Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

SO I am going to sand the 4001S down to the natural finish, and put some sort of thin satin sealer on it. Any suggestions on what to use for the sealer?

I am going for a McCartney-esque vibe, so keep that in mind. Would tung oil work?

i used tung oil on my musicman bass neck, it feels great, much better than that unfinished feel they use now, it made it a lot darker though , like a old old fender neck,

Avoid tung or any other oil and get some satin nitro lacquer. You can find it in spray cans (I'm assuming you don't have a spray rig). This will give you a very nice satin finish with some depth and it'll stay clean-looking. Sand the surface down to #400 with no scratches showing. Spray a couple of coats, sand with #400 again to knock down the grain nubs, then re-coat a couple more times.

It goes without saying that the instrument must be stripped of hardware, but I'll say it anyway.

Yes, I do occasionally recommend nitro but only when satin conversion varnish is out of the question (as it would be in this case). If I was doing this myself, it would be CV hands down.

I'd try a test on a small area and see if you like the look/feel of the tung oil and then decide if you want to do the whole thing. It's great for ease of application, feel and maintenance.

jingle_jangle wrote:Avoid tung or any other oil and get some satin nitro lacquer. You can find it in spray cans (I'm assuming you don't have a spray rig). This will give you a very nice satin finish with some depth and it'll stay clean-looking. Sand the surface down to #400 with no scratches showing. Spray a couple of coats, sand with #400 again to knock down the grain nubs, then re-coat a couple more times.

It goes without saying that the instrument must be stripped of hardware, but I'll say it anyway.

Yes, I do occasionally recommend nitro but only when satin conversion varnish is out of the question (as it would be in this case). If I was doing this myself, it would be CV hands down.

This is what you'll want to do

I am very happy with my oil finish basses ... they feel nice and the resonance is quite different than Varnish or poly or nitro finishes.

Here is my McCartney style 4003s5 ... the oil finish changed the tone to where this is simply the best sounding 4003s5 that I have ever played.

http://www.3dentourage.com/425/1990-4003s5.htm

This is my oil finished 4004ci 4-2-5 ... this bass is truely amazing. It is very light and it has a really nice mid growl.

http://www.3dentourage.com/425/98-4004ci5.htm

This is my oil finished Fender bird 5 string bass. It is a real joy to play this one.

http://www.3dentourage.com/425/fender-bird2.htm

And this oil finished p-bass is the best of all of the p-basses that I have owned.

http://www.3dentourage.com/425/5%20stri ... 20bass.htm

I am a big fan of oil finished basses.

If you choose tung oil I would recommend Minwax Tung Oil Finish. It is easy to work with and gives great results. It would also be easy to do spot repairs if necessary. Nitrocellulose lacquer and conversion varnish would give more protection from the environment.

Jeff, is there a difference in sound between the Varnish or poly or nitro finishes and Tung Oil Finish? If so could you describe it? I have heard this before but never really recall it being explained?

I take pure tung oil and mix in a lot of mineral spirits ... this gives the finish more shine and more toughness ... and a good paste wax on top of the finish is a good idea ...

a bass finished with oil will aloow the wood sound to come out more. It will have a nice mid range growl. Where a thicker CV, Nitro, or poly finish will have more highs and lows. It will weigh more as well.

The down side of the oil finish is it will not protect the wood nearly as well. But it can easily be touched up or completely refinished successfully by an unskilled person.

Also I like the more rounded and smooth feel of my oil finished 4003s5.

jwr2 wrote:I take pure tung oil and mix in a lot of mineral spirits ... this gives the finish more shine and more toughness ... and a good paste wax on top of the finish is a good idea ...

a bass finished with oil will aloow the wood sound to come out more. It will have a nice mid range growl. Where a thicker CV, Nitro, or poly finish will have more highs and lows. It will weigh more as well.

The down side of the oil finish is it will not protect the wood nearly as well. But it can easily be touched up or completely refinished successfully by an unskilled person.

Also I like the more rounded and smooth feel of my oil finished 4003s5.

Bass5-0016.JPG

Everyone has their preferences, and there's a lot to be said, of course, for a finish that a non-pro can do and maintain, when originality is not an issue to the owner. (I've seen several vintage Fender Jaguars and Jazzmasters--mid '60s--that have been finished in oil, on eBay lately, and this does not do much for resale. Consider that a custom color '65 might fetch $6-7K even with a worn finish, whereas a stripped and oiled one (lots of people did this in the '70s, it seems...) will be lucky to make $2K and is usually broken for parts.)

Your point about weight, though, is hard to agree with. A CV finish is about .007 thick on an instrument--two human hairs thick. The weight of dried paint and varnish on a bass or guitar would be a (small) fraction of an ounce. Nitro is thinner and even lighter.

The term "poly", used so frequently by guitar enthusiasts when talking or writing about contemporary finishes, is not specific enough, as there are two types of "poly" finishes in use here. The first, polyurethane, we've already covered in comments on conversion varnish, because that's what CV is. The second type, polyester, is typically used on guitars produced overseas, though not typically in Japan, where nitro and CV and also the norm. Fenders and other brands made in China, Indonesia, Mexico, etc., often have a polyester finish. Having stripped a few of these (a heat gun is the only way, unless you want to risk chewing up the guitar by sanding the paint off), I can testify to the extreme thickness of these finishes--typically .030-.040 on flat areas and .060 on edges and curves at times. In this case, there might be a couple of ounces' difference in the guitar's weight; possibly noticeable, but even this is doubtful.

What is happening here (and what may have been the reasons for the Lennon-McCartney strip back then) is the perceived new "lightness" of the guitar. And, in the case of a hollowbody or semi-hollow, this would make a perceptible difference in the sound. Someday I'd like to do a double-blind listening test to basses and guitars with different finishes so we can get a realistic and possibly quantifiable idea of the real differences in sound. UNtil then, I'll simply say, " some folks have better ears than I do".

Thanks for all the replies, fellas. I went with tung oil because I've used it on a Strat that I built with great results. It looks good so far but of course it needs to dry completely. I can post pics later.

So far so good..

Looks terrific, Charles!!! I'll bet you're stoked, hey?

As Jeff said, wax it and wax it well. You should use something in a paste wax, like Johnson's or Butcher's Boston. These are floor and woodwork paste waxes without any dyes or colorants. Do not use any type of car wax...they will mess it up.

Nice, very nice.

Thanks for the compliment - you bet I'm stoked!

Two questions - where would I get such wax, and how would I apply it? (never done that before)

Thanks!

Most hardware stores and home centers stock paste floor and/or furniture waxes. Otherwise try Amazon.