Not happy with new body, but what can I do?

[ravenhaller]

G'day from Australia

I've just received a roasted alder p-bass body to replace the jazz body on my Warmoth bass.  I just find p- bodies that little bit more comfortable.

I was over the moon then my partner called me to say it had finally arrived.  I raced home at light speed to get my first glimpse.  But when I opened the box... well... I was extremely disappointed.  The grain / mineral streaking looks like cracks. And they're everywhere.  Not in places where it might look like a cool battle scar, but in places where it just looks awful.

I'm not sure what I can do about it.  My first in 10 Warmoth pieces that I am unhappy with.  I should point out there's absolutely no faulting the QC - it's just a really ugly piece of wood.

I originally planned for a tru oil finish, and ordered a pickguard to suit this asthetic.  But the only way to tame this grain is with a solid colour.

Yeah. Disappointed.

 

[Rick]

Cheers... I was in  Australia two years ago and loved the place ...
The mineral streaking is 100% normal and has no effect on the structural integrity in fact we call those beauty marks (in the usa) and actually look for pieces with the streaks and pay extra. Later I'll post some pics of my jazzmaster build that has the streaks, and wish it had more, though to make it match the pickguard I did a blue dye and it was not roasted.  If it was roasted I would do exactly what you're doing to bring out the richness.

If you want a bland piece of wood then maple, basswood or popular are the go to.

If you put Truoil on your body it will look sumptuous.  No worries.

If it really bugs you, you won't want to obliterate them entirely, so a light red or amber or brown maybe blue dye would work but I'd stick with tru-oil because clear would look so nice and rich.  Yeah sumptuous would be the right word.

Obliterating the streaks would be a crime ...

 

[aarontunes]

 

[swarfrat]

You could burst the edges and still leave it mostly clear

 

[rauchman]

Mental note....no alder bodies

 

[Rick]

Here are my build and beauty shot threads, you gotta let the goodness show ...
https://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=30424.15
https://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=31537.0

 

[stratamania]

Personally, like poplar, I think alder is better generally with a solid finish. Roasting it will only accentuate the possibility of the streaking being more visible than many prefer.

 

[ravenhaller]

The mineral streaking is 100% normal and has no effect on the structural integrity in fact we call those beauty marks (in the usa) and actually look for pieces with the streaks and pay extra

There's healthy mineral streaking, and unhealthy mineral streaking.

Mineral streaks that run perpendicular to the grain - that's scar tissue.  Scar tissue is damage.  The photos in the OP show of cracks in the grain that have somewhat healed over in later years.  Maybe another tree fell on it along the line, who knows.  But the surrounding grain patterns tell the story.


Mineral streaks that run with the grain - that's what is sought after.  Just like this guy on my wall:

Oh well.  I guess every guitar collection needs an ugly duckling.  And I bought it to play it, not look at it.  So maybe it's for the best  :headbanging:

 

[ravenhaller]

Hahaha!  That made me laugh.

If I knew what this icing design was called, it will become the name of my bass  :laughing7:

 

[Rick]

Herringbone is the name of your bass.

 

[swarfrat]

Figured wood is just defective wood we find interesting.

 

[wildbill]

Figured wood is just defective wood we find interesting.

Very true. It is in the eye of the beholder. Personally, I find this chunk of tree very interesting and would accentuate the patterns with copious application of tru oil but I can certainly see how someone would not find it attractive. 

 

[daizee]

Hmm yeah, but that herringbone too.

The Japanese deal with this sort of thing artistically, and it's fantastic:

https://www.entoten.com/2019/05/05/kintsugi-an-ancient-japanese-repairing-technique-using-urushi-lacquer/
https://www.instructables.com/Kintsugi-Wooden-Earrings-Japanese-Art/
https://www.art-us.com/how-to-do-kintsugi-repair/

My late partner was part Japanese (genetically), and had done a project which involved hand-grinding lapis to powder to make pigment with another artist. She turned me on to this idea.

When I was building the usuba below and trying to figure out how to dodge the nasty knot/cavity in the block of ironwood, I decided to include it instead. And then mixed her hand-ground lapis powder with some clear epoxy to fill the cavity, and then finished it out with a G10 bolster in matching blue. Now I have a piece of her (work) in the knife, and I like to think she'd dig it.

Anyway, this is about YOUR guitar, just trying to offer some inspirational ideas if you don't mind a little more work.

https://goldknifeworks.wordpress.com/2017/11/18/160mm-usuba-in-1084-ironwood-and-g10/

 

[DangerousR6]

I'd just relic the whole thing, make the mineral streaks fit in, I think it's cool...But that's just me... :dontknow:

 

[ravenhaller]

Three coats of tru oil later:

The ugly duckling became a... umm.. beautiful duck?  :icon_scratch:

Photo - Frankensteining in progress.  White body to be replaced.  The Jazz body is swamp ash.  I might keep for a rainy day.

Why the change?  The P body straddles me better when sitting.  And in the context of a mix, an alder bass (IMO) seems to have a bit more cushion to the transients. And a bit more magic in the pocket.  Not that much, but enough that i'm willing to make the change.

 

[Logrinn]

Three coats of tru oil later:

The ugly duckling became a... umm.. beautiful duck?  :icon_scratch:

Beautiful duck?
No, no, no ...
The ugly duckling* became a beautiful swan. Lovely!




* ”Ugly duckling” is actually the name I’ve given my Warmoth Jaguar.  :icon_thumright:

 

[Re-Pete]

Three coats of tru oil later:

The ugly duckling became a... umm.. beautiful duck?  :icon_scratch:

Photo - Frankensteining in progress.  White body to be replaced.  The Jazz body is swamp ash.  I might keep for a rainy day.

Why the change?  The P body straddles me better when sitting.  And in the context of a mix, an alder bass (IMO) seems to have a bit more cushion to the transients. And a bit more magic in the pocket.  Not that much, but enough that i'm willing to make the change.

I have been watching this Thread seeing what would happen. I'm in Australia too, and we rely upon good photos of showcase bodies to get exactly what we want or we take a chance at straight out ordering. Once the body comes to Australia, it's probably cost prohibitive to send it back if it had a fault.

I wasn't sure what I was seeing in your original photos.... To me, on first glance, it looked like a crack in the body. Then others commented that it was granular....

The way the body turned out after finishing, matches the neck very well.....So pleased for you that the end result was much better than the first impressions.  :icon_thumright:

 

[wildbill]

She's gorgeous, as I expected and hoped. Glad she didn't get covered with a solid color frumpy smock.  

 

[DangerousR6]

She's gorgeous, as I expected and hoped. Glad she didn't get covered with a solid color frumpy smock.

Summertimes coming guys, don't let that $7 dollar sun dress cost you $200k in college tuition.... :icon_jokercolor:

 

[ravenhaller]

Very brown.  Shall I call her Herringbrown?

An interesting observation: this body is so light, that together the combo seems to encourage more neck dive than when paired with the white jazz body.  So if anyone else is chasing an all roast p-bass, maybe best to stick with a thinner neck profile to keep the weight down on that side of the equation.

Just waiting on some copper tape, then it will all come together.