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ready, set, NOOOoooOOOOooOO

#41
FunkMetalBass said:
Glue it on, then drive some nails into it from the top so that they are flush with the neck and will worth with the glue to keep it stronger.
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Very bad advice! Fasteners are used with glue only to keep the parts together until the glue dries. The glue joint is plenty strong on it's own.

Remove the strings. Apply the glue to both surfaces (I'd use TiteBond or Elmers wood glue, the yellow stuff), mate the pieces carefully and apply some sort clamp to hold things (I'd try a bunch of rubber bands), wipe the squeezed out glue with a damp cloth, and put it away until tomorrow.
 
#42
202dy said:
This is not a difficult repair if you have some wood working skill and the right tools. The most important part of this job is creating shaped cauls that will allow the clamps (multiple) to have flat surfaces on which to exert their force perpendicular to the joint. It is also the most difficult part of the job. A relatively high degree of precision is required to get the angles right.
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As usual, 202dy gives great advice. My personal failing with repairs like this is to get lazy and not create the right cauls/forms/whatever to hold the pieces precisely in place. Glueing the joint isn't a big deal at all (and I reiterate that Titebond would be my choice), the real challenge is holding the pieces in precisely the right relationship while clamped. Just slapping a couple of clamps on it isn't going to do that - you need to create shaped devices to hold the pieces in place.

The suggestion to use nails gets my vote as the worst idea in any thread I've read in the past six months.
 
#43
You should ONLY be using the Aliphatic Resin type of wood glue. This is the yellow type rather than the white carpenter's glue.

If the pieces fit together precisely and are clamped tight until dry, the joint will literally be stronger than the wood. I have had a lot of experience with this glue, and always been amazed at how strong it is.

If you don't have suitable clamps for the shape, a dozen or so large rubber bands wrapped tight will work fine.
 
#44
WOOD GLUE AND CLAMPS! That's an eazy one really. No gorilla glue, no nails, screws.
Wood glue is cheap and you likely have a clamp in the garage. Let it dry really well. Wood to wood with wood glue is VERY strong. Your neck is fine beneath. I would NOT buy a new neck unless it's just horrible afterwards.
 
#45
Gio S said:
You should ONLY be using the Aliphatic Resin type of wood glue. This is the yellow type rather than the white carpenter's glue.

If the pieces fit together precisely and are clamped tight until dry, the joint will literally be stronger than the wood. I have had a lot of experience with this glue, and always been amazed at how strong it is.

If you don't have suitable clamps for the shape, a dozen or so large rubber bands wrapped tight will work fine.
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wrapping an old inner tube works a treat, too.
 
#46
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Please forgive my crude diagram.

For the OP or anyone else who might run into this problem, there is no need for "fancy" clamps.

Trace out the headstock profile on another piece of wood, cut out with a jig saw and clamp with what you have available!

This is actually a very simple fix. Making the finish look "nice" again around the mend is the trickiest part in this process.
 
#47
Widdershins said:
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Please forgive my crude diagram. . .
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Sorry, this is probably a really obscure reference in this day and time, but after seeing your drawing and reading your comment, I had a laugh-out-loud "Back To The Future" flashback.

"Please excuse the crudity of this model. I did not have time to build it to scale or paint." --- Dr. Emmett Brown
 
#48
I've done a repair on a squier about a month ago, similar to this..... did it for about $80. Though i didn't use the broken off piece, I just squared up the break line and used a piece of hardrock maple to glue in it's place. Hyde or titebond will suffice though, that's a preference.
 
#51
well, finally got around to it, used Titebond III. To fill in the approx. 1-2 cm. gap of wood below the tuner slot i carved some wood off of a nearby pencil and slipped the slices into the gap. (probably not the best idea but it seems to be working)
i figure the pencil idea will probably cause some problems down the road- swelling with the weather, etc.- but i'll have to deal with that when the problems arise. oh well.

I restrung my bass, tuned it to pitch and the action was ridiculously high. I've since tightened the truss-rod with what's so far come to be about a half of a rotation. The B-string's action is still pretty high up at the higher registers, so i think i'm going to have to give it some more turns- but this concerns me.... i've not seen much change in action height and i feel it's a bit risky to go so far as to turn it any more.. opinions?

Edit: the saddle height is as low as it goes (on the B)
 
#52
Did the fall jar the neck and change the neck angle? That would have a detrimental effect on the action, and one that wouldn't be wise to try to fix with the truss rod. Assuming you have a bolt on neck, the neck angle can be adjusted by adding thin shims under the neck (yes the neck has to come off completely, likely more than once until you get the correct angle).

I'd be careful with that truss rod, lest you tweak it until it strips or snaps ... you may end up needing a new neck for a completely different reason than you originally thought!

Like we used say in the I.T. world "I kept fixing it until it broke". Don't let that be you!
 
#53
Fetusyolk said:
well, finally got around to it, used Titebond III. To fill in the approx. 1-2 cm. gap of wood below the tuner slot i carved some wood off of a nearby pencil and slipped the slices into the gap. (probably not the best idea but it seems to be working)
i figure the pencil idea will probably cause some problems down the road- swelling with the weather, etc.- but i'll have to deal with that when the problems arise. oh well.

I restrung my bass, tuned it to pitch and the action was ridiculously high. I've since tightened the truss-rod with what's so far come to be about a half of a rotation. The B-string's action is still pretty high up at the higher registers, so i think i'm going to have to give it some more turns- but this concerns me.... i've not seen much change in action height and i feel it's a bit risky to go so far as to turn it any more.. opinions?

Edit: the saddle height is as low as it goes (on the B)
Click to expand...

When adding wood it is a good idea to stick with the base species. In this case it is maple, a hard wood. The ?cedar? from the pencil is a soft wood. May cause problems later.

The neck and rod have been under the tension of four strings for quite a while. This instrument simply needs to be set up.

The number of turns on a truss rod doesn't really mean that much. It's the amount the neck moves. If it's not moving, turn the nut. If the nut won't move, that's another consideration all together.

The truss rod is used to regulate the amount of curve in the neck. String height is controlled by the raising and lowering the saddles. Or shimming the neck and changing the relationship of the neck to the body. It is a happy accident when the truss rod is used to adjust string height.

Regulate the truss rod. Then adjust the saddles. If that doesn't get it where you want it, try shimming the neck.
 
#54
202dy said:
The number of turns on a truss rod doesn't really mean that much. It's the amount the neck moves. It is a happy accident when the truss rod is used to adjust string height.
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:hyper:

I really like these. For everyone who is learning to do setups on their own; read and understand what 202dy means by that before tinkering with your instrument. You'll save yourself headaches and be one step closer to being a pro at setups in no time.
 
#56
With my skills, I would have made a jig, clamped in the piece, and then drilled pilot holes straight through the piece. Then I would have drilled for 2 dowels. After that I would have glued the piece in with the two dowels, and filled the holes with plugs and/or filler.

Still, this would only be marginally better than a properly glued joint, so I would say that you're good. The cedar/whatever shaving might cause a bit of swelling, but it should be marginal and if it's at the top of the crack I can't really see how it would be a problem. A neater fix would have been sawdust mixed with glue, and then using that as a filler.

When you said you action was too high, did you mean the action or the curve of the neck? Hold down the strings between the last and first fret, and check the gap between the string and 7th fret. It should be about 0,3mm - 1 mm, I usually go for a gap the same thickness as a credit card. After that is set, you can move on to setting the action at the end of the neck, keep lowering the saddles at the bridge until it starts to buzz at the higher frets (12th - 24th) , and then raise it up until it stops buzzing/feels comfortable.
 
#57
Widdershins said:
:hyper:

I really like these. For everyone who is learning to do setups on their own; read and understand what 202dy means by that before tinkering with your instrument. You'll save yourself headaches and be one step closer to being a pro at setups in no time.
Click to expand...

i've read up on setups quite a bit and understand the difference between action and relief changes. I do need to tighten the neck a bit more to set it to the relief that i feel comfortable with, but i really do get frustrated with this 'fender' action in the higher registers. It seems this is a common problem with fender basses (IME) when it comes to the lower strings.
 

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