Need help breathing life into this SSI!

C

CarlosRoberto5

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Hello Warwick Forum!
I've been anxious to finally post here with a 'Wick of my own. Here she is:

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She plays AMAZING out of the box, but there's some slight fret buzzing on the lower (1st to 5th) frets on the G string. Besides that, the action is great, the neck is straight, and the fretboard feels amazing.
She's a 20 year old bass, though, and she looks like she's seen better days. I'm sure most of you have noticed the darker spots in the finish and some of the wear elsewhere. There's also quite a few dings and the brass hardware looks like it's tarnishing.
I'm willing to throw lots of money into this bass in order to make it shine. My question to you guys is: how do I do it? :D
I've got some wax that the previous owner included, but will that make the 'dead spots' in the finish come back to life? I'd like to restore it to its original golden hue--do I need to send it off to get it refinished or will the wax take care of it? Also, I've noticed that I can actually feel the wood on the neck-through portion of the bass--is that normal or is that something that will reduce with wax? I don't mind it, I just want to make sure I'm doing everything right. After I figure out how to make the bass shine again, I'll worry about replacing hardware. Ideally, I'd like to replace 3 of the 4 tuners (the original ones are tarnished and the other is a Gotoh, so the only 'pretty' one is an aftermarket, newer Warwick tuner) and the brass bridge. I'm not sure if replacing the brass nut is worth it. What'd you guys think? Any and all advice will help me greatly. Thanks!
(Sorry for the long post :D)
 
The bass has a satin finish, the previous owner already applied lots wax imo thus this darkish color.
If you dont like it the way it is (I find it quite appealing). You will need to sand it down and either have it refinished
Or put an oil finish on (tung oil based). Hardware replacement is no problem you can get the stuff at the wick online shop
Or e.g. From thomann in Germany. The bass has probably an sd eq so warwick knobs will not work (different diameter shaft)
. To get rid of the buzz give the bass a new setup - this is explai ned in detail here Warwick Basses Amps & Rock'n Roll

Hope this helps
 
schlobodan said:
The bass has a satin finish, the previous owner already applied lots wax imo thus this darkish color.
If you dont like it the way it is (I find it quite appealing). You will need to sand it down and either have it refinished
Or put an oil finish on (tung oil based). Hardware replacement is no problem you can get the stuff at the wick online shop
Or e.g. From thomann in Germany. The bass has probably an sd eq so warwick knobs will not work (different diameter shaft)
. To get rid of the buzz give the bass a new setup - this is explai ned in detail here Warwick Basses Amps & Rock'n Roll



Hope this helps
Click to expand...

Thanks! I wasn't completely aware of the specifics of the finish. So you think the darker areas are over-waxed? I'm assuming these will even out if I wax these areas the lightest whenever waxing the body.
Unfortunately, this is one of the rare cases in which the pictures make the bass look nicer than it actually is.
This might be because it hasn't been waxed in a while (not sure exactly how long), but the finish looks faded.
Do you think waxing will take care of the faded, grey spots on the bass? A good example of these grey spots is right by the P pickup in the third picture on the Bass side of the split coil. There's a noticeable grey spot there and there are more throughout the body wings. Would a refinish to the whole body restore the entire bass to its original condition? The benefit of sanding would also be a reduction in bumps/dings in the finish, but I don't want the new finish to be drastic--I'd like to keep it looking as original as possible. I love the figured maple and would rather have it look golden-blonde like it should.
Hopefully this all made sense.
I'm just confused and at a loss as to what to do. The bass plays at a 9.5/10, I'd just like the aesthetics to match.

P.S. I'm having trouble finding the gold hardware on the site--all I see is black and chrome hardware. Could you link me to some gold warwick hardware?

Thanks a bunch! You've been very helpful.
 
Is that a natural oil finish, or does it have a clear lacquer?

If it's a clear lacquer that has been waxed, you can often clean it up nicely by removing the wax with some lemon oil. If it has a clear lacquer coating it's already sealed and further waxing isn't necessary.

If it is a natural oil finish, you can remove the hardware, give it a light sand and re-apply the warwick wax beginning with wiping on some warwick wax (melted) with a cloth, then commencing the normal waxing regime from that point onwards.

;)
 
Eberbachl said:
Is that a natural oil finish, or does it have a clear lacquer?

If it's a clear lacquer that has been waxed, you can often clean it up nicely by removing the wax with some lemon oil. If it has a clear lacquer coating it's already sealed and further waxing isn't necessary.

If it is a natural oil finish, you can remove the hardware, give it a light sand and re-apply the warwick wax beginning with wiping on some warwick wax (melted) with a cloth, then commencing the normal waxing regime from that point onwards.

;)
Click to expand...


I know it's not high-gloss/lacquer.
I'm not sure if it's oil or satin (or if those are one in the same) because schlobodan mentioned a difference between the two.
If it helps, I can physically feel the wood.
That being said, I'm pretty sure sanding and re-waxing would be the solution (from what I've gathered).
Do you think the light sanding/wiping with melted Warwick wax would make the whole bass look golden again?
I don't mind paying for a luthier to have a look, but if I can do this myself then why not? Haha.
 
sprocket said:
so it s an oil finish bass
Click to expand...

I suppose so, assuming there's no large difference between oil and satin finishes.
I guess that part confuses me; In post #2 of this thread, schlobodan says that it is a satin finish, but in order to fix it, i'll need to sand it down. From there he lists two options (which I thought were one in the same): to either have it refinished or put an oil finish on. If I were to refinish it, I'm aware that I could ask for a lacquer, but I'd like to keep it as close to original as possible, so wouldn't the only possibility be an Oil finish? In which case, I could follow Eberbachl's advice and just sand it and melt some Warwick wax and finish it myself...?
Just thinking out loud. Sorry if these questions are obnoxious!
 
There is a BIG difference between natural oil and satin finishes.

A natural oil finish is simply melted Warwick wax wiped on the raw timber at the Warwick factory, and the satin finish is actually a satin finish lacquer applied to the timber to seal it.

If you have a natural oil finish, you need to periodically wax your bass.

If you have a satin finish, you should not wax your bass.

Find out categorically which finish you have, then you will be able to decide on the best course of action.

Lightly sanding a natural oil finish bass and re-waxing it is an easy job.

Sanding a satin finish bass is A MAJOR RE-FINISHING PROJECT AND SHOULD ONLY BE UNDERTAKEN WITH CAUTION.

;)
 
I reckon your best bet would be to email pics and the serial number to warwick and get the original specs of the bass if thats possible. Like luke said, if its an oil finnish it can be re-done by anyone, if its a satin finnish its a major job.
Measure twice, cut once.
 
Thanks, guys!
I'm gonna guess that its oil since I can feel the wood grain with my hands and the body itself feels more like oil than a satin texture. It doesn't feel like cloth, which is what satin typically feels like, right?
Either way, I'm gonna do what the above member said and send Warwick the serial number to get the original specs.
By the way, who do I specifically email for that kind of inquiry?
Things are sounding a lot better than I expected!
Thanks a lot, everyone.
 
Hi carlos, the easiest way to find out if it is satin or natural oil is to wet one... or two fingers, and to rub your bass :-) A satin finish will keep the water, while a natural finished bass will "drink" the water.

It is important to know how it is..
 
Personally I'd leave it how it is. She's got history, she's not a young lady anymore and shows that she's been around.

She's a pretty one, take care of her. Treat her well and she'll never let you down.
 
I agree with lady here...
Just clean it a little bit with lemon oil and scotch brite, and wax it :-)
 
Thanks for the advice! Ill be sure to try the water-absorption method.
I agree --this is one beautiful instrument and it plays extremely well.
I guess I just feel bad that its in the condition that it is in.
My point in all of this is to give her all the TLC she deserves. I'd like this bass to last as long as me, so sanding down some damage and re-oiling the bass in order to make her shine again seems only right. I hope that makes sense.

P.S. The lemon oil for the fretboard, the wax for the body, but what is the Scotch bright for?
 
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A very nice bass you got there Carlos, what year is it? It's funny to see how the maple from the neck has a totally different color to the maple from the body.
I've noticed that alot of older streamer basses with maple bodies get the darker spots on the body. I've never tried to get totally rid of the blackspots but as I read through this read I would first try the option of florin, give it some lemon oil and rub it softly with scotch write. If this woudnt work I would go for the more hard way, sanding it down, which feels very strange to me as I have two left hands in this case..

Best of luck to you Carlos, if you manage to clean it please share the pictures of before and after, and share the method you recon is best!
 
Chris90 said:
A very nice bass you got there Carlos, what year is it? It's funny to see how the maple from the neck has a totally different color to the maple from the body.
I've noticed that alot of older streamer basses with maple bodies get the darker spots on the body. I've never tried to get totally rid of the blackspots but as I read through this read I would first try the option of florin, give it some lemon oil and rub it softly with scotch write. If this woudnt work I would go for the more hard way, sanding it down, which feels very strange to me as I have two left hands in this case..

Best of luck to you Carlos, if you manage to clean it please share the pictures of before and after, and share the method you recon is best!
Click to expand...


Thanks!
I believe its a 92 (since it says so on the headstock). Yeah, I like how the maple body contrasts the neck pieces.
I have to ask, though, I've never heard of using the lemon oil on the body. I've only heard of using the Warwick wax on the body. What's the difference?
Thanks, ill be sure to post before and after pictures whenever I get to this project.
 
Well it is a maple 92 streamer? If so it is satin finish (called natural oil by warwick which it is not actually).
The different color in comparison to the neck is die to the fact that th e maple used for bodies is very different
From the one used for necks, usually much softer etc.
Scotch brite will remove parts of the finish so this is defentily NOT adviseable if you don't want to refinish anyway.
 
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