Current cost of a neck re set

[lowlandtrees]

Just window shopping at the moment. My DB has really high action and I know that there are a couple of directions that I can go...alter or change the bridge or a neck re-set. I know the answer to the first (concerned about changing the sound..although it would be the cheaper option)...anyone have an idea of how much a re-set costs ish. Don’t really want to ask my luthier at this stage for a couple of reasons.

[Cathode_Follower]

Never had a professional re-set but generally prices for any work seems to vary wildly from luthier to luthier. The cost could also vary considerably based on the style of neck joint, what glue had been used last, etc..

Since no one else has chipped in yet, my completely stab-in-the-dark ballpark would be anywhere between £300 and £700.

How much would you need to lower the action by at the bridge to sort it out? Of course it depends how much material you have available to remove initially but it might make less of a difference than you're expecting.

[lowlandtrees]

It’s an old orchestral bass (1901) and bigger than 3/4 ....I know little about materials used. String height at the end of the f/b is 12mm I was advised that lowering the bridge would lower the volume of the bass and possibly the quality of the tone...and a new bridge would cost around £200. Bit reluctant to alter the existing bridge but I realise that is the most obvious route initially.

[NickA]

You may not need a neck reset.  They can put a wedge under fingerboard leaving the neck as is.  Mine has one put in by Malcolm Healy when I bought it.  Made a huge difference to the playability.

For complicated reasons the action ended up too high again and I was advised to have a new wedge put in ... I sawed a cm off the bridge instead and it's just fine, no change in sound, just easier to play ( especially in high positions ).

I think somewhen I may go to a mender and have an adjustable bridge fitted, can tweak the mwah on the fly then - and crank back up for classical stuff.

[Cathode_Follower]

Interesting, not heard of that before! So they remove the fingerboard and insert a long tapered piece the entire length of the fingerboard/neck interface?

[neilp]

Yes - exactly. Like this

[lowlandtrees]

Nice work

[Cathode_Follower]

That's a great solution. It looks like the neck profile has been changed to compensate for the added thickness at the heel, is that right?

[lowlandtrees]

That long wedge is a work of art. Must have taken a while to plane it so accurately. Would definitely consider this as an option.

My main concern is that the neck has possibly shifted over the years.

[NickA]

The wedge on mine is a much more subtle affair!  About 5mm thick at the thickest bit, so no effect on the neck profile.  Certainly a very skilled job, but much lower impact than taking the whole neck off.  Also it allows for adjustment of the side to side angle of the fingerboard, ie you can change the action more on one side than the other which is usually what's needed on an old bass built for gut strings being converted for higher tension steel.

It's still going to cost a few £100 - normally the kind of thing you negotiate into the price when buying from a dealer .. ie "I'll pay you £5k for that if you change the action, fit a new bridge and add a new set of spiros"

[gypsyjazzer]

Yes--had a 'wedge' fitted to my German double bass (Circa 1880's) fitted years ago--plays great both pizz & arco.

Incidentally due to my age -old age--the bass in question is up for sale.Now play EUB. Anyone interested send me a PM and will forward details.

[neilp]

On 17/08/2019 at 16:29, lowlandtrees said:

That long wedge is a work of art. Must have taken a while to plane it so accurately. Would definitely consider this as an option.

My main concern is that the neck has possibly shifted over the years.

Chances are it was built the way it is now. Mine is what is known as a "blockless wonder", albeit an early and high quality one. they were built in thousands in Germany/Austria/Bohemia in the 19th and into the 20th century. I suspect they were cheap then, and a bit disposable, and only the best of them have survived. The blockless construction makes it very difficult and expensive to reset the neck, so a lot of them end up with a wedge. Mine has a beech neck, so in order to strengthen it for modern strings it was planed thinner, and a parallel slice of maple added, with the wedge on top of that to give the right overstand and bridge height. A very famous American Luthier very sniffily told me it should have been "properly" restored, but it plays beautifully, sounds amazing (right at home in the CBSO bass section on one occasion), and I couldn't possibly afford to replace her with a "properly" constructed bass that sounds or plays as well. A well-executed neck wedge can be the making of a bass....