Flea Market 4001 restoration

[hilbishnk]

I am new here and starting my first restoration project on a 1972 4001 rickenbacker bass. So here is the back story. For sale at the local flea market was the rickenbacker and a Fender Bass VI for $700 so I grabbed them up, the bass VI was in almost perfect condition but the Rick had been stripped of its original mapleglo finnish stained a dark color and covered in polyurethane. The neck binding has been removed and a badass bridge was fitted along with a danelectro lipstick pickup in the space were the bridge mute would normaly be. The bass has the orignal grover tuners, nameplate, serialplate, pickups, straplocks, but has a poorly cut clear plexi pickgaurd. The truss rods ends are bent where the nuts are, and the finger board is seperating from the neck slighty at the top of the neck on the G string side. So far I have removed all the poly urethane and sanded out much of the stain. There are some tuff spots in the end grain where the stain really soked in deep.

So here is what ideally i would like to accomplish: Remove all finish and stain from wood and refinnish in mapleglo, reglue fingerboard and fix truss rods if needed, install neck binding and possibly refret, outter body binding it cracked so replacing or painting over it would be a plus, get a new pickguard and a bridge surround for the badass bridge.

Here is a picture with the hardware and electronics removed before stripping and sanding I will post more pictures after work of its current state. Just wanted to get any suggestions on removing some of the remaining dark spots in the wood, regluing the fretboard, and rebinding the neck.

http://i1188.photobucket.com/albums/z41 ... C_0004.jpg

[paologregorio]

Congrats on your find; those are both really cool basses! Cheers to you for relieving the Rick of that awful dark brown stain-"hey, I'm going to make my rockin' electric bass look like a piece of musty, old, antique furniture"-BLECH! Keep us posted!

[jingle_jangle]

In this and all restoration cases, where the instrument has been hacked by previous owners, the approach to take is to improve the bass and stop the cycle of butchery. So, whatever you do, consider whether it's an improvement or whether it could be detrimental. You can't go wrong fixing things correctly.

Removing the stain by sanding is the best way; I don't know what kind of stain it is, so it's not possible for me to give you step-by-step on this. If you've got some dark spots, you can try scrubbing them out with acetone and #3 steel wool. Wear a respirator and good rubber gloves when you do this.

I generally advise against re-doing an instrument in Mapleglo if it's had dark stain or a dark paint color, because of the penetration of the dark color into the grain. If you can get all the stain out, you're OK, though.

I see difficulties ahead with the bridge if you're going to go back to a stock Rick bridge, due to the routed out area. You'll have to patch in some maple, and the Mapleglo finish won't hide the patch.

Regarding the fretboard glue, procedures vary depending upon where it's split. A good close-up photo will help.

ABS binding for the neck and body can be bought at www.stewmac.com. Use DuPont Duco cement (in a tube) to glue it into place. Try to avoid super glue if you can. Duco is much more forgiving. Don't paint over the binding--it'll only chip and crack. Rebind or leave it as is.

Truss rods should be removed, shortened, and re-threaded. You can either use the old nuts, which are threaded 8-32, or if they're chewed up, get some new nuts and rethread the rods to new threading, which is 10-32. You can safely cut an inch or so off the rods without compromising their function.

[paul_yan]

Nice score, Nathan, and welcome aboard. That Fender Bass VI is more than worth the $700 alone. So consider the '72 4001 a big free gift!

I have a feeling that the stain will be mostly impossible to get rid of. Have you considered some finish other than Mapleglo? Burgundy or Fireglo, and even White will be lovely too, IMHO.

[jingle_jangle]

White may not work, either, because stains are often "bleeders", coming through the subsequent finishes, so it's likely that you'll see pink or light brown spots in the white finish.

[paul_yan]

Thanks for pointing that out, Paul. Now I know a little better.

[coolhandjjl]

I've used Xylene to help wick out stain, not sure where on the scale it ranks with acetone. Oxalic acid is often used by floor refinishers to bleach out stains. Use the same cautions with any of these.

For the face, what about a veneer and put on all new binding?

[hilbishnk]

I have got alot of the stain out I will post pictures when I get home from work. I have had some success using powdered chlorine in lightening the stains. On the front and back of the body as well as the headstock and neck I have gotten alot of the stain out just by sanding with 100-150 grit sand paper, the sides though are where it is tuff to remove the stain. I am considering a burgundyglo finnish if I cant get enough of the stain out. Stay tuned for photos.

[jingle_jangle]

The reason the sides are prone to retaining stain is that they have exposed end grain, which sucks up stain like a sponge. The stain goes very deep.

Bleaches are fine for water-soluble stains. Solvent-borne stain like that awful brown, however, ne3ed to be either abraded (sanded) away or dissolved with solvent.

Acetone is aggressive in removing many solvent-borne stains; xylene is less so. Both can give you a roaring headache and possible CNS damage.

Additionally, you gotta be careful with that sandpaper lest you do a McCartney/Squire on the bass...

[coolhandjjl]

.......I have had some success using powdered chlorine in lightening the stains......

Careful with chlorine. It deteriorates the bonds that hold the wood fibers together, may cause loss of strength on the neck. That's why the flooring guys use oxalic acid.

[jingle_jangle]

True, as far as it goes.

Floors of oak will resist the oxalic acid reasonably well. Pine floors can get very soft, and maple will surface-soften with the use of strong acids or bases.

[hilbishnk]

Here is a link with pictures of the work in progress so far

http://s1188.photobucket.com/albums/z41 ... n_Hilbish/

[jps]

Welcome, Nathan! Nice finds!!!

White may not work, either, because stains are often "bleeders", coming through the subsequent finishes, so it's likely that you'll see pink or light brown spots in the white finish.

KILZ High Build.jpg

[coolhandjjl]

Nice pics! My dream bass... skunk stripe and checkered binding!

[jingle_jangle]

Kilz is the worst kind of slow-drying enamel. You can't paint anything but wall and trim paint over it...