Double Bass Neck replacement?

[Jazzstick]

I recently bought 2 older Juzek basses. One has a scroll which was broken in half and crudely glued back together. The neck also has a “lighting bolt” shaped crack . So how much would it cost to properly replace the neck and get it back in good playing shape? Also how long would such a repair take? … thanks

 

[BassinCT]

I honestly don’t know what to expect in terms of time and cost, but there are three excellent shops in our vicinity that will give you different options for the repairs. An in-person inspection is important, in case there is a condition with the ribs or neck block that need attention first.
Mystic, CT- Upton bass; Providence, RI- Zachary Martin; Brewster, NY- Keiran O’Hara

 

[james condino]

$3-5k for a well done professional grade scroll graft in the New England area, if it is even recoverable. PLUS another $1500 minimum for bridge, strings, fingerboard dressing, full setup. The likelihood of additional work is highly probable if the entire neck was broke in half. Often it makes zero sense to reuse a broken fingerboard for a $3000 job vs the additional 10% / $300 for a nice thick "proper" new 'board.

Expect a hefty additional "dumb@$$ tax" if you are asking someone else to clean up prior substandard amateur work with titebond, epoxy, et cetera. Many shops will refuse it for those reasons alone. Same thing if you take it to a lowball guitar shop first, they botch the job, and then you pony up and take it to a reputable place asking forgiveness.

I know one old Italian guy that refuses to work on any Chinese basses...

You may also consider some kind of trade or exchange type arrangement. I regularly get folks who bring in two similar nice basses in need of work. I rebuild both at the same time; I get one & they get the other as payment...often also involving corn liquor, banjos, old pickup trucks, or some other negotiations. The barter economy is alive and well in North Carolina.

 

[Sean Riddle]

I honestly don’t know what to expect in terms of time and cost, but there are three excellent shops in our vicinity that will give you different options for the repairs. An in-person inspection is important, in case there is a condition with the ribs or neck block that need attention first.
Mystic, CT- Upton bass; Providence, RI- Zachary Martin; Brewster, NY- Keiran O’Hara

Also add in Mark Leue in Western Mass. I just had some work done by him and he’s a solid and reasonable luthier.

https://www.theluthier.us/

 

[TroyK]

...
You may also consider some kind of trade or exchange type arrangement. I regularly get folks who bring in two similar nice basses in need of work. I rebuild both at the same time; I get one & they get the other as payment...often also involving corn liquor, banjos, old pickup trucks, or some other negotiations. The barter economy is alive and well in North Carolina.

"Old Scroll" would be a good brand name for whiskey.

 

[dperrott]

Yes its several thousands. I think the price for a scroll graft is ever higher than what James said, at least around here. A scroll graft is only feasible if the bass is historic, and not a commercially made bass (In my opinion). If they are playable get them insured and play them. If they do break then you have the help of insurance.

 

[bassmanbrent]

I recently bought 2 older Juzek basses. One has a scroll which was broken in half and crudely glued back together. The neck also has a “lighting bolt” shaped crack . So how much would it cost to properly replace the neck and get it back in good playing shape? Also how long would such a repair take? … thanks

Okay, please bear in mind that I'm not a luthier... I've seen quite a few basses where the entire neck was replaced with a pre-made one from Germany (I think...) rather than a scroll graft. Obviously you wouldn't do this to a historic, important instrument but it might be a good option for a Juzek, especially if the scroll is already badly damaged...

 

[Mark_T]

Okay, please bear in mind that I'm not a luthier... I've seen quite a few basses where the entire neck was replaced with a pre-made one from Germany (I think...) rather than a scroll graft. Obviously you wouldn't do this to a historic, important instrument but it might be a good option for a Juzek, especially if the scroll is already badly damaged...

I have been curious about this for some time as I own a very nice bass that could possibly benefit from something a neck reset for increased overstand and maybe slight adjustment of mensure. I asked a luthier once if he would rather do a scroll graft or just cut a new scroll and he said he'd rather do a scroll graft. I was a little surprised, and it's just one man's opinion, but maybe still worth something.

 

[dperrott]

I have been curious about this for some time as I own a very nice bass that could possibly benefit from something a neck reset for increased overstand and maybe slight adjustment of mensure. I asked a luthier once if he would rather do a scroll graft or just cut a new scroll and he said he'd rather do a scroll graft. I was a little surprised, and it's just one man's opinion, but maybe still worth something.

Depends on what he is best at. You can alter the over stand by just resetting the neck.

 

[Jazzstick]

Yes its several thousands. I think the price for a scroll graft is ever higher than what James said, at least around here. A scroll graft is only feasible if the bass is historic, and not a commercially made bass (In my opinion). If they are playable get them insured and play them. If they do break then you have the help of insurance.

I like this advice… any advice on insurance?

 

[Mark_T]

Depends on what he is best at. You can alter the over stand by just resetting the neck.

Fair. In my case, the scroll was damaged years before I bought the bass, so I assumed a new scroll was a bonus. In any case, my bass is perfectly playable as is so it's left as an exercise to whoever wants to do it.

 

[dperrott]

I like this advice… any advice on insurance?

Anderson, Music Pro, Clarion are some of them... Check the rates, policies and will need a appraisal from a luthier

 

[RSBBass]

I doubt a poorly done repair would be covered by insurance.

 

[BassinCT]

Clarion insurance is great for covering loss from theft or accident, but they will not cover the cost of a restoration, unless it is new damage from an accident. An instrument reacting to dramatic weather changes also isn’t covered.

 

[Larry Ames]

I like this advice… any advice on insurance?

Most insurers will not cover "pre-existing conditions"

 

[the_Ryan]

I have been curious about this for some time as I own a very nice bass that could possibly benefit from something a neck reset for increased overstand and maybe slight adjustment of mensure. I asked a luthier once if he would rather do a scroll graft or just cut a new scroll and he said he'd rather do a scroll graft. I was a little surprised, and it's just one man's opinion, but maybe still worth something.

My understanding is that the scroll is one of the few parts of a bowed string instrument where a luthier puts personal touches and pure artistry, and an instrument is more valuable if the original scroll is intact. Instruments shouldn’t be bought purely for resale value, but on older instruments it’s highly unlikely that the original neck, nut, fingerboard, tailpiece, endpin, bridge, and/or tuners are still present (bass of Theseus?) due to changes in setup over the decades/centuries, so the scroll and body being original are very important from a historical/archival/value perspective. For an old-ish shop bass like a Juzek (or American Standard, Kay, etc.) that needs a new neck it’s probably not going to make a huge difference whether or not the scroll is original, but I can imagine that some luthiers would want to keep as much of the original instrument intact.

 

[SAlcott]

When my Olde Tyrolean met with a serious accident, the luthier and I discussed options for the repairs. We determined that it would benefit from the addition of a proper neck block and new neck, as the original was beech and a bit flexy. We went through a dozen or so maple neck blanks with pre-carved scrolls and picked the nicest one; post-repair, the bass sounded much better due to the stiffer neck. With major scroll/neck damage on a Juzek-type instrument, I'd do the same with no hesitation. I still have the original neck, but the bass has moved on to another home.

 

[eh_train]

I've seen quite a few basses where the entire neck was replaced with a pre-made one from Germany (I think...) rather than a scroll graft. Obviously you wouldn't do this to a historic, important instrument but it might be a good option for a Juzek, especially if the scroll is already badly damaged...

Quite right, but the difference in cost may not be as great as you'd hope. A nice pre-carved neck from Germany can easily cost $800 (more than a grafting block), and only the scroll portion is anywhere near 'finished'. The new neck still needs to be fitted at the correct angle and projection, and the neck handle and heel need to be accurately carved. They leave a LOT of extra wood in the handle, and it all has to come out. Then you have to fit the tuners, easily a half day's job. Then there's the same stuff involved with if you had done a neck graft: fingerboard, probably a new bridge, possibly a new nut... Oh, and also varnishing the new wood...

We're talking thousands, regardless of whether it's a graft or a new neck.

 

[james condino]

I currently own 5 basses in my personal quiver and every single one of them has had the neck replaced at least once!

 

[JBarz]

I currently own 5 basses in my personal quiver and every single one of them has had the neck replaced at least on

Dang, someone needs to let this guy know the ‘you can only have one’ rule…

(I jest, I jest)