stewblack

Yeah I nearly scored below the binding as I assumed the fretboard would be slimmer. But I could see where it joined. Amazed at how delicate and slender the neck is.

Evening all. I wangled use of a garage and an iron, seemed silly trying to heat the thing outside in today's subzero temps. First of all the bad news. Even with extreme care and a brand new scalpel the finish cracked. It's old and brittle, but I'm content that can be sorted later. Not going to think about it right now. Now the good news. My tendency towards 'bull at a gate' repairs did not rear it's ugly head. I spent 3 1/4 very painstaking, careful hours on this. I warmed the neck... I made a surgical incision... Then tapped in my blade.. Heated some more then followed with my kitchen pallette knife... Continued in this vein chasing the blade down with tiny taps on the knife, as @Andyjr1515 said - mm by mm and slowly slowly this started to happen... I did not do this... As I surely would have done without Basschat. I really forced myself to slow down at this stage... B Big smile when this happened So on to the next stage, which i have just walked away from as I suffer from Chronic Fatigue and I'm tiring, and well, you know. I need to clean out the rout the rod sits in before I can get at it. Made a start, scoring the wood with my blades then gently tapping out little bits. The chisel was too big, I actually made more progress with one of those cheap tiny screwdrivers you fix spectacles with! Going to need advice on the next bit. I know what I should do. I should fill the hole, plane it flat then rout a new hole. I have not the tools nor the skill so I will need to pop the new trussrod into the existing hole and then.....what? Anyway that's for another day just packed up my temporary work station. Bass in a hard case, fretboard gently clamped (and padded) in the jaws of a workmate to keep it straight. The main thing is, on day 2, I can see this...

Fabulous! Absolutely brilliant.

Aretha Franklin's version of The Stones Satisfaction from her 1967 album Aretha Arrives. I'm assuming it's Tommy Cogbill. Wiki credits him for the album. Satisfaction.pdf

First of all, let me beg this doesn't turn into an argument about who loves/hates roadworn instruments. I'm into spreading love and vegan butter not hate and hot collars. All I wonder, as I watch a bass being roadworn on Youtube, is if someone could point me to what they consider the most realistic relic job they've found or seen. My interest piqued when the guy on YT said I want it to look like a forty year old instrument not a new one. I look at my 38 year old Aria, which has been worn by the passage of time and, none of the ones I've seen either in the flesh or online look anything like it. I just wondered whether maybe relicing an instrument is actually an art form with its own rules and aims. The look isn't actually supposed to mimic reality as such, it's more a take on it which has developed it's own reality. Look at Leland Sklar's old basses. they are subtly worn in places I would never have imagined. More like a well worn bannister in an ancient building. I know Rory Gallagher's strat had it's own extreme mojo and I suspect that and others like it may be the template here, but no one in their right mind would taske a new bass and hack chunks out of it to match my Aria that's for sure!

Thanks mate , I'll look for the rest of them. Ever since I started gassing for a particular Sandberg I've been spending rather too much time with their name in my search bar

Andy I'm not talking about removing the board. The finish goes right around the neck. I need to slice it, hence the scalpel. @Reggaebass is quite right I'm talking about that work at the side where fretboard meets the neck. It's been suggested I warm it to soften it then cut with a scalpel that way the finish shouldn't crack and split off everywhere.

I do have shorter ones but I had envisaged needing something longer maybe? You think it'll be ok going at it in small runs?

My tests are never scientific but having used my main gigging rig in the same surroundings as I've now been using the Elf, I'll be amazed if I can't gig it through 2 twelves. I remember turning up at a gig in Bath once. Zero parking anywhere at the venue and I'd been told it was really small so I took my little TC Electronic combo with me. I figured if I end up walking with all my gear I need to travel light. It's 250 watts at four ohm but I'm only running it on it's own so not even that much. I get there and it is indeed a tiny space. The space we're playing in that is, not the actual venue which disappears off into the distance like something you'd expect to find in Wookey Hole. PA is small vocal thing and anyway with five vocals and various acoustic instruments there's no room at the inn for my bass. I ran that little 2X8 combo flat out, and you know what? It coped just fine. I think I often over estimate how much ooomf I need for any given gig. My first gigging rig was a Carlsboro Cobra 90 through a Laney 4X10 cab and I don't ever remember feeling I was under powered.

I have first to make my surgical incision along the side to separate the finish. I want to do as little damage as possible as refinishing is without doubt not in my skillset. The only straight edge I own I converted to a notched straight edge for fretwork so I may have to order one in. Slight delay at the start of this project to gather necessary bits.

For those, like me, who hadn't seen this

Ah of course, sorry 😅😅😅

Thank you everyone, especially @Andyjr1515without your post I would have snapped the fretboard within the first half an hour, if not sooner.

Watched a ton of videos on this, thought I'd share just one I stumbled across. It's not hugely relevant in this particular case, but I feel the guy explains stuff lucidly and I wanted to make others aware of his channel.

My take on this is it is extremely versatile. The eq section is really useful. There is no loss of bottom end. Treat the drive as if it were your gain, the level as if it were your master and those make sense. The voice is like another overdrive, getting a balance between voice and drive is i suspect, the trick. Hard to tell from a recording but when you're in the room this adds an almost tangible thickness to the sound. It goes from grubby, through dirty and filthy to absolutely obscene. I homnestly can't imagine what overdrive sound a bass player would want that this can't do. Except fuzz. It's not a fuzz box.

I've already done this and it sheared the end off.

Single action. Thanks Jabba.

A good way in. I used some as a kind of starting point while I was learning the software but I don't think I ever used one live.

The presets are notorious.

So can I get the scalpel out then?

I was quite looking forward to it. Nothing to lose and all that.