Heel pulling away from body

[Rye]

Bass Photos - March 2011 pictures by RyeCatcher - Photobucket

Okay, noticed this the other night at a jam. There is a very small gap between the heel and the body. The gap is large enough for a thin guitar pick but not a shell pick. I called a luthier and he said that if the neck is not loose in socket when you take the tension off the strings, it's not a big deal.


This is a 1953 Kay M-1. The bass had Eurosonic strings when I bought it a couple of years ago. We replaced the Eurosonic's with Thomastik Spirocore Orchestra Lights, last August at Galax.

What do you think? Does she need professional help?

[Jason Sypher]

You just noticed that? I think you just need to keep an eye on it. The back could have delaminated and curled back a bit, which happens sometimes. My yank developed something like that and stayed that way for years. It was kind of hard to look at but it didn't mean a thing. I would watch it and then, when your sure it's stable, re-glue the back into place.

[fdeck]

I'm not a luthier, but I repaired the neck joint on my 1961 Kay, roughly 30 years ago.

The Kay neck joint is a dovetail. If the dovetail is a good tight fit, and the neck block is intact, then the neck can't go anywhere. So, one of those two things has failed. On my Kay, the neck block was cracked, and it's my understanding that this is not an uncommon Kay problem.

By all appearances, the glue joint has let go completely.

I think that you have to get it looked at by someone who can tell you what the actual root cause is, so the problem can be corrected. Leaving it in that condition is going to make it worse, and the cost of repair will not decrease over time.

[E.P. Miller]

Originally Posted by fdeck

...it's my understanding that this is not an uncommon Kay problem.

I have seen quite a few Kay basses with this issue. You're lucky if it's merely the back table moving and not a neck joint problem. At any rate, have it properly glued (hide glue). Chances are you may need to revisit this area of the bass in the future...

[martinc]

My advice: loosen up your strings immediately.Then get it to a repair shop and have it reglued and lined up properly. If the the rest of the neck joint comes loose the neck will be pulled forward and could damage the dovetail and the neck block. That will be expensive to fix. I've been there.

[Jake deVilliers]

Originally Posted by Rye

Bass Photos - March 2011 pictures by RyeCatcher - Photobucket

Okay, noticed this the other night at a jam. There is a very small gap between the heel and the body. The gap is large enough for a thin guitar pick but not a shell pick. I called a luthier and he said that if the neck is not loose in socket when you take the tension off the strings, it's not a big deal.


This is a 1953 Kay M-1. The bass had Eurosonic strings when I bought it a couple of years ago. We replaced the Eurosonic's with Thomastik Spirocore Orchestra Lights, last August at Galax.

What do you think? Does she need professional help?

Its hard to tell from photos, but I think she needs professional help. It looks like the glue joint has failed and the neck is being held in place only by the mechanical bond offered by the dovetail. The mortise will likely needs to be shimmed for a tighter fit.

Best to drop by your friendly local bass luthier for a hands-on assessment.

Good luck!

[Rye]

Thanks for the replys guys. I've sent an email to a luthier in Charlotte.

I should have placed this question in the Repairs/Setup section - sorry.

[Rye]

I took the bass to the Luthier. They had a look and suggested "Leave it alone". The Luther said that the neck was not loose and a reset would be at least $700. So, I'm going to continue playing and watch and see.