Twincam Posted March 19, 2020 Share Posted March 19, 2020 On 25/02/2020 at 08:55, uk_lefty said: Some of the frets are rough as hell and quite worn... This may be going Fretless at some point in time. On inspecting the headstock lacquer cracking what do you guys think of this? I've given it a firm woggle and there's some play in there, but not sure if that indicates a structural crack that needs repair (something I can't do) or if it's just normal because it's a thin neck? The bridge is tarnished but the springs are still springy, I reckon it's still working. Serious fret board to neck issue. Adjusting the truss rod with strings on may actually damage it further! The truss rod needs to be set so the neck is straight then the repair to the fret board glued, clamped and left, Before strings are attached imo. Don't put to much glue in the truss rod cavity. Then worry about cosmetics. If the bass had a removable neck I would of offered to fix for free. As I'm nice like that. I believe that lacquer is just cracked. Franklin's original wood glue is excellent for neck repairs. And makes a stronger than wood bond it also sands and polishes nicely and doesn't mind being bent in the degrees a neck goes through. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_lefty Posted March 19, 2020 Author Share Posted March 19, 2020 43 minutes ago, Twincam said: Serious fret board to neck issue. Adjusting the truss rod with strings on may actually damage it further! The truss rod needs to be set so the neck is straight then the repair to the fret board glued, clamped and left, Before strings are attached imo. Don't put to much glue in the truss rod cavity. Then worry about cosmetics. If the bass had a removable neck I would of offered to fix for free. As I'm nice like that. I believe that lacquer is just cracked. Franklin's original wood glue is excellent for neck repairs. And makes a stronger than wood bond it also sands and polishes nicely and doesn't mind being bent in the degrees a neck goes through. That's brilliant, thank you for the advice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Cribbin Posted March 19, 2020 Share Posted March 19, 2020 Back in the day, before there was an expensive product for everything. It was common to drop stuff in a container of cola (full fat, not that so called healthy stuff) to disolve all kinds of crud. That's when we learnt what it did to your stomach .... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itu Posted March 19, 2020 Share Posted March 19, 2020 Coca-Cola has phosphoric acid in it. It has been used with gunsmiths for ages. Let the bridge be in the coke for 24 hours and if the result is not good enough, repeat. Maybe a shorter trial first to some smaller part... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_lefty Posted April 23, 2020 Author Share Posted April 23, 2020 OK so lockdown is making me reluctant to make the non essential trip to get this professionally looked at or even posted. So, if I want to find out what's going on under that lacquer crack is 80grit sandpaper a good way to get through this sensibly? It's all I've got at the moment... Another view of the neck crack... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_lefty Posted April 23, 2020 Author Share Posted April 23, 2020 Sorry, to add, I'm looking to get the lacquer off to see what damage there is underneath. I'm OK with there being a bit of bare wood on the neck as long as I can sand in such a way that there isn't a lip or ramp that will be uncomfortable to play over. Or maybe the neck goes naked. Whichever... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleabag Posted April 24, 2020 Share Posted April 24, 2020 Re. the original pickup. Both pups in my SB900 were quite dodgy. When throwing the switches ( i have 2 pickups ) the drop in volume was so bad, it was unplayable. The volume drop was only on the D and G strings, weirdly. So i tried Rautia and sent an email, but the cost of £ to euro was exortionate .. paypal and bank wanted about £30, so i asked if he would go through Transferwise, but he wouldnt, which was strange because they're a reputable company. Used them before. He also quoted me a long delay, (2 months ) so i tried Aaron Armstrong here in the UK, and he built 2 pickups for me to original spec, and had them delivered to me in a week. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 On 25/02/2020 at 08:53, uk_lefty said: The questionable: It's filthy and nicotine yellow instead of pearl white. Surely that's a plus...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_lefty Posted April 25, 2020 Author Share Posted April 25, 2020 6 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said: Surely that's a plus...? Depends on your perspective I suppose?! Sometimes I like it, sometimes I don't. While it can't be played I'm a bit deflated by the whole thing tbh 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_lefty Posted June 11, 2020 Author Share Posted June 11, 2020 Well this wasn't supposed to happen...! I got some quotes via email for the neck work and decided to flog the bass to someone who can do it as a labour of love. It just didn't seem viable to spend the money on it. I got a buyer but he pulled out before I could ship the bass. I relisted it. Then I was going to get my Stingray set up so I took it along just to see... And I must have caught the chap in a very good mood. The neck is repaired and a bone nut installed now. The frets are levelled and it's all set up ready to go. The price for the work was fantastic. I just need a replacement pup and may as well do the wiring all out too while there. So somehow I've gone from giving up on a lost cause to being within a pickup delivery and some solder of having a 1984 Aria SB Elite-i. I think it just shows that it's a bit unfair to get repair quotes just from photos, it needs to be seen and felt in the hand by the luthier. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary mac Posted June 11, 2020 Share Posted June 11, 2020 What a great outcome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_lefty Posted June 11, 2020 Author Share Posted June 11, 2020 17 minutes ago, gary mac said: What a great outcome Well, I have to order a pickup from Armstrong and I may as well do all the electronic guts while I'm there but it will have got me to the point of having a classic Aria from my year of birth. Now watch me give up on it after 3 months and sell it at a loss..! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hellzero Posted June 11, 2020 Share Posted June 11, 2020 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_lefty Posted June 11, 2020 Author Share Posted June 11, 2020 11 minutes ago, Hellzero said: You'll get them when I get the bass! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted June 11, 2020 Share Posted June 11, 2020 Let joy be unconfined! 🤪🙂🤡🍻😆 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_lefty Posted June 16, 2020 Author Share Posted June 16, 2020 She's back, she's in good shape. The crack repair has been done well, you can still see the crack but you can't feel it, which is the most important thing! There's now a bone nut installed, strings and a set up... Though the pickup is not yet working, I've still got a knob missing and for some reason the switch has been hidden inside the cavity. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_lefty Posted June 16, 2020 Author Share Posted June 16, 2020 And my brand new Armstrong pickup has arrived today, not even 5 whole days (nevermind working days) since ordering... Now to solder it in, family stuff allowing time for it of course! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_lefty Posted June 16, 2020 Author Share Posted June 16, 2020 (edited) Can't get over how well the board has cleaned up and the position markers... One of the big attractions of these basses for me, so glad they cleaned up well. Edited June 16, 2020 by uk_lefty 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 Eye of Sauron! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_lefty Posted June 24, 2020 Author Share Posted June 24, 2020 OK so the neck is all sorted, we are ready to go except fitting the next pickup. Here's the latest issue, I can't get the b@stard old pickup out!! I can get it most of the way out by hand, see picture. Short of getting hold of it with an adjustable wrench what does everyone recommend? It just seems to be stuck in the middle somehow (it's not the wiring, that has plenty of wiggle room), either a tight fit to get it out of the body route or there's something underneath holding on to it. Don't want to risk further damage to the paintwork... Recommendations welcome! Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muppet Posted June 24, 2020 Share Posted June 24, 2020 It's clear from your photo that the problem is that there are four wires across the top holding it in place.......😂 Seriously, could there be foam under the pickup like Fenders? If so it could be glued in place. Is there any room around the edge to slip a thin wedge in and lever it out? I noted there was some paint chips around the pup already maybe someone's already tried to lever it out previously? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassApprentice Posted June 24, 2020 Share Posted June 24, 2020 I had a pickup in a old bass that had foam that had melted or broken down over time and became pretty solidly stuck. I just levered it out slowly with a screwdriver/kitchen knife over a few attempts as to not just rip it out. Could be something similar here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deedee Posted June 24, 2020 Share Posted June 24, 2020 There will be foam underneath that has become attached to the pickup. The only tiny bit of damage on my SB-R150 is around the pickup where a previous owner had clearly tried to lever out the original pickup. I would suggest some form of gripper/clamps from above (strings off of course). These pickups are full of epoxy so pretty robust to give them a good squeezing in order to pull straight upwards. Oh and congratulations on bringing a lovely old bass back to life. 👍 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_lefty Posted June 24, 2020 Author Share Posted June 24, 2020 1 hour ago, Deedee said: There will be foam underneath that has become attached to the pickup. The only tiny bit of damage on my SB-R150 is around the pickup where a previous owner had clearly tried to lever out the original pickup. I would suggest some form of gripper/clamps from above (strings off of course). These pickups are full of epoxy so pretty robust to give them a good squeezing in order to pull straight upwards. Oh and congratulations on bringing a lovely old bass back to life. 👍 Thanks for the advice. I'll use the wrench but carefully. I don't think there's room to get a lever down there. I just took a punt on something on ebay and somehow managed to get a cost effective repair done by set up guy. I've been a bit lucky I think, but hoping that once the new pickup is in I've got something 80s-tastic. I always liked the look of these so hoping I can get it up and running in time for gigs to be legal again. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleabag Posted June 28, 2020 Share Posted June 28, 2020 Big mole grips. That way you can avoid damage that might occur if trying to lever it out. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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