An interesting something (advice needed)

[Anthony Joseph Wiaczek III]

So I bought this for £80 off facebook recently with the intention of having it done up all nice and pretty-like. I'm led to believe it's a mix of maple/walnut/mahogany.

[attachment=160833:1779612_10151925413666126_2062302915_n.jpg][attachment=160834:1980713_10151925413676126_1327562192_n.jpg]


Then sense kicked in and I realised this could get pricey! (This is where I need the advice)

I intend to personalise this lovely piece by way of inlays and I'm already looking at places for some custom cuts (any reccommendations would be appreciated!).

There is work that I WILL need to outsource on this though as I will cock it up if I tried, but I have no idea on price.

To-do:
Buy truss rod.
Have truss rod attached.
Have fretboard attached.
Have inlays insterted.
Have fretboard fretted.
Have hardtail bridge attached.


The rest, I can most likely deal with myself. What do you guys think?

Muchos gracias

[SubsonicSimpleton]

This is going to sound a bit harsh, but from the pictures it looks like you have bought a bass shaped wall ornament that was made by someone who didn't understand or plan what they were doing.

I'll elaborate - building a neck is a multi-step process, and although different manufacturers/custom builders use slightly different processes and construction methods, basically they all follow a very similar workflow, like this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loV2_sDuEo8

It would take an age to link every relevant video(but you can find them easily enough), but there is a basic common theme - they all plan their builds in a sensible order to enable accurate and efficient work and get the best result at the end of the process. Nowhere will you find a competant person applying finish before they have completed basic construction processes.

Now take a really critical look at your new aquisition - does it look like it has really been executed by someone who knew and understood how to build a bass, or someone who knew how to make a nice bass shape out of wood?
Is that truss rod channel cut accurately and straight, and has it been cut to fit a specific bit of hardware, or will the luthier need to make an oversize cut, back fill the cut with another piece of wood and then re-cut the slot to ensure the neck is sound?
Is the neck to body angle and height relationship going to allow a playable setup once you have the fingerboard on?

I would guess that the going rate for a refret is somewhere in the neighbourhood of £200(looking at a couple of luthiers website prices), due to the additional work involved in fitting the fingerboard, custom inlays etc and the difficulty of handling a fully built bass, I would guess that you would be lucky to see much change out of £600 for all the work you want doing (of course get some proper quotes, this is guesswork on my part) plus the additional cost of pickups and other hardware(which will add up if you want decent kit even if you buy S/H) - and really you need to look very carefully at what that money would buy you on the S/H market and decide whether you are just throwing good money after bad. I would guess that you would be lucky to spend less that £800, and this might stretch closer to £1000 if you start getting GASsy for preamps or needing a specific bridge or your inlays are particularly complicated etc - and it will have no residual value beyond parting it out.

My advice is enjoy it as an ornament or flog it, minimise your loss and save your cash for something really worthwhile that you won't lose your shirt on if you want to sell it on at a later date rather than trying to fix someone else's flawed and abandoned project.

[Anthony Joseph Wiaczek III]

Now I do feel like a fool, in my honest opinion I do not know where to go in light of this. In my head I would love to make this playable but if it is flawed then there isn't much point. I guess my best option is to take it to a luthier and them to see it in person.

[Jonnyboy Rotten]

I guess another option is to buy a bolt on neck with either:

1) a headstock that you like
2) a headstock that matches this one
3) a blank headstock that you can make any shape you want,

then carefully measure the new neck, saw the neck off the guitar and route the neck pocket to accept the new neck.

You will need to ensure that you keep the distance to the bridge in mind (or be prepared to move it) when working out how and where the neck pocket will be and how the neck will fit it.

Still looks like a nice bit of wood though - If it was me I would likely try and get a bolt on neck and modify the body to fit. You got nothing to lose, apart from the price of a neck!

[ape]

[quote name='Anthony Joseph Wiaczek III' timestamp='1398349849' post='2433267']
Now I do feel like a fool, in my honest opinion I do not know where to go in light of this. In my head I would love to make this playable but if it is flawed then there isn't much point. I guess my best option is to take it to a luthier and them to see it in person.
[/quote]

I reckon it's not going to hurt to take it to a Luthier and have them take a look, looks like the fundamentals are there, nut seems to be in a bit of an odd place though, either way nothing to lose and everything to gain

[Anthony Joseph Wiaczek III]

[quote name='ape' timestamp='1398446808' post='2434289']
I reckon it's not going to hurt to take it to a Luthier and have them take a look, looks like the fundamentals are there, nut seems to be in a bit of an odd place though, either way nothing to lose and everything to gain
[/quote]

That black rod isn't a nut it's a string tree. i'm still trying to find luthiers (and time) in my area so I can get an opinion on it.

My ultimate goal is to have something similar to a Peavey Cirrus, played one recently and it was lush!

[Manton Customs]

Just a thought, is it possible that this was once a completed build which has just had its fingerboard removed? That's about the only way I can see a bass getting to this stage without having a fingerboard! If this was the case, it wouldn't be too expensive or difficult to glue the fingerboard and fret it. What kind of budget have you set aside for it?

I see you're in Lancashire, if Stoke on Trent isn't too far from you I could take a look at it as I'm at Stoke fairly often.

[scojack]

Agreed ! Looks very much like this has at least got to the final stages before the fingerboard was removed.
I don't think it's as bad as has been made out TBH.
If it wasn't for the FB inlays it could be relatively easy and inexpensive to put right.
Ian

Edited May 16, 2014 by scojack

[Anthony Joseph Wiaczek III]

The bass itself shows signs of actually being a bass before I bought it. It's most certainly had a bridge in a previous life and it can with tuners and string tree attached. Although the fingerboard that came with it is new and only marked out to be fretted (no idea if it is marked correctly).

I had intended on setting £300 aside for it as a good starting point, but recent expenses have set that back.

I'm based in Burnley Lancashire, Stoke is a bit of a journey but do-able!

[Manton Customs]

PM sent

[Andyjr1515]

I agree with the optimists. Assuming the neck joint is sound, it appears to be at the easy stage ( relatively speaking). Two-way truss rods are cheap and just drop in. You could even get a pre-slotted AAA ebony board for not much money. Fretting is straightforward and inlays too depending on how elaborate you are thinking.
I'm sure Manton will do you proud.