Can I strip the neck on my Thumb NT?

Hope you all had a great new year.

I have a white Warwick Thumb bass 5 string (thru neck with top LEDs) that I procured back in the summer.

I was thinking about getting the paint stripped off the back of the neck to reveal the wood again. At the moment it's completely white apart from the fretboard itself.

Photos are here: http://flickr.com/photos/simondee/sets/72157605913203492/

The benefits would be that the serial number would reappear and hopefully it will look and play better.

Is that possible or will it ruin the neck forever?

Any advice would be awesome.

 

Don't do it, is all I have to say...I think the bass is cool enough already. Hey, if you don't like it, you know who to sell it to

Nah, I think it's a bad idea. It would disrupt the continuity of the bass, and the work itself could be quite messy if you don't know what you're doing. Are you sure it's a 92' BTW? Mine is a 91, and it's got the newer snap-on battery compartment...

 

It could be done by a skilled luthier. I wouldn't do it though... It's a beautiful bass!!

 

Check you cavity,on the bass,not your arse,to see if the serial number is in there.
You can strip the paint off the neck,but it's going to take alot of sanding.The paint is pretty thick.Good luck.

 

There is a guy selling a black 6 String Streamer with a stripped neck
on ebay Austria. This loocks actually quite good.

I wouldn't do it however if you don't know exactly what you are doing

 

I'd say it's not so much about getting the paint off, as where do you stop?

Do you stop at the curvey neck bit...do a straight line somewhere...follow the neck down the back of the body??

Personally I think it would end up looking really weird...and you'll cry (probably)...sobbing into your sleeve "Why didn't I listen to Gman...why...whyyyyy".

You'll also knock a serious chunk of value of it to.

If you want to improve the playability, try rubbing the neck down (lightly) with some wire wool, that will mattify (if such a word exists) the gloss finish and make it easier to play...and it's not permanent.

Gman

 

I would never do that to a bass. man. your bass looks amazing the way it is now man. sell it and buy another one instead but do not ruin that beauty.

 

Perficklee legit word.

It's the opposite of "glossify".

Useage: "You cannot look at these
documents cuz they're glossified."

 

Groan :roll:

 

Thanks for the wise words gentlemen. I think I'll leave the neck well alone.

She does scratch up pretty easily, so I'm still going to take her in for a touch-up. Will do some before/after pics when it happens.

 

One thing you didn't mention, and it's a bit important, is whether or not the bass was white from the start or if it was painted later on. If it's factory I wouldn't touch it, if a later job, it just may look weird. If Warwick used maple necks that'd be one thing, but the ovangkol will be a strange contrast. Black with a dark brown neck is one thing, white with a dark neck is something else.