Swamp Ash Body/Flame Maple Top

[MichaelSmalley]

Hi,
I'm new here and I'm about to order my first bass from Warmoth. Swamp ash body and flame maple. I want to finish it myself in a transparent red... that's about all I know. I'm looking for resources to help me through the process. I've been reading through DIY forums and other websites, and I've been talking to people who've done this sort of work before but I am just a bit overwhelmed. Maybe you guys can put me on the right track.

1) I need to use wood grain filler on the ash body, but NOT the maple lam?
2) After grain filler, apple sanding sealer and then sand it...again, someone told me I only needed to do this on the ash body.
3) After the grain filler and sand sealer, apply the dye. I want the body and laminate matching transparent red... any pitfalls I need to be aware of since they are different types of wood?
How long does the dye need to sit before it gets wiped off?
4) After the dye dries, spray with with a coat or two of polyester.
5) Buff out the clear coat.

Is there a single source that can walk me through the finishing process?

Thanks y'all
-Mike

 

[MichaelSmalley]

Another question- are standard wood working products (furniture finishes, etc) appropriate for use on instruments?

 

[Cagey]

First, welcome to the board!

As for your finish, I gotta plug Warmoth's work. For what they charge, it's amazing the finish you get. First class stuff, and very durable. Finishing is not a trivial task and takes a lotta mistakes to get good at. You have to be sure you want to use something as nice as a Warmoth body for your first foray into finishing land.

All that said...

1. You'll need to grain fill the Swamp Ash, but not the Maple.
2. Seal the whole thing first, before you grain fill. The Swamp Ash needs the sealer to keep the filler from shrinking and the Maple needs the sealer for later when you stain to keep it from getting splotchy on you. The fill stage may take 2 or 3 applications to get smooth. Patience here will pay off later.
3. Stain it however you want. Different types of wood are going to show up as different colors; there's not much you can do about that. Besides, you're going to have different grains going on anyway. It's not like nobody's gonna see a line. Stain probably won't need to be wiped off, but if it does then very close to immediately, as long as it's even.
4. Once the stain is dry, you'll want a couple/few coats of sanding sealer. Sand between coats. You want the surface to be as smooth/flat as possible.
5. Shoot clear coats.
6. Finish sand, buff.

Furniture products aren't necessarily "furniture" products. Wood is wood. You use what's appropriate for the finish you want.

If you're using rattle cans, be aware that you'll probably need a LOT more than you think. A great deal of what's in a spray can is reducer and propellant, with a little bit of finish thrown in to tease you.

 

[MichaelSmalley]

That's a good thought... I should experiment on a cheaper body rather than potentially screw up a 3 or 4 hundred dollar body.

 

[Cagey]

I would. You could end up with something that could be turned into another instrument by yourself or someone else. Or, rather than get a cheaper body, just get some scrap wood as similar as possible to what you're going to be working on. Costs even less, although you don't generally end up with anything useful.

But, a cheap body will also teach you how to avoid certain pitfalls in handling the part, as well as shooting angles and sanding techniques. They're pretty easy to come by - Guitar Fetish, for instance, will sell you a raw Swamp Ash Strat body like this...

... for $59.95 in the box, out the door. You'll invent all sorts of new cuss words finishing that bad boy. Then you give it to somebody you hate because a standard neck won't fit on it. Whoever ends up with it will have to buy one of theirs.

 

[Dolando]

When I finished my first ash jazz bass I used this little guide, also has some great advise on prep before applying a finish. He's my local tech and he knows his stuff. May be worth a read.

http://www.manchesterguitartech.co.uk/2011/08/05/finishing-an-ash-telecaster-in-butterscotch/

 

[chuffed-addick]

Manchester guitar tech is where I go for Lacquers, excellent customer service and very helpful! guides on there are very good too