98 LP Bass finished (mostly!)

drbassman · January 16, 2008, 06:44:14 PM

OK, I just didn't like the top on my 98 LP carcass. One crappy piece of realy dark mahog that didn't match the rest of the body. Typical Gibson QC. So, off comes the top finish. Next will be a flame maple affair with a cherry burst finish. Before and after............

I've got some really beautiful veneer that's going to cap this top. I'm also toying with cream binding for the top. We'll see how energetic I feel later this month. If we get our usual 100 inches of snow, I might do the binding too!

godofthunder · January 17, 2008, 04:56:22 AM

Bill you are a ambitious man !

drbassman · January 17, 2008, 05:01:06 AM

Quote from: godofthunder on January 17, 2008, 04:56:22 AM
Bill you are a ambitious man !

Thanks Scott, but it's really nothing with the help of 60 grit riding on a random orbital sander!!! And for those of you who say Gibson nitro is delicate, well I beg to differ! It took me over an hour to sand this stuff off. I didn't want to use stripper because I wanted a clean edge since I'm only doing the top on this one and didn't want to screw up finish on the sides.

I'm seriously considering some binding since I've got the top cleaned off. Maybe tort would be cool!

uwe · January 17, 2008, 08:24:03 AM

Wasn't nudity disallowed in this forum, especially in pictorial form? $:-\$

I think I would actually oil fin this baby and leave it as is - real nice grain now.

eb2 · January 17, 2008, 08:30:17 AM

Are you going to take down the top any to make up for the thickness of the cap? Or just use whatever the sander removed?

My local not-quite-good-enough-for-vintage shop had a double cut Les Paul Junior or Special. Probably 59 or 60, but so mutilated that you couldn't tell what it started our as. It was there for years, and I decided I would finally buy it and put a mahogany cap over the mess, using my community center's nutso wood shop. It sold a couple of weeks before I went. DANG.

When I first saw that, I thought you could bind and flame top it.

drbassman · January 17, 2008, 09:07:51 AM

Quote from: uwe on January 17, 2008, 08:24:03 AM
Wasn't nudity disallowed in this forum, especially in pictorial form? $:-\$

I think I would actually oil fin this baby and leave it as is - real nice grain now.

Well, I assumed amorphous nudity was OK since there aren't any appendages to offend the overly sensitive among us! I thought about oiling it, but I have some really nice flame veneer. The veneer is very thin, maybe a mm or so? Anyway, I took off about the same amount of finish on this beast! So no problem with height of the top and neck angle, etc.

I'll post some pics of it tonight. I still don't like that hinky piece of really dark mahog on the top of the lower bout. Tacky!

drbassman · January 17, 2008, 09:09:06 AM

Quote from: eb2 on January 17, 2008, 08:30:17 AM
Are you going to take down the top any to make up for the thickness of the cap? Or just use whatever the sander removed?

My local not-quite-good-enough-for-vintage shop had a double cut Les Paul Junior or Special. Probably 59 or 60, but so mutilated that you couldn't tell what it started our as. It was there for years, and I decided I would finally buy it and put a mahogany cap over the mess, using my community center's nutso wood shop. It sold a couple of weeks before I went. DANG.

When I first saw that, I thought you could bind and flame top it.

Well, I wouldn't have hesitated on that LP Jr. Sometime you just gotta jump on them, like I did on the NR TB. I wasn't about to let that one get away.

Dave W · January 17, 2008, 10:29:14 AM

I wouldn't leave it as is unless I could even out the color difference with that dark piece on the lower bout. Beside the point anyway since you've already decided to veneer it. But I really can't blame Gibson for the dark non-matching piece. That's exactly why it was chosen for a solid color finish.

Re your sanding efforts and Gibson nitro durability, we really don't know all the details of what they use. Could be nitro color coats over an oil- or epoxy-based sealer. Could still be a nitro sealer, but the formulas have changed over the years.

Barklessdog · January 17, 2008, 11:12:18 AM

I liked your metal plate top Zemis ? idea.

drbassman · January 17, 2008, 12:55:18 PM

Quote from: Dave W on January 17, 2008, 10:29:14 AM
I wouldn't leave it as is unless I could even out the color difference with that dark piece on the lower bout. Beside the point anyway since you've already decided to veneer it. But I really can't blame Gibson for the dark non-matching piece. That's exactly why it was chosen for a solid color finish.

Re your sanding efforts and Gibson nitro durability, we really don't know all the details of what they use. Could be nitro color coats over an oil- or epoxy-based sealer. Could still be a nitro sealer, but the formulas have changed over the years.

The trans cherry finish wasn't solid, you could easily see the darker wood through the original finish. If I couldn't have seen it, I may not even have thought about messin' with it. But hey, I've never been able to leave well enough alone, so what's new?

Also, the underlying grain fill/sealer was pretty dark and quite thick as well. The entire thing was amazing actually. I was impressed with the 1mm+ thinckness of the finish.

Dave W · January 17, 2008, 01:06:22 PM

That sort of demolishes the argument that nitro is automatically always thin. Not that I ever believed it. My '59 Melody Maker guitar and '67 Fender Coronado Bass both had thick nitro finishes.

Barklessdog · January 17, 2008, 01:07:52 PM

Gilmer has in some figured real Mahogany

http://www.gilmerwood.com/instrument_wood-lam-sets.htm

They were even kind enough to trace your bass for you!

Barklessdog · January 17, 2008, 01:11:14 PM

You could always go for the Freddy Krueger burn victim look?

drbassman · January 17, 2008, 04:19:48 PM

Quote from: Barklessdog on January 17, 2008, 01:11:14 PM
You could always go for the Freddy Krueger burn victim look?

That is one ugly piece of wood.

eb2 · January 18, 2008, 10:50:37 AM

I have seen that stuff glued down and smoothed out and it looks pretty nice when the light hits it. I think you have to use a extra quart of filler though. That turd stained part would get routed out. Still, my local place usually has some really nice slivers of tiger flamed maple that are just begging for a bass or guitar to get glued down on. Next project...