Is Wudtone suitable for basswood ST-1

[Walrus]

My ST-1 just arrived :P and I'm debating what finish to go with. As is to be expected the joins on the 3 piece basswood body are pretty obvious, and one section is slightly darker than the other 2. I don't think it will suit an amber or natural finish, so my other option was to go with a solid colour, either olympic white or surf green (like the Fender Custom Jeff Beck)

My question
Before I rule wudtone out for this kit, I want to ask those who may have tried it out:

Will a wudtone finish like surfer girl be appropriate? The example pics on the wudtone site are clearly on a guitar which is ash, or some other nicely figured wood.

I feel as though using wudtone on a 3 piece body with clear join lines isn't going to yield the best result.

So what do you think...solid, or wudtone for the 3 piece basswood body?

[AJ]

I was recently down an automotive paint supplier, to get some buffing supplies, seen a few of the new colors they had.. remember the old candie apple red , well they now have an amazing "candy apple Green" it was impressive to say the least... and sparkly! just a thought for your consideration, but also think that wood tone have some pigment stains that are solid when applied correctly?

[dingobass]

Hey Walrus,

There have been many three piece bodies like your finished with Wudtone with amazing results, so don't totally rule that one off your list yet

The solid colours such as T Bird, Surfer Girl, Dairy Blonde etc can give you a more solid colour if you have the patience to apply enough coats.

Check out my JM1 in T Bird, she has got 6 or 7 coats!

The trick with the solid colours is to sand up to 220 grit and use just the colour base for the first two coats.
Also, I don't steel wool in between the first few coats.

If you have any more questions, email me on dingobass@pitbullguitars.com and I will be happy to answer them.

[Walrus]

There are a lot of options with auto paint and I've seen good results, I do like the simplicity of the wudtone approach which seems to yield great results, I just want a totally opaque, flat finish on this particular body.

I'll get stuck into sanding and think about it.

[wokkaboy]

Quote from Walrus on May 22, 2013, 11:27
There are a lot of options with auto paint and I've seen good results, I do like the simplicity of the wudtone approach which seems to yield great results, I just want a totally opaque, flat finish on this particular body.

I'll get stuck into sanding and think about it.

Hi Walrus,
here's a pic of one coat of surfer girl on a ST-1, got another coat on lastnight (didn't take a pic sorry) and it is looking great, wouldn't worry about the different basswood colours.
I haven't used any white to lighten it and don't think I'll bother

good luck with the sanding, I spent about 4 hours sanding this and its worth it

cheers Wokka

[robin]

Hi Walrus, and welcome to the madness.

I have just finished my first build, an ST-1 kit, finished in Wudtone Carmine Gypsy.

You can check it out on my build thread here:
http://pitbullguitars.com/?page_id=4...wtopic&t=218.4

I take no credit for the final finish, I am a total novice and just took my time and followed DingoBass' instructions to the letter. You can't go wrong. But if you ever need help, there are plenty of people here just ready and willing to guide you through.

Hope this helps
rob

[Walrus]

Quote from wokkaboy on May 22, 2013, 11:54

Thanks Wokka, that's really useful for me to visualise what it could look like. Could you tell me if the grain can be felt through the finish? Or is it totally flat? I'm after a lighter look (see the link to theJeff Beck model in my original post), whereas yours looks a little darker. Do you think adding a white base coat or white pigment to the wudtone would achieve this?

[Brendan]

Currently Wudtoning a bass in red & the only way to describe the feel - "baby's bum"... Haven't hit the top coats yet, but follow DB's and Gavin's suggestions (wet ragging, etc) and you'll have a beauty. I think a white base is available - check with DB.

[keloooe]

Walrus, you can mix a bit of white into your colour scheme before you apply it, DB should be able to supply you with some!

[Walrus]

Quote from robin on May 22, 2013, 12:10
You can check it out on my build thread here:
http://pitbullguitars.com/?page_id=4...wtopic&t=218.4
rob

Thanks Rob, yours looks great. I'm curious whether there were differences in the colour of the body wood before you began, ie was any part darker than another and if so, can you see this through the finish? It doesn't look like it from the pictures, but I thought I'd ask.

I think I'm warming to doing this with Wudtone having seen the great results you guys are getting. I was concerned about the grain, but with pigment base coast, maybe it isn't such a problem.