A Real Death (a tale of terminal un-fitness... )

[jdstrings]

I hope that this cautionary tale may entertain or inform!

One of my customers recently brought in a similar quality instrument to the one mentioned in the preceding topic (though this one bears a makers label reading "Fitness"). I had done various jobs on the instrument over the past couple of years. This time one of the seams had opened and the was a complaint that it seemed to be hard work to play. The seam that had opened turned out to be a point where the joint was made with filler rather than wood so rather than a quick glue up, it meant cutting back to solid wood, bending and shaping a small new section of rib (and the internal lining), gluing up, closing the seam and then touching up the varnish.
The 'hard to play element' was a bit more serious. The action of the bass did seem rather higher than I had set it and it was indeed hard work to play. It didn't take long (like about 20 seconds!) to find the cause of the problem: the neck had warped forward by several millimeters. This had both raised the action and increased the concavity of the fingerboard.
My advice was simple -time to get a proper bass! This advice was swiftly followed and he is now the proud owner of a nice German flatback of about 100 years vintage.
For anyone looking to buy a cheap bass I think it's worth remembering that there is a reason they are so cheap and there will probably be hidden
or not so hidden costs. Money is saved through use of cheap materials, approximate putting together, and the most cursory of set ups. I've had to set up a few of these instruments from new and it can sometimes take a while just to get them properly playable.
In this case the bass had been purchased second hand for very little money (£100? I think, including realist pickup) and had served it's purpose for a few years. But is now of (virtually) no use to man nor beast and the makers name seems deeply inappropriate!
When asked if I knew anyone who might like to purchase said "Fitness" bass I suggested that a fiery sacrifice to the gods of bass might be the best course of action. If my advice is followed I'll be posting some photos of a real bass death....