Andyjr1515

Further to the above, this probably better illustrates the two possible conditions. If the joint is tight in the area referred to in box 1, then it is simply a cosmetic issue of the small gap at the end and whether to hide it or not. If the joint in the area shown in box 1 does have a gap, then the neck is coming loose and that will need properly sorting. You can see here below where the dovetail itself finishes on the heel. The rest is just an overhang that is a convenient place to put a strap button :

An overhang where? Which direction do you think the neck has moved? Putting that to one side until you are able to clarify, then - as it is a dovetail joint - from the photos, it is more likely to be some natural or humidity/heat movement in last inch of the heel, beyond where the dovetail finishes. If so, then it is unlikely to be a structural issue as the neck geometry is all about the joint security around the dovetail itself. Because of how these types of dovetails work, the joint tightens quickly and securely as the neck is hammered into place, literally pulling the heel up tight against the guitar sides (and heel block behind it). But the reverse is also true: if the neck starts lifting out of the dovetail joint (and it would have to take the fretboard with it) then it gets very loose very quickly. So - if the heel above that gap is still tight against the body sides (and it looks it from the photo) and the fretboard hasn't parted from the body between the heel and sound hole, then the dovetail and neck will most likely be still firmly in place and the neck joint will be secure. But, as I asked at the beginning, if you have found other gaps in other places, then that might be an issue... Can you post a shot of what it is that you are looking at in terms of an overhang?

I think that looks excellent I'd be happy to play that on any stage...

Looking great!

Splendid. Beautiful job

My first thought was pomelle Bubinga, but I'm generally rubbish at identifying timbers. Here's a piece:

Be a bit careful. Stains work best when they soak into the wood and so you don't really want to use anything that will stop that happening. I would be inclined to sand it smooth, stain it and then just do a wipe coat of tru oil to keep the moisture out.

This ^ Fiebings Leather Dye. Very black. Wear rubber gloves...

Me too. Any finish (even lemon oil) will further darken the lines too

Hmmm- that looks worth a peep at @carlsim You could still add a decent tinker challenge by getting the neck to fit on your Overwater...

Sounds great @ped! Excellent band to use for the track too

Sorry - it's me being an idiot I was flicking through the posts on the tablet and thought your post was @Mylkinut's so I thought we were looking at a picture of your own bass!!!! Yes - the distance behind the bridge screw holes is still irrelevant and can be misleading. Go for the 35" to the screw centres - that will put the bridge in the correct place (as long as it's a Fender standard bridge).

Just a post-script...not sure what you mean here. The channel leading to the bridge earth wire hole is where the bare wire sits to make electrical contact with the bridge while still allowing it to sit flat on the bass top. The holes at the back are the bridge screw holes.

The critical measurement is from fretboard face of the nut to the bridge and, according to the excellent Stewmac Fret Calculator, that is 35" to the centres of the rear fixing screws of a standard Fender bridge for a 34" scale bass - so yours is spot on. The distance from the holes to the tail is irrelevant in terms of the strings, tuning and intonation.

Yes - great venue. Spot on!

Yes - you're right! Blimey, that is a long time ago!

Yes - Bicarb for your burps; baking powder for your nut; Tineafax for your nuts

I think maybe you ought to repeat that a few times!

And then repeated it three times! Apols it didn't seem to have posted... Admins - feel free to delete the duplicate posts!!!

This is the bit where Andyjr1515 is telling everybody that to raise a nut slot, you can pop some bicarb into the slot and add a drop of CA.... What Andyjr1515 MEANT to say was, "To raise a nut slot, you can pop a small amount of BAKING POWDER into the slot, then add a teeny drop of thin CA and it will set solid, allowing you to then recut down to the desired depth." Apologies if anyone rushed home, used bicarb instead of baking powder and then saw their bass reach a greater height than Elon Musk's latest rocket launch 🚀

Pretty sure that will have been @Marillionred's beautiful 5 string Thumb. We compared my 4 string SWAPAAWTBWADS (same woods and proportions as a warwick thumb but, wisely, a different shape) side by side with it too

Yup - back too. Great to meet up with the folks I already know and the folks I've not met before Many thanks to Peter and Richard - and anyone else I may have missed - for organising and running. Great venue!!! Perfect. Thanks also to listening to my ramblings about bass set up...and apologies to anyone whose bass I tweaked and when they got it home and tried it exclaimed 'W*F????' I realised when I got back that I hadn't taken ANY photos. Hopefully, some folks did - and there should be the group photo shortly too

Looking absolutely splendid!

Yup - spot on an all counts

A modern two-way without a sleeve at the adjuster end* is my recommendation. I get mine from Tonetech. They do a number of lengths, but this is an example: https://tonetechluthiersupplies.co.uk/english/truss-rod-2-way-adjustable-bass.html If your centre splice is 6mm wide and set at the correct depth, then there should be very little fettling needed with the slot. Assuming a headstock adjustment, choose your length (from the nut) to where the neck isn't going to bend (ie where it thickens at the heel in the case of a through neck, or from the start of the neck pocket in the case of a bolt-on) + 30mm or so. Exact doesn't matter as long as the end is anchored in the area that isn't going to bend. By the way, two way truss rods are very often photographed upside down on commercial sites. When fitting, the steel strip goes on the top, flush with the top of the fretboard, with the adjuster therefore deeper in the slot. *The reason I don't like the ones with the sleeves around the adjuster, such as the ones that (decent supplier) Northwest Guitars supply, is that the sleeve adds quite a bit of extra width that then needs chiselling out at the nut end. If you do a cross section drawing of the neck at the nut end, you realise just how little timber there is left holding the headstock on (one of the reasons for the scandalously common head breaks on the earlier Gibson Les Paul's) - so every mm there counts!