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Trying to fix a worthless Bass

#81
So I brought the strings up to tune this evening and my initial thought, well I have a few initial thoughts. One is the nut is too high. Second is the neck pitch is off pretty severely. I'm not going to worry about that yet because instead of shims I think I could take care of that by sanding and and not have to put a shim in the pocket. Third is that at least as it stands right now I actually need to add some relief. It seems too straight. But that's definitely the problem I want to have right now.
I'm going to stick with my plan and give it a while under tension before I do anything else. If the neck remains straight for a period of time then I feel like I'll be able to keep working at this thing and not be wasting my time.
 
#82
Markshan said:
So I brought the strings up to tune this evening and my initial thought, well I have a few initial thoughts. One is the nut is too high. Second is the neck pitch is off pretty severely. I'm not going to worry about that yet because instead of shims I think I could take care of that by sanding and and not have to put a shim in the pocket. Third is that at least as it stands right now I actually need to add some relief. It seems too straight. But that's definitely the problem I want to have right now.
I'm going to stick with my plan and give it a while under tension before I do anything else. If the neck remains straight for a period of time then I feel like I'll be able to keep working at this thing and not be wasting my time.
Click to expand...

Nut height easily sorted with needle files or specialist nut files if available . I would suggest using shims from an old business card to get the action where you want it before removing any wood . You will then have a very clear idea of how much material you will need to remove . It is a surprisingly small amount . Hopefully a small amount of loosening of the truss rod will introduce the necessary amount of relief . If not , buy some Labella original 54 flats . They have enough tension to bend an RSJ .
It sounds like you are going in the right direction . Congratulations :hyper:
 
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#83
johnh89 said:
Nut height easily sorted with needle files or specialist nut files if available . I would suggest using shims from an old business card to get the action where you want it before removing any wood . You will then have a very clear idea of how much material you will need to remove . It is a surprisingly small amount . Hopefully a small amount of loosening of the truss rod will introduce the necessary amount of relief . If not , buy some Labella original 54 flats . They have enough tension to bend an RSJ .
It sounds like you are going in the right direction . Congratulations :hyper:
Click to expand...

RSJ?
 
#85
When you have completed this project, it will become one of your prized possessions don'cha know? I have a student Vito clarinet I rescued from a dumpster and revived, it took about a week of work. It's probably worth $400; I wouldn't part with it for less than $2,000. Even then I would do so reluctantly.
 
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#86
Markshan said:
RSJ?
Click to expand...
Rolled steel joist . Girder . I beam . Bloody great lump of steel .
upload_2023-8-10_16-48-38.jpeg
 
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#87
sissy kathy said:
When you have completed this project, it will become one of your prized possessions don'cha know? I have a student Vito clarinet I rescued from a dumpster and revived, it took about a week of work. It's probably worth $400; I wouldn't part with it for less than $2,000. Even then I would do so reluctantly.
Click to expand...
I'm sure this is true. I love rescuing what others have given up on.
 
#92
My plans as they stand at the moment are to replace the bridge and tailpiece because they are janky. Cut new pickguards that match because they are really janky. Replace the tuning machines even though the old ones work fine because I want to make them match the new pickguard with the aged mother of pearl. I plan to glue a piece of veneer onto the front of the headstock and paint it black so it has more of a hofner resemblance. I plan to scrape all of the old thick gloss finish from the neck and figure out a suitable replacement. I'll be potting the pickups, scraping the binding and polishing the body once it's fully unloaded, cutting a new nut from a bone blank and of course doing the fret work.
 
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#93
So this evening I stripped everything apart. Several of the screws were completely chewed up and required being drilled out and finished off with pliers.

IMG_20230820_193425.jpg
IMG_20230820_193716.jpg

I'll have to buy lots of new screws. Whoever worked on this before me really butchered all the screw heads. Here is the body completely unloaded.
IMG_20230820_201217.jpg

I wish all of those cutouts were smaller. I would have a lot more flexibility in my decision making it they weren't almost exactly the same size as the pieces that are covering them. Especially the control plate hole. I picked up a new, wired Hofner control plate on eBay for ten bucks, but I strongly suspect it is smaller than that cutout (though I haven't checked yet).
 
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#94
Now I need everyone's opinion. As I said in the title, this bass is worthless. I expected to pull the pick guard off and find some sort of awful surprise underneath. At the very least, I thought that the finish color would be significantly darker due to the rest of the surface having 50 years of exposure while the part under the pickguard had been protected the entire time. However, now I think it actually looks really good with no pick guard at all. And of course, McCartney famously removed to the pick guards from a couple of his Hofners in 1966. I looked up pictures and he didn't even fill the holes, so it won't take much work for it to be authentic in that way. So now I'm trying to decide do I cut a new pickguard and make everything match, or do I just leave the pickguard off and keep the control plate that I have?
If I go with no pickguard that will save me at least a couple of hours work that I could spend on other projects that may be more fruitful. Plus, it would probably save me about $50 because not only would I not have to buy aged mother of pearl blank, I also would no longer feel any particular compulsion to change out the tuning heads, which as I mentioned above function just fine but I wanted to have them match the pickguard and control plate material.
IMG_20230820_193753.jpg

I also have a second question. If we decide to not use a pickguard at all and keep the current tuners, do we like them better cover on or cover off? I think they look better cover on, but I think they look more authentic cover off. I'm very interested in everyone's opinion on both of these questions. Thank you in advance.
IMG_20230820_194720.jpg
 
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#96
Markshan said:
@Matt Liebenau , I appreciate the likes but I would really appreciate your opinion on the two questions.
Leave the pickguard off or make a new one?
Tuners with or without covers?
Click to expand...


I could go either way on the pickguard. If I had the matching one I’d probably put it on but if it involved making one, and you said you would have to make one, I’d probably wait and only make one if it bothered me later.

Forgive me up front on the tuners but, in my mind anyway, that style of tuning key is associated with ummm… inexpensive Japanese instruments (don’t get me wrong, I love 70s-early 80s Japanese instruments. I have a couple of basses and several guitars) and, to me, they look even cheaper with the covers off so, I suppose that’s a verbose way of saying leave the covers on. However, I’ve been married long enough to not expect my opinion to be acted on so go with what you like. :D
 
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#97
Markshan said:
Now I need everyone's opinion. As I said in the title, this bass is worthless. I expected to pull the pick guard off and find some sort of awful surprise underneath. At the very least, I thought that the finish color would be significantly darker due to the rest of the surface having 50 years of exposure while the part under the pickguard had been protected the entire time. However, now I think it actually looks really good with no pick guard at all. And of course, McCartney famously removed to the pick guards from a couple of his Hofners in 1966. I looked up pictures and he didn't even fill the holes, so it won't take much work for it to be authentic in that way. So now I'm trying to decide do I cut a new pickguard and make everything match, or do I just leave the pickguard off and keep the control plate that I have?
If I go with no pickguard that will save me at least a couple of hours work that I could spend on other projects that may be more fruitful. Plus, it would probably save me about $50 because not only would I not have to buy aged mother of pearl blank, I also would no longer feel any particular compulsion to change out the tuning heads, which as I mentioned above function just fine but I wanted to have them match the pickguard and control plate material.
View attachment 5164566
I also have a second question. If we decide to not use a pickguard at all and keep the current tuners, do we like them better cover on or cover off? I think they look better cover on, but I think they look more authentic cover off. I'm very interested in everyone's opinion on both of these questions. Thank you in advance.
View attachment 5164583
Click to expand...
This wood looks nice, no reason to add a pickguard. I have no opinion about the tuners.
 
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#100
As long as you aren't playing with a pick, no pickguard is grand. If you play with a pick, you need a pickguard. Covers on if you don't get new buttons. Do something with that control plate; that looks like 21st century update to a 19th century instrument. I know neither is true, but that's the impression it gives.

Pfft..., my Hofner has been diving on me for 50 years; it doesn't have covers, and never did.
 
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