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The most screwed up repairs.

#21
A very rare 1967 Ampeg Devil Bass, as it arrived in my shop.....Specially wired for Swave-Tone. That's an irreplaceable pickgard. And the chamber for the original pickup was, literally, filled with poured lead. And there were many other problems.....I fully restored it, and it's now living a happy Devilish life.

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#22
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#24
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#25
JIO said:
oh my... how did you fill all the extra holes in the pg?
Click to expand...

In that case, I had to make up a new set of both pickguards from modern vinyl stock. The 5-ply Bakelite that the originals were made from is no longer available anywhere.

On other Ampeg restorations, I have successfully filled holes in the pickguard with black epoxy. Not perfect, but pretty good.

Here's this Devil Bass after the full restoration. I ended up making a whole new neck from scratch for it, plus a complete "mystery" pickup and the pickguards. And a major rebuild on the body. This bass is now about 40% Ampeg, 60% me.

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#26
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#28
And speaking of Devil Basses In Distress, some sick person cut the horns off of this one, about 30 years ago. It suffered indignity for a long time.

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But, thankfully it finally came here to my shop for restoration surgery. I crafted a new pair of maple horns for it, with aluminum rods inside.

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It's almost finished....and its Devilish powers are returning!

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Soon, it will be going back out into the world!!!!
 
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#29
Bruce Johnson said:
And speaking of Devil Basses In Distress, some sick person cut the horns off of this one, about 30 years ago. It suffered indignity for a long time.

View attachment 4218717

But, thankfully it finally came here to my shop for restoration surgery. I crafted a new pair of maple horns for it, with aluminum rods inside.

View attachment 4218718

View attachment 4218719

It's almost finished....and its Devilish powers are returning!

View attachment 4218720

View attachment 4218721

Soon, it will be going back out into the world!!!!
Click to expand...

That's kinda like the Hellboy story :D

Excellent surgery skills, Doc :thumbsup:
 
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#31
eddybuzzard said:
If this is from the middle of a war effort era, it would actually be a very appropriate repair :thumbsup:
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Yah, I'm a little reluctant to post botched fixes for laughs as we all know they are out there and you know.., someone was on the receiving end and that sucks right? Like taking pleasure in someone else's pain. Journeyman luthiers like Bruce have for sure seen the gamut but they are the instrument Dr's that know how to do that. (fix/restore the correct way) In that respect I'm interested, but just posting crappy DIY hacks...

(cudo's to @Dan Adams on his 'save/restoration' of his Ibanez bass :thumbsup:)
 
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#32
Bruce Johnson said:
And speaking of Devil Basses In Distress, some sick person cut the horns off of this one, about 30 years ago. It suffered indignity for a long time.

View attachment 4218717

But, thankfully it finally came here to my shop for restoration surgery. I crafted a new pair of maple horns for it, with aluminum rods inside.

View attachment 4218718

View attachment 4218719

It's almost finished....and its Devilish powers are returning!

View attachment 4218720

View attachment 4218721

Soon, it will be going back out into the world!!!!
Click to expand...

That's how it's done! :thumbsup:
 
#33
Bruce Johnson said:
And speaking of Devil Basses In Distress, some sick person cut the horns off of this one, about 30 years ago. It suffered indignity for a long time.

View attachment 4218717

But, thankfully it finally came here to my shop for restoration surgery. I crafted a new pair of maple horns for it, with aluminum rods inside.

View attachment 4218718

View attachment 4218719

It's almost finished....and its Devilish powers are returning!

View attachment 4218720

View attachment 4218721

Soon, it will be going back out into the world!!!!
Click to expand...


Man, that “before” picture hurt just a little... :eek:
 
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#34
DanAdams said:
This was a recent rebuild I did.
A previous owner undertook a huge project to move the front pick up > an inch, they had also slopped that gross honey glaze poly over everything including the pickups and controls.
I had to try to fix and cover the horrors. No 70s Ibanez Musician deserves that shame.
View attachment 4218538
Click to expand...

THAT'S why when we get these doofuss questions along the lines of 'oh geez, I really love my ____________ bass, but I'd like to move the __________pickup an inch closer to the neck', I keep thinking there's no way it's ever gonna look right.
 
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#37
JIO said:
Yah, I'm a little reluctant to post botched fixes for laughs as we all know they are out there and you know.., someone was on the receiving end and that sucks right? Like taking pleasure in someone else's pain. Journeyman luthiers like Bruce have for sure seen the gamut but they are the instrument Dr's that know how to do that. (fix/restore the correct way) In that respect I'm interested, but just posting crappy DIY hacks...

(cudo's to @Dan Adams on his 'save/restoration' of his Ibanez bass :thumbsup:)
Click to expand...

Yeah, I have the same feelings but this thread is not only for laughs but as a warning and sharing ideas of proper restoration after those painful treatments :thumbsup:
 
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#38
etnoo said:
Yeah, I have the same feelings but this thread is not only for laughs but as a warning and sharing ideas of proper restoration after those painful treatments :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

I agree about the before and after angle - I've bought a few affordable hacked DIY basket cases and turned them around into playable instruments. Always interested in seeing people do that.
 
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#39
I had a bandmate who was also apparently the road manager and guitar tech for a respected guitarist. He swapped some pickups on a bass and just totally ruined it. Sloppy routes, wired wrong, damaged the pickups. He's kinda a cocky a-hole in person as well so I shoulda known. Finally got it fixed at extra expense.
 
#40
etnoo said:
I don’t have any pictures on my phone at the moment but this is exactly the same model as shown here:
DEFIL VINTAGE GUITARS: MAMBO 1974 - GALERIA
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Dang! I had to ask. Now I want one. I will say I draw some comfort from the knowledge that I am not the only bass player who likes to change the line from one verse to the next to curtail monotony. And I definitely, DEFINITELY, will be copping licks from this video.
 

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