OK. Today is "New Case Day". Thanks to @Nocturnal for the info and to S.A./FedEx for getting it here quickly.
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Thunderbird Club
- Thread starter TBird1958
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- club thunderbird
Super 55? I’m thinking about bringing mine to our next gig just because.
Well, thank you TheFixer, Larry V, Gaolee and GonePlaid, that's a relief to read you all guys. As soon as I find someone to do the job correctly I'll be posting things and updates.
You're great guys.
You're great guys.
- Mar 13, 2008
- 18,895
- 142,215
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist Mike Lull T Bass pickups, The Bass Shop, Seattle WA.
Gaolee
Official leathers tester and crash dummy
Nice shoes!
Finally a case that fits that beast!
Shoes!
Velcro shoes... Of course, @GonePlaid is a Floridian, so that and having dinner at 4pm probably come naturally.
- Mar 13, 2008
- 18,895
- 142,215
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist Mike Lull T Bass pickups, The Bass Shop, Seattle WA.
This place can be brutal!Some pants with an elastic waistband complete the ensemble
With a Hawaiian shirt, that would be formal wear...Some pants with an elastic waistband complete the ensemble
Actually, that's what our band wears(not matching)
Such a sad story! I hate to see a good bird treated bad, but that's what the previous owner apparently did.
Like others have said, the Neck/headstock might not be tilted as bad as it looks or might even be just the nut lifting, hard to tell from the pics. It also looks like the Neck has been cracked at some point. And you're correct, the Chrome nuts do not belong there.
Any time you use two nuts back to back and threaded on a rod you create a "lock nut" or binding nut situation. As shown in your picture, the brass nut is doing absolutely nothing and in fact is in danger of striping threads or it's own shoulders if tightened. This assumes the Chrome nuts are screwed on the thread, there is a chance the previous owner used oversized nuts as spacers, which is kind of ok in a pinch but far from ideal. The problem with nuts as spacers vs washers as spacers is that the shoulders of the nut can dig and lock into the wood vs spinning freely.
My suggestion...
1) remove the strings
2) remove the brass truss nut being careful not to strip the shoulders or threads
3) carefully remove the first Chrome nut (must be done one nut at a time so they don't bind)
4) carefully remove the second Chrome nut (may be tough if it's sunk into the wood)
5) inspect the truss threads to ensure none are striped
6) inspect the neck crack to see if it needs further repair or epoxy fill
7) inspect the headstock and neck twist to see if it has straightened out since the brass and Chrome nuts were removed
8) let it sit for a day or so (keep it away from excessive humidity and heat or cold) with no tension to see if things straighten out
9) confirm the trussrod works by installing a few washers on the rod then reinstalling the brass nut and tightening a little bit at a time to get some (not a lot) of back bow without strings installed
10) if you can get back bow and the neck doesn't look as twisted then reinstall the strings and do a proper setup - you're good to go!
11) if you can't get back bow or the neck is still twisted you have a bigger issue that will most likely require a luthier to possibly pop the fretboard off to repair or replace the truss rod, fix the neck crack or in an extreme case even cut the neck off and route a pocket in the body to install a Fender or Epiphone Bolt on neck (the NR Fenderbird look worked well for John Entwistle).
The good news is, that everything up to step 11 is free and easy to do yourself. You might get lucky and be fine without investing anymore in the bass. Step 11 is a worst case situation that might run you a couple hundred dollars for a new or used neck and a couple bucks to modify the bass for the new neck.
Good luck!
Last edited:
Gaolee
Official leathers tester and crash dummy
The only thing I would add is that if the crack closes up when the strings are off and the trussrod is loosened up, you may have to tighten the trussrod to get the cracks to open up again to inject the epoxy. Getting a tool to do that is pretty straight forward, and you can use low viscosity epoxy that will go into the crack easier. But, you still have to get it in there. Once the epoxy is injected, then loosen the trussrod again to let the crack close naturally.
OR...
You may find the same process is true with the strings. You would have to loosen the trussrod but retighten the strings to get the cracks to open up enough to get the epoxy in. Only do either one enough to open the cracks a little. Epoxy fixes everything. It's even better than duct tape. You still don't want to make anything worse.
Gotta get that 'Bird back into playing condition as a 'Bird should be.
- Mar 13, 2008
- 18,895
- 142,215
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist Mike Lull T Bass pickups, The Bass Shop, Seattle WA.
Regarding the twisted neck, there's an old trick that the 3 point is perfect for, reversing the saddles and even changing their positions can help compensate. The '76 I sold was set up this way.
. Didn't work.
So I got some more work done on the Goth project.
Sanded some more down... turns out they took a page right from the 7ender custom shop of the 60's... they took a standard sunburst bass and painted over it. Most of the front still has paint on it.
I also added a belly contour... it ain't perfect but it's there.
Sanded some more down... turns out they took a page right from the 7ender custom shop of the 60's... they took a standard sunburst bass and painted over it. Most of the front still has paint on it.
I also added a belly contour... it ain't perfect but it's there.
Attachments
So the largish engine in the background runs the belt sander?
