I want to give a nod of appreciation to Mark Garza, builder of Garz guitars for his outstanding work restoring one of his custom builds for me . (disclaimer: I have no financial relationship with Mark. He did not ask me to post this and doesn’t know I am. I’m just deeply appreciative of his service and attention to detail.)
The custom 5-string was built to amazing specs for a TBer nearly a decade ago, and sold here in 2008. After that, it’s history is unknown until a friend of mine found in the pawn shop in Hartford Knowing of Mark’s reputation for quality builds and great service from TB posts, I grabbed it. Besides the scarred gun oil finish, the truss rod was frozen and the nut stripped. I sought Mark’s advice and rather than replacing the truss rod, he offered to build a new neck, sand out the scars and refinish with a satin lacquer.
A month later, I had the bass back, pretty much like new. These photos aren’t great, but you’ll get the idea. The tonal options are endless, the finish outstanding, and the neck is a marvel.
For those who care about the details, here are the specs for the new neck:
5 piece neck,maple purpleheart
2 carbon fiber rods
2-way truss rod
Pau ferro fingerboard
Med frets
16 inch radius
Impeccable fret dressing and edges
As for the rest of the bass, here are the original specs.
• Alder Body with Flame Maple top
• Matching flame headstock
• Smooth body and forearm contours
• 6 bolt neck with super tight neck pocket
• Upper horn extends to the 11th fret for perfect balance and playing position
• 1 ¾” nut and 17mm string spacing for easy playability
• 34” scale
• Wood covers
• Painted and copper-coated electronics cavity
• Hand dyed body and headstock
Equipment
• Hipshot Ultralight Tuners
• Hipshot A style Bridge
• 2 – Nordstrand Dual Coil MM humbucker Pickups
• Aguilar 18volt OP-3 Preamp
• Dunlop strap locks
The custom 5-string was built to amazing specs for a TBer nearly a decade ago, and sold here in 2008. After that, it’s history is unknown until a friend of mine found in the pawn shop in Hartford Knowing of Mark’s reputation for quality builds and great service from TB posts, I grabbed it. Besides the scarred gun oil finish, the truss rod was frozen and the nut stripped. I sought Mark’s advice and rather than replacing the truss rod, he offered to build a new neck, sand out the scars and refinish with a satin lacquer.
A month later, I had the bass back, pretty much like new. These photos aren’t great, but you’ll get the idea. The tonal options are endless, the finish outstanding, and the neck is a marvel.
For those who care about the details, here are the specs for the new neck:
5 piece neck,maple purpleheart
2 carbon fiber rods
2-way truss rod
Pau ferro fingerboard
Med frets
16 inch radius
Impeccable fret dressing and edges
As for the rest of the bass, here are the original specs.
• Alder Body with Flame Maple top
• Matching flame headstock
• Smooth body and forearm contours
• 6 bolt neck with super tight neck pocket
• Upper horn extends to the 11th fret for perfect balance and playing position
• 1 ¾” nut and 17mm string spacing for easy playability
• 34” scale
• Wood covers
• Painted and copper-coated electronics cavity
• Hand dyed body and headstock
Equipment
• Hipshot Ultralight Tuners
• Hipshot A style Bridge
• 2 – Nordstrand Dual Coil MM humbucker Pickups
• Aguilar 18volt OP-3 Preamp
• Dunlop strap locks
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