Odd bass lines
Moderator: jingle_jangle
Odd bass lines
...but not the kind you'd think. My 1979 4001 has these strange lines in the finish that are perfectly uniform and straight and go all the way across the top of the bass, but not the back. The lines measure approx 20mm apart and are perfectly parrallel to the neck. They're hard to photograph, but I think you can see them in this pic. I've never seen lines like this before on any other guitar. Anybody know what this is? They've always been there since I bought the bass in 1982. Not a concern of mine - just curious as to how the finish came out this way.
Re: Odd bass lines
Great. Now how am I supposed to get rid of bass-gophers?
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jingle_jangle
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Re: Odd bass lines
I'll bet that stripping the paint off this bass would yield an interesting story...this is definitely a refinish, and not by the factory! I'm inclined to think that somebody painted some stripes on the bass when it was newer . The stripes are exactly 3/4" wide--the width of the most common, garden-variety masking tape. I'd bet that underneath the black paint it's striped black and white or black and yellow...
Re: Odd bass lines
Interesting theory, and sounds like the most logical explanation. However, if this IS the result of stripes being painted over, the black re-refin is emaculate. I don't have an expert eye at discerning refins from the original finish, but I'd think that there would be some evidence of two refins around the binding somewhere. Plus, in several areas on the front of the bass where paint has been chipped or worn off, there is no sign of another color - only bare wood. Could the body be comprised of 3/4 strips of wood glued together? Would painting over pieces glued together give the striped affect? Aaah - nevermind; the back of the body doesn't have the stripes. It would be interesting to have some of you pro luthiers get a good look at it close-up & in person. Hopefully I'll make it to another confluence one of these times. In the meantime, I think I should take my own advice and get out of the house.
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phlemmy
Re: Odd bass lines
Other than bass gophers, I think the saw that originally cut this has crooked teeth. 
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jingle_jangle
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Re: Odd bass lines
Mark, not meaning to bust yer bubble on this, but from the photo you've posted, this bass' refinish is far from "immaculate". I see orange peel to beat the band and, of course, there's those lines. What you have there is a quick respray in black to hide the stripes, brought to just enough shine to show them again in reflection. An "immaculate" respray would look like a mirror, even twenty years on, with proper care.
I know this might sound harsh to you, but I am trying to keep our descriptions in line and as accurate as possible. The reason why has a lot to do with vintage dealers who generally know zilch about refinishing, lumping all refinishes into one category and devaluing instruments by 50% or even more because they are refinishes, without saying whether they are good or bad or indifferent or factory-quality, or possible even better. The less scrupulous of them will then take a nicely-refinished instrument that they paid bottom dollar, and put it up for sale at high dollars without mentioning the refinish at all.
So I'm picky about the language and rating of refinishes.
To my knowledge, Rick has never built a bowling alley bass (one made up of thin strips glued together).
I know this might sound harsh to you, but I am trying to keep our descriptions in line and as accurate as possible. The reason why has a lot to do with vintage dealers who generally know zilch about refinishing, lumping all refinishes into one category and devaluing instruments by 50% or even more because they are refinishes, without saying whether they are good or bad or indifferent or factory-quality, or possible even better. The less scrupulous of them will then take a nicely-refinished instrument that they paid bottom dollar, and put it up for sale at high dollars without mentioning the refinish at all.
So I'm picky about the language and rating of refinishes.
To my knowledge, Rick has never built a bowling alley bass (one made up of thin strips glued together).
Re: Odd bass lines
No bubble burst, or harshness perceived. It doesn't break my heart or make me think any less of this awesome bass to know that it's likely been refinished. Like I said, my eye is not as keen as a pro luthier's. I posed the query to learn, and this has all been informative as I had hoped. So whether it's a refin'd stripe-job, orange peels, bowling alleys, or bass-gophers, this is all good information to have. I think the one thing that I found odd was the lack of any color under the black where the paint had chipped off. And a long time ago, I had the routed cavities painted with lead paint to help with the grounding, so there's no color clues there to be seen anymore. (Maybe it's not actually lead paint - isn't that stuff illegal now?)
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jingle_jangle
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Re: Odd bass lines
And there's always the distinct possibility that I'm wrong about the stripes, too!!! 
Or, maybe somebody painted it with black-on-black stripes...the "stripes" thing just seems to be the most logical, Spockian explanation of a number of possibilities. One thing fo sho--it's not a factory finish job.
You had the cavities painted; probably the guy used some RF or EMF shielding paint, like they used to use on computer monitors.
Or, maybe somebody painted it with black-on-black stripes...the "stripes" thing just seems to be the most logical, Spockian explanation of a number of possibilities. One thing fo sho--it's not a factory finish job.
You had the cavities painted; probably the guy used some RF or EMF shielding paint, like they used to use on computer monitors.
Re: Odd bass lines
SHIELDING paint. Yes - that's what I was thinking of, not lead paint. Sure, I like to jeopardize my health in as many ways as possible. In addition to the lead paint, I've insulated the cavities with asbestos.
So while we're on the subject of shielding paint, someone coated the cavities of my '68 4001 with the stuff before I bought it. The bass sounds great - fairly quiet as far as buzz & hum goes, but I don't have a huge problem with buzz on my Ricks that don't have the shielding paint. I've been wondering just how effective this application is in warding off buzz, and I've often thought it would be cool to be able to see the inside of the pot cavity to see what markings were written there. Is it difficult to remove shielding paint - without damaging the finish underneath?
I'm thinking about how cool it would be to see the pot cavity on my bass - I really do need to get out of the house.
So while we're on the subject of shielding paint, someone coated the cavities of my '68 4001 with the stuff before I bought it. The bass sounds great - fairly quiet as far as buzz & hum goes, but I don't have a huge problem with buzz on my Ricks that don't have the shielding paint. I've been wondering just how effective this application is in warding off buzz, and I've often thought it would be cool to be able to see the inside of the pot cavity to see what markings were written there. Is it difficult to remove shielding paint - without damaging the finish underneath?
I'm thinking about how cool it would be to see the pot cavity on my bass - I really do need to get out of the house.
Re: Odd bass lines
If I may pop in on this quickly - 3M makes copper tape for EMI shielding which is less "permanent" than the shielding paint of which you speak. (17 years as a lab rat finally paid off!)
"Now go away or I shall taunt you a second time"
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jingle_jangle
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Re: Odd bass lines
With a gut like that, no way is he the soprano gopher...
Removing shielding paint...all depends on whether it's the water-soluble kind or the two-pack (shakur?) kind.
1. Get some denatured alcohol from a hardware store.
2. Put some on a cloth rag.
3. Rub the paint.
4a. If some comes off on the rag, rub, rub, rub.
4b. If not, it's two-pack and not possible to remove without a major archaeological expedition.
That copper tape is also available from hardware stores and garden centers; it's used to keep snails out of flower beds.
Removing shielding paint...all depends on whether it's the water-soluble kind or the two-pack (shakur?) kind.
1. Get some denatured alcohol from a hardware store.
2. Put some on a cloth rag.
3. Rub the paint.
4a. If some comes off on the rag, rub, rub, rub.
4b. If not, it's two-pack and not possible to remove without a major archaeological expedition.
That copper tape is also available from hardware stores and garden centers; it's used to keep snails out of flower beds.
Re: Odd bass lines
The previous owner of the '68 put copper tape on the back of the pickguard in addition to the shielding paint in the cavities. Do you guys resort to this kind of stuff on your guitars? Is it really necessary?
Paul - I've got Isopropyl alcohol at 91%. Will that do?
Paul - I've got Isopropyl alcohol at 91%. Will that do?
Re: Odd bass lines
Denatured alcohol is different than isopropyl. Denatured is available at any hardware store, like Ace or such.
My shielded Ricks are a lot quieter than the unshielded ones, only noticeable around EMF fields, like the trannies in my amps, or the TV in the kitchen, the digital display on the microwave, or the big TV about 6 feet through a wall away from where I stand in the practice room. If that tv is on, with high gain pups, I get "the buzz", which ain't the good type.
With shielding, only fields that are directly in front of the pickups gives buzzing.
My shielded Ricks are a lot quieter than the unshielded ones, only noticeable around EMF fields, like the trannies in my amps, or the TV in the kitchen, the digital display on the microwave, or the big TV about 6 feet through a wall away from where I stand in the practice room. If that tv is on, with high gain pups, I get "the buzz", which ain't the good type.
With shielding, only fields that are directly in front of the pickups gives buzzing.