Got my P-bass today

[vanstry]

So yeah, it's completely fucked. The wood won't hold a stain on that spot anymore, and the only way I might be able to fix it would be to sand it back to bare wood. MAYBE it would work then, but I doubt it.
I think it's gonna be a while before I build another bass. This was such a complete waste of my time and effort that I'm pretty bummed by the whole thing. Except for that one spot which is now just bare wood, it looks great. I guess if you're gonna stain, don't go water base.

 

[Cagey]

That's too bad.

Well, once the pain of being thwarted dulls down a bit, maybe sand it back to raw and next time, don't stain it. Alder doesn't like stain. Tint some clear to the shade of blue you want and shoot that, then clear over that. You'll get your color nice and even, and it'll be transparent so it'll look like stained Alder.

 

[vanstry]

I'm either going to give the body away or throw it out. I really have no desire to sand it back when I can just buy another one. And no more stain, ever again. Just paint. That works.

 

[vanstry]

Okay, this is the end of the project I guess. I have two pictures of what it looked like 'finished' though I never got beyond the 1200 grit sanding.

The last picture is what it looks like now, after a can of $4 enamel paint. I'll see if I can wet sand out all the drips and runs. And any bugs that landed on it. Then I'll spray $4 can of clear over it.

 

[BigSteve22]

I know you're disappointed that the original plan fell through, but it still looks pretty good for a $4 rattle can paint job! Maybe keep it as a beater, or donate it to a kid who needs a head start on his first good bass.  :icon_thumright:

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

I know you're disappointed that the original plan fell through, but it still looks pretty good for a $4 rattle can paint job! Maybe keep it as a beater, or donate it to a kid who needs a head start on his first good bass.  :icon_thumright:

I concur.  It may not have come out like you wanted, but it is still a fine quality body that would be far better than many teenagers start out with for an instrument.  Maybe "pay it forward" "pro-bono" as some of us have done in the marketplace below, or sell it at a reduced rate to get some of your cash back, & let someone else use it as needed.

 

[vanstry]

I'm going to experiment on it. It needs to be sanded, too many specs and orange peel spots. I may just build it out when it's 'good enough' and find out from my instructor friend if he has any students who need a bass and just give it to them.

 

[Cagey]

Finishing requires more patience than many people have. That's not a Bad Thing, it's just the nature of the process. If this one has pushed you over the edge, I'm sure passing it along will make somebody very happy. It's a nice body, after all, not some Pacific Rim POS made of mystery wood.

 

[vanstry]

Well it did piss me off, but once that piece came off, there was really nothing that could be done for it beyond sanding it all back to bare wood. Which would have cost me more in time then just buying a new one.

I do wonder if I should have put sanding sealer over the stain to seal the wood (though I don't know how well that would have worked). Using a shellac was also recommended in another thread. I really need to call my brother-in-law up, he's an expert on finishing wood.

 

[Cagey]

If finish wouldn't adhere, it's unlikely sealer would, which is generally the same thing only thinner. The surface was either contaminated or too smooth to get a grip on. If there had been a previous finish on it, then shellac might have made a difference, but its practical use is as a barrier coat between dissimilar chemistries since it'll stick to anything and anything will stick to it.

 

[arealken]

sell it to me..I'll make you an offer you can't refuse

 

[mayfly]

Just catching up here.

Sorry to hear about your frustration with the body.  If you do decide to get rid of that body, I would be interested in it.  I will certainly pay shipping, and maybe a bit more.

Every year I do a benefit concert for cancer patients.  Last year I made a guitar on the cheap, used it for our set, then  auctioned it off at the end of the night.  I could certainly do the same with a nice P-Bass.  It would be for a good cause, and it would look killer when done.

Just throwing my hat into the ring here...

 

[Re-Pete]

Sad to read the painting didn't work out as you planned.

But I wouldn't throw it out. I made some wrong wood choices for a guitar project and had to wait 10 years before I could find a pickup configuration and active EQ system that could enhance the freqs that were made sterile with that selection. And it's a great guitar now. Very flexible in tone.

I can't offer you any advice on what to do with a bad finish on a body, but I encourage you not to ditch it. It may come in handy at some later stage.