satin finish? worth it?

[cloren]

I'm custom ordering a sweet lecompte bass - here are the woods: mahogany body
                                                                                              burl maple top (with mahogany centerstrip)
                                                                                              maple/wenge neck
                                                                                                rosewood fingerboard

from Bud Lecompte's website: "I use a polyester product for the fill coats and a satin catalyzed conversion varnish for the top coats."

I'm wondering if I should go ahead and request the aforementioned finish or ask him to hold off on it so I can have someone locally do an oil finish- is it worth it?

in your opinion, do you think it makes that much of a difference; tonally? aesthetically?

 

[jackthehack]

Why not save a bunch of money and build a Warmoth?

 

[cloren]

lol. true that man- i've built warmoth before and I dig their style- but i'd like to incorporate a lot of custom options that a) warmoth doesn't offer, and b) i can't do myself (i.e. I spent $200 to have a $300 warmoth fret job leveled and redressed- well worth it cause it's the best neck I've ever played but it was a bit discouraging)

 

[dudesweet157]

If you spent $200 for a fret dressing you got ripped off.  The local guy here does nickel steel dressings for $70 and stainless steel for $100 ($20 more if it has binding/maple fretboard) and mine didn't even need one out of the box.

 

[dbw]

I had my Warmoth set up and intonated, with fret dressing, for $90.  And they're stainless.  They also installed the back ferrules and the string tree.

 

[cloren]

are you kidding me? $90 and thats it? dammit!

well i feel like an idiot now

 

[jackthehack]

I get mine guitars set up for $25-30; have NEVER needed to dress frets on a new Warmoth neck and have purchased a number of them.

The Lecompte 4 strings START at $1800 without wood upgrades or extras, you can sure buy a LOT of Warmoth bass for that kind of money....

 

[dbw]

Well the guy said "there wasn't much fret work but a little" so it surely would have been higher had the frets been worse from the factory.

 

[stubhead]

I use a polyester product for the fill coats and a satin catalyzed conversion varnish

Like, Minwax poly? I like that too, 15 bucks a jug at Ace Hardware....

 

[cloren]

on 2nd thought, i might go with the warmoth!

thanks for the info guys- you saved me on this one

 

[jackthehack]

You should, you can do a "pretty"/exotic wood body & neck with high end Warmoth factory finish and whatever pickups you want and pay someone to assemble it and still come out a ways under $1800

I'd recommend this body:

http://www.warmoth.com/showcase/sc_guitar_bodies.cfm?type=bass&itemNumber=BP324&menuItem=1&subMenuItem=2&subMenuItem2=0

with this neck:

http://www.warmoth.com/showcase/sc_guitar_necks.cfm?type=bass&itemNumber=BN1602&menuItem=1&subMenuItem=0&subMenuItem2=0

Add gold hardware and you're only at around $1100, just add whatever your favorite PU set is and assembly....

Just an example, but what I'd suggest if you came to me wanting one....