ONCE A WHITE/BT 4001
Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2007 7:12 am
Jeff Thomas' 4001 is nearing completion...
Once a well-worn and -yellowed 4001 that did yeoman duty for Jeff through the '80s until recently, it was sent to me last year for a remake. (Didja ever think it would end up being so complex, Jeff?).
He got the OK from Paul Boyer to use Paul's "personal" Mink color, once we determined that the wood underneath was defect-free, although the grain was unspectacular on the front. There was some nice curl on the back, however.
So, Mink burst it was. Mink is a 4-step burst, with black tinges on the edges fading to deep brown, then into a transparent red-brown, finally to a pale lilac
The first shot shows the re-bound body, stripped of its white paint and black binding, with new checkerboard binding with whte celluloid outer binding, and the refretted and rebound neck. Full-width sparkle pearl fretboard inlays replace the original routed-and-filled pearlescent inlays. The body was routed for 1/2" pickup spacing on the neck pickup, as well, and a custom-fabricated guard will grace its top surface.
The neck was rebound, of course, and features vintage red side dots.
The other two shots show the bass in my booth, immediately following the application of paint. The binding still needs scraping, then unmasking for varnish.
Next steps, of course, are the "usual": many coats of varnish, followed by lots of flatting and buffing to a mirror gloss, then re-install all of the hardware, rewire, restring and set up. This bass should ship back to Jeff early next week!
And so it goes...
...Sorry about that last shot; my shop is on a rather steep San Francisco hill!
Once a well-worn and -yellowed 4001 that did yeoman duty for Jeff through the '80s until recently, it was sent to me last year for a remake. (Didja ever think it would end up being so complex, Jeff?).
He got the OK from Paul Boyer to use Paul's "personal" Mink color, once we determined that the wood underneath was defect-free, although the grain was unspectacular on the front. There was some nice curl on the back, however.
So, Mink burst it was. Mink is a 4-step burst, with black tinges on the edges fading to deep brown, then into a transparent red-brown, finally to a pale lilac
The first shot shows the re-bound body, stripped of its white paint and black binding, with new checkerboard binding with whte celluloid outer binding, and the refretted and rebound neck. Full-width sparkle pearl fretboard inlays replace the original routed-and-filled pearlescent inlays. The body was routed for 1/2" pickup spacing on the neck pickup, as well, and a custom-fabricated guard will grace its top surface.
The neck was rebound, of course, and features vintage red side dots.
The other two shots show the bass in my booth, immediately following the application of paint. The binding still needs scraping, then unmasking for varnish.
Next steps, of course, are the "usual": many coats of varnish, followed by lots of flatting and buffing to a mirror gloss, then re-install all of the hardware, rewire, restring and set up. This bass should ship back to Jeff early next week!
And so it goes...
...Sorry about that last shot; my shop is on a rather steep San Francisco hill!
