new guy with lucky (?) find and questions

[dbwindhorst]

I'd been wanting to learn UB for the sake of adding some slap to home-recorded rockabilly stuff, so I started pouring through the forums here a few weeks ago to try and get an idea how and where to start (I've been playing guitar and electric bass for 40-plus years; retired from gigging thanks to back trouble).

Meanwhile I stuck a want-to-buy ad on craigslist, and a few days ago got a call from someone who had a bass that had "been gathering dust" in his music room for a few years. He said he thought it was a Kay, that the neck looked to have been repaired at some point but had held tune the entire time he'd owned it, and would let it go for $250 to get it out of the way.

Having been told by at least one UB player that, in so many words, unless it was riddled with termites or grenade shrapnel I should buy it quick, I went to check it out yesterday, and wound up bringing it home (was even able to get it in my '98 Civic with surprisingly little trouble).

It's an M1, s.n. 26167 -- pretty beat-up around the edges, but no holes and no major delamination, just a little superficial separation right where the upper and lower bouts come to points at the waist. The tuning machines are tarnished almost black, but still function smoothly (the gear on the E looks like a replacement). The endpin is in place, as is the soundpost, positioned near the treble foot of the bridge.

The neck joint is separating, with a gap of 1mm or so, but it's a parallel gap that doesn't widen and appears to be mostly from the glue having dried and fallen out. There are a couple plugs in the heel, like it's been bolted or screwed into the body and the holes covered. The fingerboard is bowed about 2mm in the middle; action on the E is about 4mm at the end of the fingerboard (which is dinged a little, but not too bad). Despite looking like it hadn't been touched in ages -- it was indeed covered with a thick coat of dust -- it was in close tune.

The big question is, can I go ahead and restring it with some weedwackers (after reading threads here, I was thinking about trying a hybrid set, with Kevlar G and D and steel-cored A and E) and start learning? Or should I sink some money in repairs first? I can see where the neck bow could make getting acclimated more difficult than necessary, but was hoping the nylon strings might help in that regard.

Anyway, thanks in advance,

David in SC

[Bass]

Congratulations, sounds like you've got an awesome bass to get started with! Would you mind posting some pics?

If it were me I would have a luthier inspect it, just to make sure it doesn't explode. He'd probably set it up for you too, maybe ask for an even string height of about 9 mm across the board.

[Bass]

Originally Posted by dbwindhorst

...The big question is, can I go ahead and restring it with some weedwackers (after reading threads here, I was thinking about trying a hybrid set, with Kevlar G and D and steel-cored A and E) and start learning?

Yes.

[Bass]

Originally Posted by dbwindhorst

...Or should I sink some money in repairs first?...

Yes.

[dbwindhorst]

Here you go. Sorry about the quality, it's cloudy here today so there's a lot of glare from the flash and the indoor lighting. And I'll have to do this in multiple posts, to accommodate the newby file limit.





David

[dbwindhorst]

Kind of hard to see with the glare, but note the two plugs.

David

[dbwindhorst]

David

[Bass]

Thanks for the photos, very nice looking bass. Perhaps you should ask a Moderator to move this thread to the Setup & Repair forum - it really belongs there, and you will receive more traffic from knowledgeable people.

To me that neck repair looks poor, and I would be worried that the neck will rattle loose. Also, the fingerboard doesn't look too hot either. But I don't know much about these matters.

I recommend taking it to a Luthier and having the necessary repairs performed.

[dbwindhorst]

Thanks kindly for the suggestion re:moving the thread. I'll do just that.

David

[Heifetzbass]

Hey-

Where are you in SC? I might be able to point you in the right direction.

BG

[dbwindhorst]

Originally Posted by Heifetzbass

Hey-

Where are you in SC? I might be able to point you in the right direction.

BG

I'm north of Greenville, about halfway between there and Hendersonville, NC, and about 40 minutes or so from Asheville.

dw

[T-Bird]

Hi.

Congrats, a really cool find.

Another vote for a trip to a luthier, that way You'll get the most out of your purchase.

Regards
Sam

[Heifetzbass]

I am in Simpsonville, I would be happy to give it a look over next week if you like, or you can take it up the mountain to James Condino.

Brian

[Herbie 80's]

I'd take that to a luthier, and get it set up. I know that when I got my Hofner that wasn't touched in years, it was the first thing I wanted to do. Unfortunately... I'm away from home for another three months, and I have to wait to do that. It sucks. It sucks even more when you have a bit of experience, because there is a harsh learning curve to a bass that doesn't have a good setup.

Luthier first, bro.

PS: Sweet find. Kay's are beautiful.

[Phil Rowan]

That's a nice looking bass right there. I have an old Kay myself that had to be overhauled when I first got it.. get yours overhauled and you'll have a real nice bass.

[bigolbassguy]

Asheville, J. Condino
http://www.condino.com secondfret@condino.com
Builder of new double basses, repairs, restoration, and teaches luthiery

How lucky are you to live so close to a famous Luthier?

Looks like you made a serious score with that bass. I'm envious. I'm sure your neck will have to be redone. You probably should replace the bridge and soundpost too + have the gaps closed.

Congratulations.