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making your neck look vintage


mr.sibs
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[quote name='Jean-Luc Pickguard' post='117077' date='Jan 9 2008, 03:51 PM']Smoky pubs - I remember them. :)[/quote]

Hey, does this mean that white scratchplates are no longer going to turn yellow after 10 years playing pub gigs ?

The "distressing" and "vintaging" experts will have to learn some new trciks !

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[quote name='BOD2' post='117082' date='Jan 9 2008, 03:54 PM']The "distressing" and "vintaging" experts will have to learn some new trciks ![/quote]

Are there any (experts that is)? If so, suggesting that they need to learn new tricks implies that they had some old ones. I've yet to see a 'relic' that looks anything like a old and played-in bass, and that's as true as FCS models at £3500 as it is of the ebay cowboys. There's a guy advertising his relicing service on the bay at the moment and the photos he presents, I assume, to demonstrate how good his work is, are laughable :)
I'd let your neck age gracefully, it'll get dirty and jaded soon enough, don't you worry
Chris

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As much as I realise there is a market for 'distressed' or reliced basses. Nothing looks as auathentic as one that has just been played for gozillions of years...

Taking chips out and rashing nice new instrumnets should be banned..... They get beaten up quick enough if you use them; even if you look after them.

Even my prized and beloved PRSs have dings on them, but I know where everyone came from and albethey stories normally of my clumsiness, each ding has a story......!

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If it's a Mighty Mite then most of them are finished (although you'd not think they were to look at them)

The problem with maple neck, maple board is not the neck but the fretboard, if you're gonna spray it.

Maybe stick it under a sun lamp for a week :)

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I was very against the idea of distressed or relicked basses till i ended up with my RS Bass,
it just felt really good from the start and they seemed to have intelligently gone about the job rather than just hitting it a few times..

I was going to get a Lakland Glaub but in the end i just prefer a worn in wooden feel to high gloss or satin finishes





i heard a lot of people when they do these kind of jobs fall short in attenton to detail on the neck which is wierd because it strikes me that having a worn in neck is one of the most practical reasons for having it done..

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As I understand it, relicing a neck by taking off some or all of the finish can cause problems with intonation and action. When a neck is played for years and the finish is worn as a consequence of this, that finish is effectively replaced by the oils and grease (and dirt) from the hands, and these bestow a degree of protection against the potentially negative effects of changes in humidity and other sources of moisture (e.g., sweat). However, simply removing finish from a neck without refinishing the wood with a moisture-proof agent could leave you with a neck that will require frequent adjustment to maintain correct intonation and action.
Just in case you were tempted to get the sandpaper out :)
Chris

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hmm, no i dont think i was going to go down the sandpaper option, only ever a spray or rub on job, but the fretboard on a maple would be the problem, as i definately wouldnt want to spray it, so it would stay like new. il see how it gets on with the first few gigs, im sure if i take my eyes off it for a few minutes somethings bound to hit it.

like the look of your bass tanuki, the wear on the back of the neck looks quite genuine from the photo, who worked on it?

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[quote name='Beedster' post='119555' date='Jan 13 2008, 03:58 PM']As I understand it, relicing a neck by taking off some or all of the finish can cause problems with intonation and action. When a neck is played for years and the finish is worn as a consequence of this, that finish is effectively replaced by the oils and grease (and dirt) from the hands, and these bestow a degree of protection against the potentially negative effects of changes in humidity and other sources of moisture (e.g., sweat). However, simply removing finish from a neck without refinishing the wood with a moisture-proof agent could leave you with a neck that will require frequent adjustment to maintain correct intonation and action.
Just in case you were tempted to get the sandpaper out :)
Chris[/quote]

Really? You'd think something so minor as removing the finish from the back of a neck wouldn't have any major consequences.

You live and learn :huh:

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I put together a neck-thru from Brandoni which I left completely unfinished.

I gigged it and abused it quite heavily for about a year and never had a single problem with it. It stayed in tune and the intonation was fine. Allowing for normal atmospheric changes, the action barely moved from the set up I gave it on day one.

I can't guarantee that another bass would perform as well, but IMHO a bit of relicing should not affect performance in the slightest.

P.

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[quote name='paul h' post='119991' date='Jan 14 2008, 11:15 AM']I put together a neck-thru from Brandoni which I left completely unfinished.

I gigged it and abused it quite heavily for about a year and never had a single problem with it. It stayed in tune and the intonation was fine. Allowing for normal atmospheric changes, the action barely moved from the set up I gave it on day one.

I can't guarantee that another bass would perform as well, but IMHO a bit of relicing should not affect performance in the slightest.

P.[/quote]

Precisely not what I was told by an experienced and well-respected luthier recently :)
Hey, it worked for you Paul, so I certainly can't say he's right and you're wrong. I would certainly advise caution however.
Cheers
Chris

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[quote]I would certainly advise caution however.[/quote]

I agree totally, I am certainly not advising action one way or the other here, just recounting my personal experience and opinion.

I can't really comment further as I have no knowledge of "luthierism". What I can say is that I have had plenty of basses with the finish intact completely melt under the stage lights. That does lead me to suspect that there are many other factors in play.

If in doubt...leave well alone.

p.

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