spraying over clear? (Rondo)

[swarfrat]

So I'm eyeballing this Rondo SX It's pretty much the platform I want, except that  I'd rather have a single P pickup on the J body. I'm sure I can live with a superfluous pickup once the correct one has been installed, But I don't really care for the clear finish body. I'm thinking either black or white gloss with that tort & covers would be the ticket. (I'm looking for a P, like the J body, and a narrow spaced 5-string is a requirement.)  It's available in opaque at a few bucks cheaper, but it's a basswood body instead of ash. (I'm not sure if I care. I'm leaning towards basswood is an awesome body wood for guitars given the right hardware and pickups, but I'm not so sure about it in a bass.

I've no clue what that finish is, except for cheap. I'm guessing polyurethane. Is this a simple scuff and reranch job, or something more involved? Any other suggestions for maple / block / tort / covers besides solid gloss black or white?  (And a headstock reshape - that's almost as ugly as an unshaped paddle.)

Oh yeah, Black & Tort with covers looks sweet. Hope I can get used to the covers, I'm a flat picker.

 

[Cagey]

Damn. Your timing is off. I just gave away exactly what you're looking for a few months ago. SX from Rondo, black body, tort 'guard, narrow-spaced 5 string. Basically a 5 string J bass. Bought it some years back as an exercise machine, and it got just as much use as most exercise machines do - all the exercise came from moving it out of my way  :icon_biggrin:

Rather than work so hard on what's going to be a surprisingly nice instrument as delivered, in direct contradiction to its cost, maybe just wait a bit. The one you want may show up within the next few months as Kurt's inventory fluctuates quite a bit.

 

[swarfrat]

Doh  :doh:

Oh well. I guess wait and see. I actually have a couple months worth of  higher priority acquisitions on the list anyway.

TBH - I could live with that Candy Apple Red, it's a basswood body though. Toss a white pearloid PG with a P pickup in it and call it done.

 

[Cagey]

re: candy apple red version - that's a case where it would be nice to handle the thing before you buy it. My concern would be that a basswood body is going to be so light relative to a long Maple bass neck that you'd suffer from neck dive.

 

[Ace Flibble]

In case you do end up not waiting, buying and wanting to repaint, the answer is yes, you can repaint over a standard poly finish quite easily. The best option is to strip the finish—there are many chemical strippers that eat through poly without issue—and repaint it properly, but if you want to just lightly sand the top coat and spray solid gloss black over it, that will work fine, too. Spraying a strong gloss finish directly on top of an already thick gloss finish is going to dampen the resonance of the instrument a little, but whether you actually notice that or not depends on your playing style and taste in tone.

The key with guitar finishes is nitro and poly can be sprayed on top of poly but only nitro can be sprayed over nitro. Nothing can reliably be sprayed over oil or wax finishes; you have to take those on a case-by-case basis.

But yeah, with Rondo, they shift stock so quickly, and often offer the option to order a custom unit, that you're best off just waiting and seeing if they get in what you want.

 

[swarfrat]

Thanks for that info. It's probably a good thing they don't have it right now. Just bought my kid a bass, wanting some of the new Zildjian low volume cymbals, and that black/tort/maple with block inlays and covers combo on a curvy J body looks so danged sexy, even without a P pickup it'd likely put a $200 dent in the credit card before it could get away, and cost even more than that in marital counselling.

 

[dmraco]

I will have to disagree with Ace.  I have resprayed a number of poly type instruments.  However I NEVER strip it down completely.  I usually completely scuff with 200 grit and start over.  I consider the previous finish as my grain fill.  To Ace's point, yes the finish is thicker but the difference in sound cannot be distinguished, at least to my ear.

You will find a lot of the solid colors have been sprayed on top of a heavy coat of sealer already as was the case of a black fender squire I did.  I stopped sanding because it was like trying to sand thru epoxy...very hard.

When I redo a guitar I always use nitro over the original finish.  I have never had an issue with reactions.


Perfect example...this



Became this...it is a nitro over the scuffed original finish


this also was a respray of an all black guitar:

 

[Ace Flibble]

That's... exactly what I said. You're not disagreeing at all. ???

 

[gjacob]

The nice thing about a poly finish is you start with something sealed, filled and level.  The last thing you would want to do (when applying opaque) would be to strip it.  Just sand, paint and clear...and have a beer, you just saved yourself a lot of work.  :rock-on:

 

[pabloman]

In case you do end up not waiting, buying and wanting to repaint, the answer is yes, you can repaint over a standard poly finish quite easily. The best option is to strip the finish—

This is the part that is in disagreement. The best option is NOT to strip it first. Just scuff and shoot. 

 

[dmraco]

That's... exactly what I said. You're not disagreeing at all. ???

My bad....I re read your OP.  I crossed it up.
The process actually makes for some of my best finishes.  I hate to grain fill.

 

[Ace Flibble]

This is the part that is in disagreement. The best option is NOT to strip it first. Just scuff and shoot.

And as I said in the rest of that sentence,

but if you want to just lightly sand the top coat and spray solid gloss black over it, that will work fine, too.

I swear, some people just want to argue :icon_thumright:

 

[pabloman]

Yes they do! ccasion14:

 

[fdesalvo]

That's... exactly what I said. You're not disagreeing at all. ???

:toothy12: