anzoid

The good - took the strings off and the nut fell off so readjusting won't be a problem. It is actually just about the right width when moved to the correct position. The bad - truss rod "hole" for the allen key is totally stripped round No way to adjust it at all. The ugly - the scarf joint is actually split which is why the neck stands slightly proud of the fingerboard on the bass side. Pressing it in does nothing... So, could probably glue and clamp the fingerboard without too much hassle butu I'm feeling annoyed that this bass was sold as "good condition" when the truss rod is, basically, screwed, the scarf joint is knackered and I'm having to sort it out myself. Oh yeah, the condition of the fingerboard is worse than I thought at first glance - string tracks from roundounds all the way down - like silvery slug trails through to the maple. Thinking I might just contact the eBay seller and either send it back or ask for a significant refund... would that work now I've taken it apart a bit? Or do I just write the damn thing off?

Thanks Andy. Will procure me some super glue, remove the nut and have a go at it this weekend (unless life intervenes... always a risk)... Pictures will be posted and you can all laugh at how cack-handed I am when it comes to DIY

Further research suggests that Stradivarius violins had scarf joins on the necks - so my Aria is in god company Wouldn't lean a Stradivarius against a wall either...

As far as I know, from doing minimal research that particular "level" of Aria Pro IIs (i.e. bottom of the range) used a scarf joint on the neck which leads to that rather odd looking line. I used to have a Westone from the mid-80s that had the same feature. I think it means they're somewhat weaker than other typical neck/headstock joins - the advice I've read being: "put it on a stand, don't lean it against a wall" The slight difference in colour would come down to ether hand-grime or the grain of the wood I guess. I'll have a crack at removing the nut and re-aligning it... I've fixed nuts before based on advice from here so I suppose I shouldn't feel too worried

Just bought an Aria Pro II Magna series bass off of eBay for what seemed like a decent enough price. It's a fretless with maple neck and maple board - black 'n' maple... Considering its age it's in very good nick. It arrived today and... there's a problem. The board, up near the nut has split away from the neck. The gap is probably less than 1mm over about 8cm on both sides of the neck (slightly worse on the bass side) from the nut down. On the righthand side the board is flush with the edge of the neck, on the lefthand side the neck is about 0.5mm proud of the board - i.e. the board is narrower than the neck. The nut is also slightly mis-aligned but doesn't affect playability. The bass arrived detuned so I'm willing to accept that the seller didn't know there was a problem prior to selling the bass if it's reasonable to think that the lack of tension could have caused this in transit. The bass was otherwise very well packed. For the money I paid I'm not looking for a big payout... or a battle - would prefer to sort the neck myself. Plugged in the bass sounds very very nice - good tone and range of sounds from the PJ setup - it's a good cheap, very usable fretless. Is this just a case of a bit of wood glue and a clamp - or do I send it back, ask for a partial refund? (Edit to add: there's one bit of wear on the board through to raw wood - under the E string at the third fret position - it's had roundwounds on it... any suggestions for a cheap/quick patch material?) Piccies: [attachment=241975:aria_fretless-1.jpg] [attachment=241976:aria_fretless-2.jpg] [attachment=241977:aria_fretless-3.jpg]

Thank you Andy so much for the advice! The purchase of the neck fell through - but I ended up picking up a cheapo MIM Fender with maple neck that has served as a donor! However, having read all that you've written - this is definitely something I want to try out - and might even be capable of doing a decent job of!

Only got photos of my lot all together at the moment - the two Jazz basses are stock apart from KiOgon looms and a scratchplate change on LPB. Got a Gotoh 201 I bought here to go on the LPB. The two Precisions are both kinda bitsas, I think - well, more of a body swap. The Black 'n' Maple started life with the fretless neck that is now on the CAR. The CAR had the maple neck which is now on the Black 'n' Maple. The CAR, apart from the neck swap is a stock MIM - but I've got a hi-mass bridge, scratchplate and KiOgon loom with series/parallel push pot waiting to go on it. The tuners aren't original but I have no idea where they're from. So does it count as a bitsa...? The Black 'n' Maple - neck and body are both Fender MIM but, as mentioned, "mix and match". Scratchplate is frome elsewhere, the pickup is a Quarter Pounder from that I think I bought here. The bridge is hi-mass via eBay (all the black headed screws are also from eBay). I'm new to Fenders ut totally geeking out on all the possible upgrades and the fact you can swap stuff around to build your own bass Too much fun - ought to actually play them sometime too... [attachment=241978:basses-1.jpg] [attachment=241979:basses-2.jpg]

Yeah, but "IT IS - CM WIDE" and I need one that is -- CM wide...

So, how much would it really be worth if one were to, hypothetically, make an offer (which would probably be rejected...)?

If I had the money I'd be all over this - it would also be a YOB+1

As long as the rest of you don't go out and buy Squier Jazz CVs in Inca Silver I could be sitting on a gold (silver?) mine sometime in the future... I'm hoping they'll be the next JV series going for silly money.

Thanks for the advice on sanding! I'll definitely be on the lookout for that.. My main problem with sprayed lacquer is that I have literally nowhere at home that I could do spraying that wouldn't get me in trouble Could have done it in the old house, but not since we moved. Does anyboy have experience of Tru-Oil applied on a maple neck? From the extra reading I've done since posting the question, it seems like a reasonable finish if applied using the finger tips and worked into the wood. I'm quite happy to spend a reasonable amount of time on this - the journey is as of much interest as the destination

Thinking of buying an Allparts Jazz neck to go on my P-bass. The one I've found is un-finished and says "ready to spray". It's a maple neck with maple fretboard. What's the minimum I need to do to make the neck usable (both front and back...). I'm not at all keen on spraying but any other application method is a possibility (if I knew what they were... wax, oil?) Can you tell I don't have a clue?

Just sold Nik a Hercules stand - easy transaction, great communication. Thank you!

I'm a fairly recent convert to Fender P-basses (after more than 25 years playing got my first real Fender P-bass a month or two ago). I'm loving the fact that you can swap parts around so easily and there's a huge after-market for P-bass bits. My black P-bass has already had one make-over and I'm lining up another one - it's cheaper than buying a new bass! One thing I want to do is muck around with different pickups - just for the fun of it, but keeping taking off and putting on the scratchplate is a bit of a chore. So, I'm thinking of using bullet connectors permanently connected to the loom (one of KiOgon's finest...) and then adding connectors to each new set of pickups as they arrive. That way, with a decent length of wire attached to the loom I can just pull the pickups out without having to strip the bass down each time. The question really is, is this a dumb idea? Am I setting myself up for problems that I've not thought of? Only one I can think of is that something might come loose whilst playing... Or, are there other suggestions for easy "plug 'n' play" for P-bass pickups? Bonus question - what gauge wire should I be using from the loom to the connector (if I go that route)?

Thanks for the comments - sounds like it might be worth having a punt on a set sometime soon as I'm looking for something a bit different to the QPs anyway. Off to "Items Wanted" section I go...

There's enough GAS in the room that one only need light the blue touch paper and wait for the explosion... Maybe should have a Bass Chat meetup at the auction?

[quote name='philw' timestamp='1488914156' post='3252920'] OK so why did you send me off looking at a guitar auction site I wasn't previously aware of. Damnit! [/quote] Sorry Or am I...

Anyone looking to pick up one of Cliff Williams' old P-basses - here's your chance: http://guitar-auctions.co.uk/portfolio-post/lot-35-1958-fender-precision-bass-guitar-made-in-usa/ The main catalogue for the auction is here: http://guitar-auctions.co.uk/catalogue-preview-thursday-16th-march-2017/ and there's some tasty stuff. I've been to an auction at this place and it was good fun (well, actually a bit boring...), but before bidding make sure you've got your max limit nailed down, and remember that you'll pay an extra 25% in fees on top of the hammer price...

Anyone tried the DiMarzio DP122BK P-bass pickups and like to comment? Thinking about a set for my MIM P-bass... It's currently sporting a set of SD Quarter Pounders that I very much like the sound of, but always on the lookout for something interesting (cheaper than buying a new bass... )