So, I aged my bass .......

axisusaxisus Frets: 28280
Some people love relics, some people hate them. I happen to like them a lot if done well enough (based on my assessment, not somebody else's!)

Anyway, I fancied trying to do a relic type bass after the reasonable success of my 'Angel' Tele that I built over a year ago. I wasn't planning to kill my Fender CS bass, so I bought a new condition Squier (CV I think?) for £220. It was the usual plastic finish and shiny chrome - all the stuff I hate! Looks aside, it was fantastically playable though. Anyway, I stripped all the finish off and sprayed with Nitro, aged the metal, made a couple of worn stickers and (controversial!) stuck a non squire logo on. Having stripped the finish off the neck, I only had a regular Fender one in my stash of bits. Anyway, the bottom line is that I am very happy with how it has turned out. The bass is so good that am selling the CS and possibly my Status as well, as neither of them get a look in any more!

Here's a few pix:

image
0reaction image LOL 9reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom

Comments

  • DrBobDrBob Frets: 2998
    I like it !
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • darcymdarcym Frets: 1297

    I like it, but couldn't live with that sticker.

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • Looks phenomenal.

    I don't like the logo meself, but niggles ;) seriously, you've one upped quite a lot of custom shop offerings there.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • Hertz32Hertz32 Frets: 2248
    Wow duly awarded Sir! 
    That is a truly stunning relic, glad to hear you love playing it as much I'm enjoying looking at it :D
    'Awibble'
    Vintage v400mh mahogany topped dreadnought acoustic FS - £100 
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • ESchapESchap Frets: 1428
    Good job!  Nice looking bass.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • GassageGassage Frets: 30826
    edited October 2014
    I normally base my age By not relicing!

    *An Official Foo-Approved guitarist since Sept 2023.

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • BucketBucket Frets: 7751
    I love the 70s-style Jazz Bass lettering.

    Well, and the rest of it :D
    - "I'm going to write a very stiff letter. A VERY stiff letter. On cardboard."
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71960
    Very nice. Looks better than most commercial relics :).

    It looks like you've actually thought about how damage occurs on a real instrument, as opposed to just evenly covering the whole thing with similar-sized marks like most of them do. If anything you've not got quite *enough* wear on the lower corner below the jack, and it's very rare to make that criticism! :D

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • stonevibestonevibe Frets: 7082
    Great job.

    Looks very cool and works well.

    Win a Cort G250 SE Guitar in our Guitar Bomb Free UK Giveaway 


    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • capo4thcapo4th Frets: 4437
    That looks fuckin great my friend well done
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • Zodiac51Zodiac51 Frets: 340
    Epic job!
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • breadfanbreadfan Frets: 376
    That looks brilliant! Well done!

    I'd love to hear more about the finishing process - did you apply a clear coat?

    I had a custom guitar built earlier this year & finished in olympic white - that's what I requested anyway - it came out looking more like a mint green / creamy grey. I suspect that's down to the clear coat (the finish is aged). It's kind of grown on me at this stage, as the guitar plays & sounds exactly as I'd hoped, but the finish I wanted is very much like what you have here. You've done a great job on it. Could you see yourself doing this again at some stage? :)

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • MajorscaleMajorscale Frets: 1553
    Cmon tell us how you did it... Looks great and I'd love to have a go at this myself hmmmm
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • equalsqlequalsql Frets: 6084
    Wow.. that looks really good. You've really nailed the aged look. Most 'relics' I've seen are unconvincing but yours looks like the real-deal.
    (pronounced: equal-sequel)   "I suffered for my art.. now it's your turn"
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • t1000t1000 Frets: 93
    Looks great how did you age the chrome? Brick acid?
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • axisusaxisus Frets: 28280
    Cmon tell us how you did it... Looks great and I'd love to have a go at this myself hmmmm
    Quick write up:

    Having dismantled it, I stripped all the finish off with flame, scraper and sanding. Grain filler went on (apparently a good idea) then a good sand down. I used liquid mask and painted areas on the body that I wanted to be ‘worn through’, then sprayed with white nitro from Manchester guitar tech. No undercoat, as I wanted to try and get that ‘sunken in’ look. Lacquer over the top then a light dusting with some tinted lacquer to give a bit of an aged feel. Rubbed off the mask, and then rubbed some paint into the wood bits, and cleaned it off again with a rag to darken up those patches a bit. Did a few dings with various objects. 

    All the chrome was put in a sealed bucket with an open jar of hydrochloric acid. I carefuly smeared grease over some of the moving parts first so as not to bugger up function. After an hour or so of constant checks, it was finally at the degree of tarnish that I was looking for. Washed them off, blasted moving bits with WD40 and left to dry. 

    I made a couple of worn stickers as I like the look of them on old basses, not everyone’s thing but I particularly like Vince Ray artwork. I printed high quality laserprints, added stickyback, and rubbed them down a bit with wire wool.

     The neck was laboriously sanded to get rid of the thick poly finish, then a once over with lacquer. Sanded the neck again and took it right off the back behind the first 5 frets. The neck still looked a bit ‘clean’ so I mixed up some brown paint, wiped it on, let it start drying then wiped back again. Doesn’t represent ageing at all, but it definitely looked better for the overall vibe. Broke one of the knobs taking it off, a chunk came away. Fine, it adds to the vibe!

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • DeadmanDeadman Frets: 3852
    Bloody hell ax, one of the best relicing jobs I've ever seen, an account it looks real!
    Well done fella.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • 1nten5e1nten5e Frets: 245
    Wow.....awesome job
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
Sign In or Register to comment.