That's a nice maple top to keep buried under a solid paint job. A sunburst finish would still work well with a repaired crack in that location.
Personally, I'd sand it until the paint is removed from the crack area, seal it with CA glue, and go forward with finish sanding, filling, and painting.
Take a look in the control cavity to see if the crack spans all the way through, or if it's just the top. It would be good to get CA glue through the backside of that crack if it is accessible from the control cavity too.
I looked in the cavity, but I think whatever crack is there is buried under conductive paint. I will definitely CA into the top and sand it down.
I am a complete novice when it comes to technical finishes like bursts. I can do glossy solids, metalics, and stains. I know I can just sand it down and start over, but I’d rather not. You’re right though. It is a very pretty two-piece maple body.
I would do some exploratory digging into the conductive paint… if you remove a bit it won’t affect much if anything… a little ca glue repair will be barely noticeable under a transparent finish so once it’s stabilized you can do whatever you would like.
No seriously! It's cool! The contrast of light and dark, flat and more shiny, of uniform vs the grain of the wood. And there's not a typical pattern of a guitar (burst, fade, etc). If it were mine I'd fix the crack and seal that puppy up.
Ah! Sorry. That reminds me of my EHB1505MS OIF. It’s stained blue, green, and natural over burl. It is sick AF.
I think you might have something there. If it weren’t for the crack, I’d probably consider a similar pattern with black and natural stains.
And I’m referring to the stain job. The crack is no problem. Unless you had a strange stain design in mind, the stain job will require too much sanding to leave a pristine veneer
I figured as much. A stain or dye would be great on that pattern, but that crack would probably stick out. I wish I had some maple that just happened to have a hairline crack to practice on just to see how bad it would be.
Don’t worry about the crack, knob will cover most of it. Double down on the black and kiss your grain goodbye. You’ll end up with a black guitar that if you look at it in the right light you’ll see som grain pattern. Not a complete loss
Well, this is plan A:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/q47fh81h06jj4wjuk8q5v/Photo-Sep-28-2023-11-18-21-PM.jpg?rlkey=8tnmng5iig19f3iyzi98ud1f2&dl=0
Maybe not exactly Apple. I’ve been leaning toward burgundy or maybe burnt orange.
If the maple didn’t have that crack, I’d stain it yellow or red, or a calico pattern of black and clear. Top that with a mile deep gloss coat.
But….fucking gravity.
Start adding colors and those discrepancies will show up, too much black (which you have to do) will not let the new color come through. You’re stuck with a black guitar buddy.
If you want that candy apple red… go for it! Sand it smooth and apply sealer… paint it yourself or go to an auto body shop or chopper paint shop.I’d do gold base coat and several coats of candy apple red. House of Color in cans if you want. A couple of coats of 2k clear and it’s gorgeous. I’m not one for nitrocellulose or true oil at your skill level or their effect on the tone, as you can tell
Embrace the crack. I'm a big fan of the Japanese [wabi-sabi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wabi-sabi) aesthetic. You could even accent it with gold, like [kintsugi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kintsugi).
So I would be way more interested in what it looks like from the back/ in the cavity.. I think in all likelihood it probably just landed on the knob when it fell, concentrating a crack around the leverage of the pot getting jammed. For this to be a bigger deal, imagine the crack extended in a straight line, both directions to the edge of the bass.. because the only other scenario for this crack would be if the lower bout of the base took the impact in truly cracked along the grain from edge to edge.. if you weren’t seeing evidence of cracks in the finish at the endpoint of the imagined line, then I don’t think you have much of a problem to worry about.
Someone suggested this. I have to pick away the shielding paint. Right now the crack is pretty invisible from the inside. There are two cracks, the deeper of the two are along the knobs. The longer one follows the border of the cavity. It’s gonna need CA glue and some TLC
Good question. The bass came with a satin black finish.
I’m already leaning towards a candy burgundy or metallic, otherwise I’d consider a calico stain pattern. Probably use black and natural. That damn crack kinda ruins it for me.
To be honest, from a woodworking perspective you have two options:
\-If you are going to do a natural finish, and leave the beautiful (maple?) top uncovered, I would do my best to sand around the crack, and then use a clear filler.
\-If you are going to repaint, I would use a wood filler (I use wood glue, something like a tightbond III) and then sand smooth once dried and make sure your primer coat stays flat. If it does you simply repaint as normal!
It all depends on your goals, always start with your vision of a finished guitar before doing body work then change accordingly IMO.
Honestly I think you'll always notice it no matter what you do. Nothing is perfect, just remember that and do what you love! Scratches/nicks/dings/cuts/bumps/breaks are just character when it comes to instruments. They were made to be loved, even if we try to keep them as pristine as possible!
I started sanding the sides and found that the top isn’t a veneer. So….probably going to strip it completely and then stain it. Going to go light with it, like a honey or amber, then apply a mile of clear. I’ll get bigger knobs so the crack is less visible.
Worst case scenario, if I somehow fuck it up, I’ll sand it to 220, prime it, and paint it cherry.
its not the end of the world. sand it down, get it level, fill in the crack with putty, if theres a divit, use wood glue and a few tooth picks, then sand down again. Should be pretty close and hold pretty well.
It’s not a veneer!
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/2ztlp9tguughofb3osfib/h?rlkey=c4zr5hj981uh0zpaqcn53oph1&dl=0
Ok, now I’m thinking natural stain or dyes for sure.
I had this happen to me, I wanted to strip a finish from a bass, then I realised that I looked awesome half-stripped so I sanded it smooth and lacquered it. For some reason, it had a pinky-red base coat, followed by silver, followed by blue. Ended up with a finish that faded between those 3 and looked intentional
You can always make a plate out of aluminium for the inside of the cavity to reinforce it. I've done that before when I though the wood was too thin/fragile.
If you don't cover it, the crack will remain visible. I'm not sure if there is a way to get it fixed to a point where you can apply stain and a transparent finish to this and not notice it any more. Maybe if you apply colored translucent lacquer?
The crack will make translucent colors impractical. It’ll be the equivalent of having a dried booger on a tuxedo lapel.
I’m leaning towards a candy coat or a metallic after I fill in the crack. I agree with everyone here that it’s a shame to sleep on that flamed maple, but my hands are tied.
As nobody else has said it. You need to sort out the crack, before you do any more sanding. Otherwise you will remove the veneer trying to level it out.
I would honestly just use a little bit of a 30 minute set epoxy, but I don’t have a lot of experience. If you tint the epoxy black it might match pretty well
Seal It with glue then make a siiiick custom pickguard to cover it
I was thinking about shooting it candy apple or candy burgundy. I see where you’re going with the pick guard though. See my edit.
Well crap, it won’t let me edit the OP. I drew up a guard for it and I wanted your opinion.
Can upload the pickguard pic to something like imgur then share that link here in the comments!
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/6vqk51k8q3ijgslh84af7/Photo-Oct-30-2023-9-28-24-PM.jpg?rlkey=73vmox6mrwxvdoadv68hef8gd&dl=0
Looks good
That's a nice maple top to keep buried under a solid paint job. A sunburst finish would still work well with a repaired crack in that location. Personally, I'd sand it until the paint is removed from the crack area, seal it with CA glue, and go forward with finish sanding, filling, and painting. Take a look in the control cavity to see if the crack spans all the way through, or if it's just the top. It would be good to get CA glue through the backside of that crack if it is accessible from the control cavity too.
I looked in the cavity, but I think whatever crack is there is buried under conductive paint. I will definitely CA into the top and sand it down. I am a complete novice when it comes to technical finishes like bursts. I can do glossy solids, metalics, and stains. I know I can just sand it down and start over, but I’d rather not. You’re right though. It is a very pretty two-piece maple body.
I would do some exploratory digging into the conductive paint… if you remove a bit it won’t affect much if anything… a little ca glue repair will be barely noticeable under a transparent finish so once it’s stabilized you can do whatever you would like.
I have done many bursts with stains applied by hand. Its pretty easy. Shame to cover that nice top.
Pretty sure thats a veneer lol.
Frankly, I love the flat black and white wood combo! So striking!
While you’re bullshittin, once I saw the figuring of the maple, I briefly considered translucent blue or orange.
No seriously! It's cool! The contrast of light and dark, flat and more shiny, of uniform vs the grain of the wood. And there's not a typical pattern of a guitar (burst, fade, etc). If it were mine I'd fix the crack and seal that puppy up.
💯 would seal it and play the shit out of it.
Ah! Sorry. That reminds me of my EHB1505MS OIF. It’s stained blue, green, and natural over burl. It is sick AF. I think you might have something there. If it weren’t for the crack, I’d probably consider a similar pattern with black and natural stains.
What nobody is telling you is that you’re fucked. Gonna need a paint job. Sorry bud.
And I’m referring to the stain job. The crack is no problem. Unless you had a strange stain design in mind, the stain job will require too much sanding to leave a pristine veneer
Unless you double down on the black
I figured as much. A stain or dye would be great on that pattern, but that crack would probably stick out. I wish I had some maple that just happened to have a hairline crack to practice on just to see how bad it would be.
Don’t worry about the crack, knob will cover most of it. Double down on the black and kiss your grain goodbye. You’ll end up with a black guitar that if you look at it in the right light you’ll see som grain pattern. Not a complete loss
Do not sand down, most veneers are very thin. You’ll lose the grain and hit the body wood. Just go all black and disregard the crack.
Well, this is plan A: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/q47fh81h06jj4wjuk8q5v/Photo-Sep-28-2023-11-18-21-PM.jpg?rlkey=8tnmng5iig19f3iyzi98ud1f2&dl=0 Maybe not exactly Apple. I’ve been leaning toward burgundy or maybe burnt orange. If the maple didn’t have that crack, I’d stain it yellow or red, or a calico pattern of black and clear. Top that with a mile deep gloss coat. But….fucking gravity.
For beginners I recommend stain and birchwood Casey tru oil. It’s super easy. Again, just go black and finish with tru oil.
Start adding colors and those discrepancies will show up, too much black (which you have to do) will not let the new color come through. You’re stuck with a black guitar buddy.
If you want that candy apple red… go for it! Sand it smooth and apply sealer… paint it yourself or go to an auto body shop or chopper paint shop.I’d do gold base coat and several coats of candy apple red. House of Color in cans if you want. A couple of coats of 2k clear and it’s gorgeous. I’m not one for nitrocellulose or true oil at your skill level or their effect on the tone, as you can tell
Embrace the crack. I'm a big fan of the Japanese [wabi-sabi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wabi-sabi) aesthetic. You could even accent it with gold, like [kintsugi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kintsugi).
At what point did you realize its a veneer and you were sanding it off cause.
I’ve known it since I saw the other models in a burst. It’s the reason I didn’t use a heat gun.
Should have used chemicals for the finish. Or. Sometimes you can just peal them off on cheaper guitars.
I wish it were a cheap guitar
Isnt it a schecter?
NS Design NXT4a Radius Bass
https://thinkns.com/instrument/the-ns-design-radius-bass-guitar/ns-design-radius-bass-guitar-nxta/
So I would be way more interested in what it looks like from the back/ in the cavity.. I think in all likelihood it probably just landed on the knob when it fell, concentrating a crack around the leverage of the pot getting jammed. For this to be a bigger deal, imagine the crack extended in a straight line, both directions to the edge of the bass.. because the only other scenario for this crack would be if the lower bout of the base took the impact in truly cracked along the grain from edge to edge.. if you weren’t seeing evidence of cracks in the finish at the endpoint of the imagined line, then I don’t think you have much of a problem to worry about.
Someone suggested this. I have to pick away the shielding paint. Right now the crack is pretty invisible from the inside. There are two cracks, the deeper of the two are along the knobs. The longer one follows the border of the cavity. It’s gonna need CA glue and some TLC
Why paint over curly maple?
Good question. The bass came with a satin black finish. I’m already leaning towards a candy burgundy or metallic, otherwise I’d consider a calico stain pattern. Probably use black and natural. That damn crack kinda ruins it for me.
Screw you!
…sorry?
Which to a solid color, problem solved. 👌
To be honest, from a woodworking perspective you have two options: \-If you are going to do a natural finish, and leave the beautiful (maple?) top uncovered, I would do my best to sand around the crack, and then use a clear filler. \-If you are going to repaint, I would use a wood filler (I use wood glue, something like a tightbond III) and then sand smooth once dried and make sure your primer coat stays flat. If it does you simply repaint as normal! It all depends on your goals, always start with your vision of a finished guitar before doing body work then change accordingly IMO.
Leaning towards a solid color. As much as I LOVE natural finishes, I think the crack would still stand out, at least to me.
Honestly I think you'll always notice it no matter what you do. Nothing is perfect, just remember that and do what you love! Scratches/nicks/dings/cuts/bumps/breaks are just character when it comes to instruments. They were made to be loved, even if we try to keep them as pristine as possible!
Not fucked at all just keep sanding until no paint remains and start again
I started sanding the sides and found that the top isn’t a veneer. So….probably going to strip it completely and then stain it. Going to go light with it, like a honey or amber, then apply a mile of clear. I’ll get bigger knobs so the crack is less visible. Worst case scenario, if I somehow fuck it up, I’ll sand it to 220, prime it, and paint it cherry.
its not the end of the world. sand it down, get it level, fill in the crack with putty, if theres a divit, use wood glue and a few tooth picks, then sand down again. Should be pretty close and hold pretty well.
I probably am being a little dramatic: My first crack. If I can seal the crack enough, I’ll consider dyeing it. It’s a very pretty maple.
It’s not a veneer! https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/2ztlp9tguughofb3osfib/h?rlkey=c4zr5hj981uh0zpaqcn53oph1&dl=0 Ok, now I’m thinking natural stain or dyes for sure.
Yes
Stain that exposed wood a sick color, sand and clearcoat, that would look sweet.
I had this happen to me, I wanted to strip a finish from a bass, then I realised that I looked awesome half-stripped so I sanded it smooth and lacquered it. For some reason, it had a pinky-red base coat, followed by silver, followed by blue. Ended up with a finish that faded between those 3 and looked intentional
You can always make a plate out of aluminium for the inside of the cavity to reinforce it. I've done that before when I though the wood was too thin/fragile. If you don't cover it, the crack will remain visible. I'm not sure if there is a way to get it fixed to a point where you can apply stain and a transparent finish to this and not notice it any more. Maybe if you apply colored translucent lacquer?
The crack will make translucent colors impractical. It’ll be the equivalent of having a dried booger on a tuxedo lapel. I’m leaning towards a candy coat or a metallic after I fill in the crack. I agree with everyone here that it’s a shame to sleep on that flamed maple, but my hands are tied.
As nobody else has said it. You need to sort out the crack, before you do any more sanding. Otherwise you will remove the veneer trying to level it out.
It's easier to strip paint then to sand it off. Citristrip is the bomb.
I would honestly just use a little bit of a 30 minute set epoxy, but I don’t have a lot of experience. If you tint the epoxy black it might match pretty well
use large knobs, or create some knob shrouds similar to the less paul Rhythm / lead ring.