Stingray-style Z bass

R

rkoeper

Junior Member
Messages
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Hey guys,

just back from the USA where I picked up the components for my Warmoth bass project. Saved a lot in postage and import tax, more money to spend on hardware. ;-)

I want to build a bass with Stingray-style electronics, one MM pickup in the sweet spot and active two-way tone control. Since Warmoth doesn't offer the Stingray body shape I decided to go wild and got a Z bass. Body wood is alder with a figured maple top.

The top I wanted to get was to small for the body, but the fabulous folks at Warmoth searched their workshop and found a nice piece for me. It seems a bit unusual since the figure runs strongly in parallel to the neck, not perpendicular. We'll see how it works out.

I'll start dyeing over the weekend and will update this thread soon. Comments welcome!

Ralf
 

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rkoeper said:
The top I wanted to get was to small for the body, but the fabulous folks at Warmoth searched their workshop and found a nice piece for me. It seems a bit unusual since the figure runs strongly in parallel to the neck, not perpendicular. We'll see how it works out.
Click to expand...

It doesn't seem like it would be to look at it, but that body style is very comfortable to play. You're going to be very pleased with it, I think.

Your top's figure isn't running parallel to the neck, the grain is. The figuring is still perpendicular. You'll see that more clearly when you stain it. That figuring is actually end grain, and it'll absorb more or less stain as the curls roll down the body. Think of it as naturally curly hair that's been somehow solidified...

curly-long-light-brown-hair.jpg

...then a cross-section gets sliced so you have a flat piece. You'll have alternating ends of hair exposed as you slice through the curls, but each strand of hair was originally running from top to bottom.

 
That looks great!  What kind of finish are you going with?  I'd recommend a washed dye finish; something like this.  But I can't imagine it looking ugly no matter how you finish it.  :headbang:
 
Body looks amazing so far,

Love the Z bass body shape. I always contemplated doing a stingray Z,
Hope you can put up sound clips/video when it's finally done, see how it compares to a MM.
 
Thanks for the positive feedback!

@Cagey: You're right, of course.
@ihnpts: The washed black looks great, but I had a deep blue in mind, with a poor man's burst to black sides.

Now, on to more pics!
 
First coat of colour. Looks pretty dark right now, I'll see how it looks after sanding back. Maybe I'll thin the blue for the next coat. Also in the next coat I'll try to do the poor man's burst from blue over blue with black to the black sides. Wish me luck!
 

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Don't rush me! ;-)

I'm letting dry over night, sand back lightly, and then apply the blue-to-black burst. I'm planning on a fourth coat with a slightly lighter blue to pop the colours. Will happen until weekend.

While I have your attention: I'm still unsure about the finish. What's the status of the Tru Oil vs. Tung Oil vs. Danish Oil vs. Shellac debate? Has anyone tried an oil finish over dye?

Or should I rather go for lacquer? I don't have professional equipment, so I could only do rattle cans or rub on. Anyone got advice on this?

Cheers!
 
rkoeper said:
While I have your attention: I'm still unsure about the finish. What's the status of the Tru Oil vs. Tung Oil vs. Danish Oil vs. Shellac debate? Has anyone tried an oil finish over dye?
Click to expand...

Tung Oil is best over natural colors, and it's best rubbed in; I'd think it's not super great for dye, but I've only done it over natural woods.

TruOil is NOT an oil, but rather an oil based varnish.  Rubbed on & polished, it's gorgeous.  I prefer it since it doesn't really require anything other than a good quality cloth, elbow grease, and patience.  Someone recommended using a TruOil dipped rag wrapped in a coffee filter, and that worked great for me.  Many THIN coats of TruOil look quite amazing, especially on mahogany.  It's even easier to apply to closed grain woods, so a maple/alder combo is simple.

I believe Danish oil is similar, in that it's not actually just an oil. I've never used it, can't give any advice.

Rattle cans require practice & a careful touch.  I've tried it on a few things, but it's quite hard to get it right. A spray booth & compressed air spraying thing work way better.

I'd steer you towards TruOil varnish over the dye, but that's that's just me.
 
I don't know what kind of dye you used, but I would suggest a sanding sealer on top of the dye before finishing it.  The dyes (depending on the type of course) will dissolve in the finish and color the finish.  It is not the end of the world, but the dye seems to have more depth when the dye is in the wood and the finish is clear.  So...  There are a lot of different ones on the market, but Zinsser wax free (that part is important if you want things to work out) shellac is a sanding sealer that does really well.  The only drawback it has is it doesn't like epoxy, but I don't think that will be an issue for you here.  I am sure any wax free shellac sanding sealer would work, I am just used to the Zinsser brand.  After a coat or two, go ahead with the top coat and you should have a dandy of a bass.
Patrick

 
Thanks guys. I'm leaning towards TruOil anyway, if I can get it here in Germany.

Two questions:
- Do I need to apply sanding sealer before TruOil? Or is that only necessary for lacquer finishes?
- I'd really appreciate a link to more information on how to apply TruOil (number of coats, dry times, polishing, etc).

Cheers,
Ralf
 
rkoeper said:
First coat of colour. Looks pretty dark right now, I'll see how it looks after sanding back. Maybe I'll thin the blue for the next coat. Also in the next coat I'll try to do the poor man's burst from blue over blue with black to the black sides. Wish me luck!
Click to expand...

What are you using for Dye?>
 
@ZGOZZ: Powder dye from a German company in water solution. Importing the well-known stuff from ReRanch, StewMac, etc into Germany is just too costly.

@Cagey: Perfect, just what I was looking for.

I found a source for TruOil in Germany and several in the UK, so I'll go for that. 8oz enough for a body or do I need the 32oz? And what is an oz?  ??? (just kidding)

Ralf
 
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