My bass neck broke a while ago.

metalhead1011 · #1 03-13-2009, 05:07 AM

And I was just recently thinking of making a new neck.

Buying a new neck will be expensive because nearby I can only buy a different neck style and would have to buy new tuning pegs as well and it wont be a proper fit. Do places do cutom necks? Or would it be better if I did it myself? I still have a bass, but I would like to get it ficed because it was a good bass. Any ideas would be appreciated. I also have a money shortage and no job so buying things is kinda hard. What would be my cheapest and most effective thing to do? And glue wont help I don't think, A chunk of wood broke off and the rod falls through it. Would it be possible to buy/make a new head only and fretboard and put that on? Or would that be unreliable? Thanks.
Adrian.

phatbass · #2 03-13-2009, 05:27 AM

Anything can be repaired; it's just a question of if it's worth it. That looks like it wouldn't be a cheap job to do properly.

ga_edwards · #3 03-13-2009, 05:28 AM

Looking at the damage, it would be possible to get a new headstock, or even the existing one grafted on and the entire fretboard, and frets to be replaced. But to be honest with you, it would cost more than the bass is worth to get that done. Any luthier would prob tell you the same thing. I had the same experience with an OLP that I shagged the trussrod on.

A replacement neck is a better option, but a decent one (say a warmouth), again, won't be that cheap. You may however want to contact Legacy direct and explain the situation. They may be able to sell you a replacement neck, exactly the same as yours for 'trade' price. OLP did this for me.

Or, the best bet my be cut your losses, put it down to experience and get a new bass. You may be able to sell it for parts on ebay.

202dy · #4 03-13-2009, 06:48 AM

As mentioned above, anything can be fixed. The question is whether or not it is a smart way to spend your money.

The neck is not really much of an issue. It is easy for an experienced luthier or tech to glue together. The problem was a starved glue joint. Unfortunately, the guitar obviously took quite an impact to shatter the fingerboard like that. And that is the real problem. It turns what would normally be a somewhat expensive job into are cost prohibitive one.

The decision boils down to getting prices from your luthier for re-gluing the headstock and replacing the fingerboard including a fret dress and comparing that to getting a replacement neck. In either event, it is highly likely that purchasing a new instrument will be cheaper than either of those options. The good news is that you will have some parts that you can sell to ease the financial burden of your new acquisition.

walterw · #5 03-13-2009, 06:45 PM

that's a 24-fret neck, so replacements from parts companies likely won't fit at all.

the most economical way of "fixing" it is to find another bass like it for $80 on craigslist or something.