Quote:
Originally Posted by Milothicus  I'm not sure what the best thing to do with this old bass is. I want to get it to be a playable fretless, but need some advice.
The bass: a 1963 Hofner Professional, Serial 1108 (or what's left of it)
original body, neck, tailpiece, tuners, string tree, nut, and most of the bridge...
no pickup (built my own piezo). well, it came with half a P pickup that the previous owner shoved under the strings. no pickguard, no electronics.
it used to be fretted, but someone in the last 45 years ripped them out, and put a very thin veneer over the fingerboard. looks like a reasonably professional job. edges very well finished....
but it's starting to lift.
Should i try to flatten the veneer and repair the area that's exposed? or do i start picking and sanding and take the veneer off to see what's underneath?
Pics of area attached... |
Since, rather than trying to restore it, you are making a player out of it, you can treat it as one huge repair job.
I would think that the first step would be a list of what is wrong with it.
The fact that it is a hollow body may preclude your ever getting a modern sound out of it. With that in mind, I'd start with the most difficult part of the job because if you run into an unsurmountable problem (such as a caved in top plate) you will have the minimum amount of work to scrap, should you have to throw in the towel.
So far as reflattening the veneer on the fingerboard, you may be better off to remove the bad sections and piece in replacement veneer. If the edges (the hard part) are profesional looking, I'd sure try to save as much as possible.
Another option is to remove the fretboard and replace it with a nice rosewood board. The age of the instrument almost guarantees that it wont be put on with a hard to separate adhesive.
Before you put much time into it,
very, very carefully check to make sure the bridge hasn't pushed the top down to the point that the bridge adjustments are out of range. If there is any sinking in, you should correct it before putting much time into it. That's the killer of old hollow body basses of all brands.
Looking at the pix that you posted, it appears that the strings are much too high for there not too be some significant body deformity or a broken truss rod. If the TR is broken, chances are that it's not a terribly difficult repair. It probably has a double rod TR.
good luck, and keep us posted. I'd sure like to see some pix of it. Sounds like a fun project.
