refinish on a 78 ray

[rockinroland]

Just posted a thread re a truss rod bullet on this same bass.

78...black/maple....

Finish is a bit on the rough side...neck is great (except for the truss rod bullet

I'm considering a refinish and maybe completely changing the color.....

I have been thinking Inca silver as i really like that color or even something a little different, maybe custom job

My question is.....would changing the original color be an act of "sacrilege" as far as a vintage ray is concerned....I understand that unless it's refinished in at least a period correct color it would be somewhat devalued......

I got the guitar out of japan for a very good price so whatever I do to it really wont cause me to lose a bundle on it....

I'm not talking about some way out custom job (but then again )

I used to restore vintage motorcycles and therefore understand the value of keeping things as original as possible....

anyone esle done a custom vintage ray before????

[Rod Trussbroken]

I'd tend to leave it completely original.

[rockinroland]

I'd tend to leave it completely original.

Hmmm...perhaps you're right...there's not a whole lot of these out there so to mess with something original may not be the best option....

[RocketRalf]

finish on the rough side = mojo in my book

[adouglas]

People pay brand F good money to rough up the finish for them. Just sayin'

Your bass, yours to do with what you will. These things ain't holy relics, they're just guitars.

Except for Bongos. If you futz with one, extraterrestrials will come after you and conduct unspeakable experiments.

[five7]

would you want someone to do a facelift on you

[RyanO'Neal]

I like the rough look. I have a Road Worn Precision and I really dig the look. But if you don't like the way it's distressed or if it's really too bad, refinish it in a time period color. The MM Vintage Sunburst looks stunning. Don't refinish it in some completely new custom color. If you want to do that, buy a cheap modern Stingray. Btw, would you like to post some pics?

[rockinroland]

I like the rough look. I have a Road Worn Precision and I really dig the look. But if you don't like the way it's distressed or if it's really too bad, refinish it in a time period color. The MM Vintage Sunburst looks stunning. Don't refinish it in some completely new custom color. If you want to do that, buy a cheap modern Stingray. Btw, would you like to post some pics?

you're all right on this....just needed a bucket of cold water thrown over me to come to my senses.....

she's a good old girl and deserves to age gracefully........I'll get some pics when I get her back from the guitar tech......

[fly]

you're all right on this....just needed a bucket of cold water thrown over me to come to my senses.....

she's a good old girl and deserves to age gracefully........I'll get some pics when I get her back from the guitar tech......

I agree.........let the mojo happen......that's the character.......

[Caca de Kick]

There's several ways to look at this. No, preEB StingRays are not uncommon. You can easily find them any given day of the week. Also, natural and black are the two most common colors. If the finish only has normal player wear and dings and checking, then I'd just leave well enough alone. But if the finish was flat-out destroyed intentionally or by stupidity, then I'd have no problem refinishing. Vintage StingRays don't seem to exactly follow the restored trend Fenders do, because it's easy to hide fake Fender components under paint...not so with Musicmans. For the past few years I've seen many refinished (especially from one seller alone) fetch from suprisingly quite a bit to almost as much as unrestored Rays. Remember, collectors don't pay top-dollar for destroyed or unplayable basses anyway.
Now the definition of "devalue" only matters if you're selling the bass. So if this is your life long keeper, who is it being devalued to?

[mmbassplayer]

If this is a player and not a collector piece... Feel free to refinish it. It is yours and ultimately you need to be happy with it. Vintage Rays don't exactly grab top dollar like the other brand so value wise it will probably go up if refinished the same as original or stay about the same if a non-original finish. JOSH