Can repaired URB's be "trusted"?

Since I can't see the instrument, I can't tell you if it is a good or Bad repair, but to answer your question, No, there is nothing wrong with a Bass that has been well repaired. In fact, a great majority of older DB's have had some type of repair work done. And no, I can't say I remember ever seeing a Yamaha DB. Some things you can look for as telltale signs of a Bad repair: If there are any gaps or you can see the glue, it's probably a Bad repair. If you pull on the neck and can see it move, it's a bad repair. If the repair feels rough or splintered,see above.

 

I'll take the perhaps provocative position that, with rare exceptions, plywood basses are fungible. Assuming the bass is sufficiently well-made not to collapse, the main sonic distinction will come from the fingerboard material (ebony, rosewood or shoe-polished maple), neck angle and the set-up (bridge, strings and sound-post).

DBs are infamous in the violin world for having crummy work done on them -- many fine violin repairers won't touch a DB and lots of the others make us come in through the kitchen door. If this Yamaha had a neck repair that wasn't well done, you'll get a jalopy that never runs right and may have tension problems, too.

 

I saw a bass for sale that had a glued heal I could hear the neck moving and cracking as i played it. If the crack is nearer to the back and well done you might be ok.

The best bet is to have it inspected but a real URB tech first. It can be a crap shoot buying an upright bass and usually they are not cheep. So I say it is worth getting a professional to check it out.

good hunting,
jc

 

I have two 3/4 basses plus my daughter has a 1/4 bass and ALL had neck repairs before I bought them and are just fine.

One was in a car wreck two years ago where the whole neck popped off as did the top. The previously repaired heel crack in the neck stayed rock solid though

One repair guy I know described a bass as an instrument that is just waiting to explode

 

IME using a violin guy with minimal bass knowledge/experience is fraught with peril. I've dealt with a couple and the results weren't so hot, and in two cases with one guy, it was downright ugly.

The crowning blow was a situation with a guy in the midwest who received one of the Bulgarian basses I sell, and took it to his violin guy. He pronounced the fingerboard as warped and requiring replacement.

Further exchanges between me and the new owner determine that the "warp" was the gentle amount of relief carved into the fingerboard. I turned him on to a bass luthier on my list who advised him that there was nothing wrong with it, and who actually added a bit more relief for the guy's jazz leanings.

A similar situation occurred in Utah where a violin shop offered to replace his warped fingerboard for $800. Same situation; the fingerboard was fine.

 

My teacher is also a bass luthier, and I've seen the "befores" & "afters" of some of the stuff he's done. I would have no problems buying an instrument which has been repaired if the work had been well done. The chances of buying an old instrument which has not had at least some work done on it is pretty remote - in fact I think I'd be suspicious of an "old" instrument in pristine condition with no dings, patches etc.

- Wil

 

Woah! I agree with Monsieur Gollihur of course! When I was referring to bad bass repairing, I didn't mean to step on the toes of any fine bass repairers out there (or on here).

That being said, we've all seen some pretty crummy repair efforts foisted on poor, innocent old basses. I bet Bob and others could run a whole chain on "attempted repairs with lag bolts, epoxy and popsicle sticks." It's that work which gives rise to concerns like those Nil expressed in his original post.

 

If I were considering a bass with a repaired neck, I'd check two things:
Lay the bass on its back on the floor, and look at the alignment from the bottom up, i.e., are the neck and fingerboard in line with the axis of the body? Are the bridge feet centered with the fingerboard and the f holes?
Sometimes a loose neck is disguised by the tension of the strings. Put the bass on a table, and take the tension off the strings. (Watch the soundpost. My luthier rests a couple of bags of buckshot on the top to maintain contact.) See if the neck can be moved.