I'm currently looking to build a Pitbull DJZ-4, their zebrawood "J" style bass.
I have some questions for anybody who's purchased zebrawood guitars/basses from Pitbull:
For starters, how much does the grain "pop" to begin with? The site says that their "zebra"wood is cottonwood treated with color to give the effect of zebrawood.
Relatedly, since they already treat the wood with color, would any further dark staining on my part be necessary?
If not, do you all have any recommended clear coats? I'm thinking a semi-gloss finish would look nice, and I want to protect the bass from dirt, dings, etc. Any recommendations are welcome.
Also, please feel free to share any of your experiences with zebrawood: what works, what doesn't, maintenance, etc.
Cheers!
I'm working on a zebrawood p bass at the moment. The striping effect does really pop! It's definitely a little more muted at first, but as soon as I started putting finishing oil on the body it became a darker, much more rich looking color. I personally wouldn't add any stain to it, if you do you would most likely only see that on the brown striping, but could create unique color options alongside the black stripes.
For finishing, I've been using Crimson Guitars penetrating finishing oil. So far I'm pleased, it's relatively glossy, but not too much so. So far I've put on 6 coats (about half a bottle). I may finish with a couple of coats of Crimson Guitars high build oil to add a little more shine to it.
So far it's been pretty straightforward, healthy amount of sanding in the beginning to 220 grit and then several thin layers of the finishing oil. The only thing I've run into so far is the end grain of my bass needed some extra love, the sanding I did first time around left some odd looking scratches. After sanding the end grain back I only went to 120 grit instead of 220, and have found that to be much easier to deal with. The only other thing I'll say is the wood is really heavy, but bet the tone will be incredible once done!
Best of with your build! Be sure to post pictures and ask lots of questions, there is lots of knowledge to be learned here from members with far more expertise than myself
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