pulling the hardware off a Chinese (SX) bass that I had been modding, so it will have a set of passive EMG Geezer Butler PJ pickups. Instead of the Hipshot UltraLite tuners it will have Gotoh Res-O-Lites. The extra pickup and the slightly heavier tuners may add a little overall weight, but I am hoping the paulownia body will put it in the ballpark with it's paulownia p-bass sibling.

[Trevor Davies]

Sounds like there is a lot happening on a lot of builds! Hopefully more time comes your way.

[fender3x]

Not likely to have much time in the for a month or two at least...but we'll see. Enough to get a few coats on. The PJ-bass has become my top priority. I'd like to finish it before the finish deteriorates more on my P-bass's neck. Next the P-bases neck. If I run into a few free minutes between those projects I can do a bit of work to finish the Tele...which I'd like to do before re-finishing the neck on the guitar I usually play which has the same problem the P-bass neck has. After that I'll decide whether to finish a speaker cab project or the LP kit that is patiently waiting it's turn.

Small progress, is still progress. I have four coats of Brite Tone on the PJ bass...



My brushing technique is getting a bit better. Some very small drips on the side that should sand/buff out, but so far it is flattening pretty well, and not leaving a lot of brush strokes. After I have finished with all sides and caught all the drips I can find, I let it sit horizontal for about 15-20 min. The problem (at least in my garage) with a light finish is lint. No idea where it comes from. I have a filter going, and it is not particularly dusty, but it seems to spontaneously generate. I have had it on other builds, and don't really notice it once everything is buffed out...but I certainly notice it when I am looking intensely for any little drip! Still, after I let the finish settle/flatten in horizontal position for 15-20 min, I often turn it to vertical with the bottom side up. My theory is that gives the lint a smaller target to fall on...but I am not sure it makes much difference.

[fender3x]

Just before I started to apply clear coat I noticed an imperfection in the finish. A little scratch that I had painted over, but where you could see a bit of a divot.

This seems like a good place to mention one of the benefits of having a little AquaCoat clear grain filler around. Since I didn't need the filler to be clear, particularly once I decided to paint, I used Famowood Latex grain filler, which I really liked. I needed less coats of it to get a good, smooth surface than anything else I have used. AquaCoat is more expensive, and in my experience requires more coats to get a really flat surface. It can work just as well as the Famowood, but I had to do more work to get a flat surface, and it's pretty expensive. However, AquaCoat can do one thing that I have not been able to get with any other filler: I can put it between paint and clearcoat.

So, I applied a bit of Aquacoat to the divot, and than clearcoated over the top. Since it dries super clear, after clearcoating you can't tell where the divot was. I have also used it a couple of times for repairs where I have a dent a scratch that did not go through the color. Works like a charm, dries quickly so clearcoat can go over it after 24 hours. It's expensive, but I use it in such small amounts I still have my original pint.