97 vette project

jay

jay

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I have a 97 vette in the mail. I plan to strip it, sand it, and have it set-up by a pro. I have acouple questions.

1. Do I just remove the screws to take the neck off?
2. Is there any reason after I strip it not to let my friend sand it down with a sander, as opposed to doing it by hand. He is a sufficient wood worker. I plan to leave the wood as it is, and just waxing it. I am not going to oil the bass...

Greg has already helped me a bit here, but I just don't want to screw up. I will post some pics of how it is now and after it is sanded and reassembled as I get it there.

Thanks...
 
Hello Jay

You can unscrew and remove the neck, yes.
If you sand the bass, you will strip the oil finish, so you'll have to refinish her again with oil. Warwick Wax is not enough.
 
I see the oil you used, if I wanted to do a colored oil finish like Nrivana Black what would I need to buy?...
 
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Anychance a good waxing will clean it up? It would be nice to just have it set-up...
 
I think you should just take of the hardware and wax the hell out off it! That ought to do it! Nice bass though
 
If I wanted to give a good cleaning then, before waxing what should I use to clean the body?...
 
Damp cloth? Perhaps some lemon oil and just give it a good rub. But ask someone else, these are just guesses :D
Good luck!
 
jay said:
If I wanted to give a good cleaning then, before waxing what should I use to clean the body?...
Click to expand...

You could remove the hardware and cover the pickups with masking tape then go over the body lightly with 0000 steel wool, then wipe down with lightly damp rag, then wax. Let the wax sit for awhile before buffing it off and don't skimp on the polishing cloths. I've gotten good results with that process more than a few times. Best of luck! ~M~
 
Steel wool will just give it a good cleaning and not damage the wood?...
 
Precisely. It's enough to score off the dirt and 10 years of old wax and stuff, but not enough to scratch the wood. Steel wool WILL shed little bits of itself, which is why you'd want to cover the pickups or you'll end up with steel snow all over them (not fun to clean off). Light strokes in the direction of the grain - shouldn't have any problems! ~M~
 
Cool, OK what do I want as far as polishing cloths?...
 
AutoZone sells a 12 pack of white cotton terry cloths that work great for general cleaning and conditioning and they have some ultra soft polishing cloths that do very well for final buffing. Some music stores also have wood polishing cloths for instruments that work great as well as brass polishing cloths in the brass/woodwind section that do wonders for the frets without abrasives or chemicals. Two or three hours and that'll look like a new Corvette! ~M~
 
Avionix mentioned it earlier, but make sure that you use 0000 grade steel wool, otherwise it will be too rough on the finish! Good luck - I love Bubinga body 'Vettes, so take nice care of her...:D
 
The frets have some wear. Can a pro even them out some w/out having to do a fret job?...
 
jay said:
The frets have some wear. Can a pro even them out some w/out having to do a fret job?...
Click to expand...

I saw the fret wear mate & it looks pretty bad.The best thing to do is get a pro's opinion,they might just need to be levelled & crowned as the frets are pretty big.The thing with re-fretting a Warwick by hand is that the result wont be quite as good as the factory gets when they build it.Warwick have the best fretting machine available,even the Rockbasses are fretted using this system.Personally if it was my bass,I'd try to get away with fixing the original frets if possible.Also Warwick fret wire costs 4 times more than the stainless frets most others use but they last a hell of alot longer.
 
It's here. What a tone this thing has. Wow. It is in alot better shape than the pictures had led me to believe. Even the frets are in good shape, just needs a thorough cleaning and waxing. I am goin to tear it down this weekend, steel wool it, wax it, change the straplocks, and take it in and have it set up by a pro. I'm going to use DR Hi Beam lights for a 5 string. This will give me 60-80-100-120. It will be used for Drop Db and Drop C tuning. I can't wait till it is ready to gig. Our next show is the 28th so I will have it good to go by then...
 
Will do, it's close now. It has been sitting in storage for awhile I'm guessing. The strings were very dead and floppy and the electronics compartment was full of dust. I'll get some pics this weekend...
 
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