Custom artwork on a NOF bass...

NeonVomit · May 8, 2015

So, I love my Thumb bass, but I'm seriously considering getting some custom artwork done on it. I want a really great artist to airbrush our last album cover on it.

It's a natural oil finish. What would I need to do in order to make this possible?

(and please, no posts about 'it's great the way it is! you should leave it!' I'm not asking about whether I should do it or not, I'm asking about what the process will be

)

The ShadowKnight · May 8, 2015

The airbrush folks would need to prime it etc, as long as the primer plays ball with the current surface finish it might be OK, or require a bit of sanding.

AsturHero · May 8, 2015

..depending how you have maintenace your bass.
If you have waxed it from time to time, it is nessesary to get rid of the wax with turpentin or mineral spirits. After that cleaning procedure you must sand a bit the whole Body, because if it rest a minimum from oil and/or wax, a primer dont will adhere durable. after priming, you can rest it in the white/greyish tone from the primer or put the maincolor, that the paintbrush Artist desire.

golem · May 8, 2015

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It's not normal to wax an oil finish.

The oil finish is not particularly strong, neither as
a coat of 'body armor' nor in its adhesion to the
wood. So painting over it doesn't hit me as a very
wise plan. If it was mine, I'd insist on sanding it
down to the bare wood before painting it further.

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NeonVomit · May 19, 2015

Thanks for the tips guys. I have a cheap natural-finish Peavey bass (not varnished) that I think I'll test this out on first! If it ends in disaster at least it would only be a cheap bass.

The ShadowKnight · May 19, 2015

Indeed, better to be safe!

thefitz · May 19, 2015

golem said:
It's not normal to wax an oil finish.

Isn't this Warwick's stupid naming convention rearing it's ugly head again? Dude said natural oil finish, which requires waxing (as opposed the the "coloured oil finish", which does not). The OP has a Thumb bass - how often do you see coloured oil finish on a Thumb?

Henrythe8 · May 20, 2015

'it's great the way it is! you should leave it!'

As already said, NATURAL oil finish (as opposed to COLOURED oil finish), requires waxing. In order to be able to paint it, you'll need to sand it down to the bare wood. Stay with the Peavey Option.

golem · May 23, 2015

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NeonVomit said:
Thanks for the tips guys. I have a cheap natural-finish Peavey
bass (not varnished) that I think I'll test this out on first! If it
ends in disaster at least it would only be a cheap bass.

Hopefully, it's not a Peavey T-40. The T-40 is a wonderful and
also iconic bass, and is most often in natural finish. It's not an
expensive collectible but a real, affordable, user-player classic.

https://www.google.com/search?q=pea...%2Fviewtopic.php%3Ff%3D17%26t%3D75385;750;563

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