Roma with 2 piece neck heel?

Blind Melon · #1 04-28-2010, 10:16 AM

Can anyone else with a Roma bass please confirm this for me? I bought a used 1/2 sized carved Roma bass last year for my son. It came from Robertson's as one they sold originally and had cycle through their shop a few times before it came to us.

When I first received it I freaked because the first thing I saw was a line running through the neck heel. It didn't show up on any of the photos I had gotten from Robertsons or their description. On closer inspection, though, I convinced myself that the heel was originally made as two pieces presumably in a effort to conserve wood during construction. The line is perfectly straight and if I continue it out it perfectly matches with the bottom of the scroll. Makes sense and I was perfectly happy considering the deal I got on it. It was just weird how closely the grain of the two pieces matched up. It wasn't an absolutely perfect match but it was so close that it made it more difficult to convince myself it really was two pieces and not a crack.

Then recently I had the bass in to a local guy to glue up an open seam and we had a debate about that line in the neck heal. He insisted it was a crack and I insisted that it was a two piece heel. He got me worried about it again. I found a good side view photo of another Roma bass and lo and behold that one had the same line on the neck heel. That made me feel much better again. I do want to try to confirm this with other Roma owners, though.

If you have a Roma bass, does it have a seam towards the back of the neck heel where two pieces of wood were joined together during construction?

Eric Hochberg · #2 04-28-2010, 10:23 AM

My old Bohemian has this. You bought it from Robertsons, I wouldn't worry about it...what do they have to say about it?

Blind Melon · #3 04-28-2010, 10:40 AM

Belive it or not, I never called Robertsons about it. After inspecting it initially I felt good about what it was on my own and I was confident that the absolute last thing Robersons would do is bone a customer on something like that.

I was fine about it until this local guy commented about it a few days ago. I thought maybe a confirmation or two from other Roma owners would put me at ease again and maybe clear up the question if anyone else was wondering about the same thing.

At this point I would feel kind of stupid bothering somebody at the Robertsons shop about it.

Jake deVilliers · #4 04-28-2010, 10:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blind Melon

At this point I would feel kind of stupid bothering somebody at the Robertsons shop about it.

You feel stupid bothering the vendor but its okay to bother us?

Go ahead and relax - all three Romas here have stacked heels.

Blind Melon · #5 04-29-2010, 08:55 AM

"Jake deVilliers
'Woodworker - Witch Doctor - Luthier'"

...you forgot to add @$$hole to the list. (Is this where I add a smiley face to make it seem okay to be rude?)

I sincerely appreciate the information content you provided. It is the type of information that I was seeking when I posted the original question. You just could have chosen to deliver it in a better way. Or, if it was such a bother then you could have just chosen not to repsond at all. Nobody forced you to click on the thread or to type a relpy.

I have to ask, what IS the purpose of this message board if it is not for people to ask questions and share information?

I am done wasting my time with insecure and rude computer dorks masquerading as musicians. For those of you that are real musicians, stop wasting your time here. Turn off your computers and go play.

Eric Hochberg · #6 04-29-2010, 09:15 AM

Blind, don't get your Mellons in a tizzy, you've just signed up here and need to get used to the tenor of this place. Jake's comment in the hope of a little sarcastic humor was really nothing compared to where things can go. He's also a good guy and very helpful to many. Imagine you were talking with him at a party and he made the same comment with a smile on his face, I'm sure it wouldn't strike you as rude, just a guy trying to be sociable.

I do remember my first post being berated by a couple of regulars, and I was pissed, but I hung in there and now am friends with one of them. They were just kidding around and I didn't get it and took it personally, being new to the scene here.

drurb · #7 04-29-2010, 01:27 PM

Blind, you've managed not only to respond inappropriately to Jake, but you basically insulted the whole board along the way. Most of us, including Jake, are quite sensitive to the fact that it's often difficult to interpret the "tone" of written comments. That's where those little icons come in. Actually, people around here use them quite consistently. That giant grin Jake added is a clear signal that what he said was to be taken as a joke. It was beyond the usual smiley. Had Jake only made the joke, that would be one thing, but he didn't. He provided valuable on-point information to you.

Please try to give folks the benefit of the doubt and assume good intentions rather than the opposite. I hope you'll reconsider your view about this board and about your own participation.

Oh, and BTW, my bass has a two-piece neck heel.

Eric Rene Roy · #8 04-29-2010, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blind Melon

...It was just weird how closely the grain of the two pieces matched up. It wasn't an absolutely perfect match but it was so close that it made it more difficult to convince myself it really was two pieces and not a crack.

Pretty routine to need to stack the heel. If you take the piece just above the heel when cutting out the neck then the grain, figure and albedo is near perfect. Couple that with a good joint...and it can be very hard to see. What usually gives it away with time is a little seasonal expansion/contraction fractures the varnish just enough to let you know it's there. The varnish fracture might be what gave your local guy a point of concern.

Jake deVilliers · #9 04-29-2010, 11:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blind Melon

"Jake deVilliers
'Woodworker - Witch Doctor - Luthier'"

...you forgot to add @$$hole to the list. (Is this where I add a smiley face to make it seem okay to be rude?)

I sincerely appreciate the information content you provided. It is the type of information that I was seeking when I posted the original question. You just could have chosen to deliver it in a better way. Or, if it was such a bother then you could have just chosen not to repsond at all. Nobody forced you to click on the thread or to type a relpy.

I have to ask, what IS the purpose of this message board if it is not for people to ask questions and share information?

I am done wasting my time with insecure and rude computer dorks masquerading as musicians. For those of you that are real musicians, stop wasting your time here. Turn off your computers and go play.

Whoa up there cowboy! I may be insecure but I'm no computer dork - if I was I'd be making three times the money and working a lot less!

I simply found it strange that you wouldn't ask the guy who sold you the bass but you'd ask the TB Forum. You have a relationship with the guy, he took your money AND he knows the bass.

I can tell you about my Romas but he can tell you about yours...

Jake deVilliers · #10 04-30-2010, 12:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eric Rene Roy

Pretty routine to need to stack the heel. If you take the piece just above the heel when cutting out the neck then the grain, figure and albedo is near perfect. Couple that with a good joint...and it can be very hard to see. What usually gives it away with time is a little seasonal expansion/contraction fractures the varnish just enough to let you know it's there. The varnish fracture might be what gave your local guy a point of concern.

That's the deal. The concept makes a lot of sense - less wood waste and with a good joint in seasoned wood, no problems.

I have a Strunal at L&M right now with a stacked heel. The two pieces have shrunk away from each other leaving a visible gap, but the mortise joint is tight as the day it was glued. Nothing to do but call it a rental bass...