Cleaning And Sticker Bombing A Used Bass Guitar

 A friend that I had met at a band jam asked if I wanted to buy a used bass from him. He sold it to me for a great price. He said he didn't want / need it and had originally bought it for his son right before he joined the military. It's been sitting around the house. He included a nice small practice amp as well. 


The bass was in great shape and didn't seem to have been played much. There were still LOTS of protective plastic "stickers" all over. Things you only typically get to peel off on a brand new instrument.



Check out those tuners with protective coverings! I later found that the little round string retainer was actually broken. More on that later. 




This is a shot before I started working on it.


I pulled out a folding table and slowly got to work. One thing at a time. As I started examining the bass more closely I could tell that it had hardly been used but it had been sitting around for quite some time. My estimate from the serial number is that it was made sometime around 2018. It might have been in a garage or closet all this time. It was DUSTY and much of the exposed metal was slightly oxidized and "dull". 



I removed the strings and started working on the fretboard first. I rubbed in some wood oil to bring it back to life. After sitting for so long the wood was dry and dusty. Not anymore! It has deep rich color and sheen.


The above device is called the bridge. It holds the strings on one end and is normally cluttered with screws, springs and parts that make it REALLY hard to clean. This area in particular was quite dirty and was filled with little "dust bunnies". Taking the bridge apart makes it MUCH easier to clean and polish.


The above round disk like object is a string retainer. It's purpose is to pull down and hold certain strings closer to the headstock. This is done for a few mechanical / tonal reasons. There are several designs for these string retainers. The retainer for this guitar was actually broken. I think that whoever installed it at the factory tried to screw it in with strings at tension. It bent the screw and when I went to adjust it, it just snapped off. The original position was also too high on the headstock.  I ordered a new type of retainer that I'd install in a more effective position.


These are a few parts from the bridge. These are adjustable saddles. Sitting out in the open, all the metal was slightly oxidized. A thorough cleaning and rubdown brought out the shine and sparkle. See the difference above. 


The pick guard had a large plastic protective "sticker" still attached. 


Once I removed the covering it revealed an absolutely pristine, untouched pick guard. Disassembling the pick guard also exposed the electronics and pots (potentiometers) for the tone and volume knobs.


I ordered vinyl "neon" stickers that I thought would work well with the bass. I've sticker bombed a bass before and like how it turned out. The first step is sorting: picking those that will be top layer, secondary layer, then the foundational layer. This takes a LOT of time selecting and planning if you want it to come together nicely. 


These are my choices for the top "will be seen" layer.


Then working "backwards" I layout the secondary layer. I take pictures for reference so I can remember the order and placement as I work.


Applying the stickers precisely takes HOURS of work to do well. Above is the final result right before I get to work with an X-ACTO blade. 


Carefully and tediously carving out the pick guard using an X-ACTO blade takes patience. This is the final result. 


This is the cleaned, polished bridge reassembled. Just like brand SPANKIN' new!


I had to drill holes in the headstock in order to install the new string retainer. The original held 2 strings, this holds 3. I think it's more secure with 2 screws and it looks great! 


The final clean and polished result! The neck was straight so I didn't need to adjust the truss rod. I set the saddle heights for low action and guesstimated each length for intonation. I adjust the pickups a little lower so my fingers wouldn't make contact. I didn't have to worry about the volume, this thing puts out a pretty loud signal. I tuned it up, plugged it in and it sounds GREAT! Nice "growly" tone when both the neck and bridge pickups are on full. The strings are bright. I couldn't find ANY "finger evidence", which leads me to believe that it it had not been played much. 


Comments

  1. Phil RobischDecember 3, 2024 at 7:17 PM

    Very cool! Great job and documentation.

    ReplyDelete

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