New Neck for a Once Bitten, Twice Shy Bassist

@Rôckhewer maybe?

Have you looked for Aussie luthiers? There must be some right?

Listing Guitars Luthiers Australia

Maybe enlist TB to help filter and get the right one.

 

Nice to hear from you Alex, I remember your whole saga well. Mike and Harold were the worst lying scammers the Luthier's Corner has ever seen and you got soaked by both of them.

I hope it's not too painful to recount, but remind me again what your original desired specs were?

 

Thanks for the mention, but I'm not taking on any new clients until I clear my backlog... 3 booked builds I'm way behind on. Which, at my current pace, is going to take a minute... or two...
Besides I'm in AZ. Pretty far from OZ

 

@reverendrally can probably give you a few leads? (I don't know if he builds for anyone but himself, given the day job, but he's Oz based (IIRC) and likes a longscale from time to time.)

 

We could always try to list every Australian builder we can think of... I know he's not a commercial builder, but @madmaskbass built an amazing Wal-like object at the last build off...

 

I may be able to help you, Alex. I'm an expert on custom necks, and I've built some in the 36" to 40" scale length range. I have a machine shop, and I make up all of my own truss rods and other metal hardware. I know how make necks of that size strong and stable.

I won't take on the job personally, because I really don't do custom work anymore. Too busy with my own line of basses. But my friend Randy Robinson is a veteran repair and custom work Luthier. He does one-off custom necks. And he has a shop right down the hall from mine, in the same building. I can help him with any special parts and machining that he needs. We're in California, near Los Angeles.

My suggestion is that you find a Luthier in Australia to work with you on the project. Send Randy the specs for the neck, and he'd build the main structure and shape it to bolt onto the body you have. Your Luthier would do the final fitting, sanding, any modifications to the body, finishing and assembly. The only shipping would be the neck to you.

 

Only one I know personally is Kevin Brubaker. This sounds like a problem he might like to help you solve. He's in Baltimore MD USA, though. Look him up online. He's a good guy.

Otherwise, I would think any of the well known luthiers would be for you. I swear, if I'd gone through what you had I'd have used the money for a plane ticket to collect what was mine.

Best of luck!

 

As someone who has also been a victim of incompetent/dishonest luthiers - albeit not to the extent that you did - I feel that we need to do something.

Maybe a registry of some kind? A listing of "approved" luthiers and techs that have earned their stripes? The yellow pages / yelp of techs with reviews and verification etc.

Lets make it happen

 

Mark me down as a flake.

 

Lol! I don't mean a name-and-shame, but something with a vetting process, like a red seal or similar for techs. Finding techs is a crapshoot, your only resources are local classifieds and OCCASIONALLY Google, though all Google really tells you is that they've spent time and money setting up a business listing. There's no way to tell whether someone can deliver the goods or is all talk.

 

I don't know any Australian luthiers, but Geoff Cox from Fanblade Instruments is in New Zealand. At least that's "closer". You can look him up on YouTube or Facebook. Hope that helps.

 

Maybe try Ozbass forum I know there is a luthier section with a few pros around. As suggested though an extra long scale neck like that should be done by a specialist IMO as the whole neck geometry would be slightly different to normal.

 

Try Konig Bassworks
Konig Bassworx Bass Guitars

or Paul Curtinsmith of Curtinsmith Guitars
Custom Bass Luthier | Curtinsmith Guitars | Australia

Not sure either would be interested in an XLS scale bass, but they both do good work from what I've seen. And they're both in the wide brown land.

 

In Bruce We Trust!

 

Hello Alex;

He's Randy Robinson, and his web site is:

https://www.rwrguitars.com/

I mentioned this neck project to him and he said it sounds good.

 

Hi all, I've just come across this thread. Alex, I'm so sorry to hear about your dramas. I too have been ripped off by a US bass maker. SGD. He's been kicked off this forum and I was able to have my purchase refunded by my bank via the credit card. Thankfully it was just a set of pickups.

There are a number of guys who could (and would) help you here.

David Searle is in Melbourne and is very, very good. I've seen some of his work close up.

(3) DJS Guitars - David Searle | Facebook

Michael is a lovely guy and a seasoned builder now. He's in Melbourne too.

Michael (@polarisbasses) • Instagram photos and videos

Phil Mailloux is in Brisbane and is a gun.

Mailloux Bass Gallery - (ozbassforum.com)

In Sydney is Jeff Malia, but he's uber busy and often booked out.

On a slightly different tack. Gerard Gilet is in Gulgong, NSW. He's built more guitars than I've had hot dinners.

Gilet Guitars

I'm happy to chat with you if you like. I'm sort of between sheds atm so I wouldn't offer to build anything, but I have some other contacts in Sydney who might be able to help you out. PM me and I'll send you my number.