Manton Customs

The reason for a stable neck is nearly always a mixture of things. Such as: wood selection and grain orientation (especially if a laminate). Where the bass lives is also important as is mass - a thicker neck will generally require far fewer adjustments. People knew this back in the old days which is why so many old guitars without truss rods have huge necks...and are still playable! Even the type of finish can have an effect on stability, so there are a lot of contributing factors. There are a few other little tricks that a luthier will do when building a neck to ensure stability also, but you won't find these tricks on a mass produced bass...sounds like you don't need them though

[quote name='Beedster' timestamp='1456762484' post='2991978'] Ha ha, just re-read my post and realised that I didn't simply support the previous one, I plagiarised it completely [/quote] No worries, great minds.....(get copied ) joking of course. Just some more friendly advice to the OP, perhaps when you next go to see a bass of this value and vintage with the intention of buying maybe ask your local tech/luthier or even a knowledgeable friend to come with you. He would be able to tell whats what pretty quickly and if you're reasonably friendly with him, shouldn't charge much. I've done this before for people when they aren't 100% sure and it can give them a little extra confidence. Obviously it should not have been necessary as you were expecting a well setup bass, but maybe next time .

I don't want to sound like I'm condoning his attitude in any way as it sounds like even forgetting the state of the bass it was not a pleasant experience and the setup issues should have course been mentioned. However, I would say that if you find yourself in a similar situation again that the setup and fret condition is not really a big deal when looking at a bass of this price, both can be addressed very easily and it would not cost much to do so. Looking at the Ebay listing the frets seem to have plenty of life left in them and could stand a level and re crown easily if necessary. So it could have been a case of negotiating a setup fee and fretwork into the deal. When looking at basses like this, it's the originality and condition that are key and not the fact if it's a good player or not....any bass can be made to play well as long as there is not something like a twisted neck and even this can be addressed. Obviously though if the weight or neck profile did not suit you then it's not for you, it also sounds like there could have been originality issues too, such as the lacquer on the neck, which again should have been mentioned. I'm not debating on the side of the seller, just thought the info may perhaps be useful, if not tell me to shut up .

Yep, if it's been 7 years you should give the board a clean/oiling. Once you start cleaning you'll notice how dirty the board actually is! Opinions differ on whether or not it's necessary to oil the board to prevent the wood drying out, (though most will agree it is, or can be) but if done sensibly (not every month) it certainly can't hurt and will make the board look much nicer. Oiling too frequently (like every month) can definitely be worse than not at all, as it can get under frets and soften the wood round the slots. Once or twice a year at the maximum. I personally use boiled linseed but all of these oils such as lemon, bore, linseed, or shop bought "fretboard conditioner" serve the same purpose. However if using something like Linseed you really don't want to build up too much of a film, so apply, give it 10 mins or so then wipe off. 0000 steel wool is fine for frets as long as you carefully mask off your pickups to prevent them attracting the broken fibers of steel wool. Do the frets before you do the board and you won't need to mask off the board if using steel wool.

No, I think you may be misunderstanding. I'm not talking about the width or the fitting of the nut itself, but the depth the string slots are cut to. This needs to be tailored to the instrument as it will be supplied with the slots not cut deep enough. Edit: that was in reply to ghost bass...should've quoted!

Most waxes (e.g Liberon and Briswax) are a blend of waxes such as Beeswax and Carnuba. Though there is nothing wrong with just Beeswax Briswax offer so many colours in case you are using it on a porous piece of wood which has not been grain filled. So whatever wax is left stuck in the grain will not be glaringly obvious if you get the right colour. The best wax out there (in my opinion) is Renaissance wax, which is refined from crude oil and was developed for the British Museum. It outperforms all other waxes in durability and makes the wood feel lovely . Perhaps best of all is that surfaces which have been treated with it will not show fingerprints like other waxes will!

There's not really a drop in replacement for the nut of any bass. You'll be able to find ones with the right dimensions to fit the slot pretty easily, but you'll need to cut the string slots down to the optimum depth based on the height of the first fret and radius. If that's something you can do yourself then ignore this! If it's not you are going to need to take it to a tech or luthier, who would have no trouble crafting a brand new nut for you so you don't need to buy one before taking the bass in.

[quote name='EliasMooseblaster' timestamp='1455197903' post='2976934'] Perhaps I would be better off approaching someone who does this professionally. [/quote] Feel free to send me an email and we could talk about it in more detail if you like. I'd be happy to offer any advice I can .

No worries, I was just wondering what you meant . As to pricing, even without tools you're probably looking at close to £600 in parts if you bought the Carvin neck through beam and decent quality hardware/pickups...that'd be a deposit on a custom! . If you decide to go ahead, good luck, be warned though....it's addictive!

The difference in action height that a flatter radius would offer will be pretty negligible. It sounds like you either need a setup or fretwork on your jazz .

At the risk of sounding harsh or condescending (really not my intention!) - Why do you think you would you be disappointing with a custom build? Whoever you commissioned to build the bass (within reason!) would undoubtedly do a better job of constructing it if they specialise in the field, as you have limited carpentry experience with only a couple of bass assemblies in your favour. You'll notice even the Carvin neck through kits are labeled as "for experienced woodworkers". I'm not trying to say a neck through or (part) scratch build is anything like rocket science or even that it is [i]that[/i] difficult. I certainly wouldn't want to discourage the idea, which may end up to be an enjoyable hobby. But just point out that your first one will most likely come out way below the standard of dream bass! I'd also say that if you're buying tools also, you'll soon reach the price of a full custom! What sort of build are you thinking?

[quote name='Damonjames' timestamp='1454783169' post='2972990'] The intonation seems fine on the 12th harmonic, [/quote] http://www.tdpri.com/forum/tele-technical/276441-intonation-harmonic-vs-fretted-note-3.html

Check the intonation by playing/fretting the twelfth (with a tuner) rather than the harmonic if you haven't already. Nut slots as mentioned above is a possibility also, these can definitely throw things way out. Get the tuner out and observe where it's off and by how much and where it's ok etc and report back .

[quote name='Dazed' timestamp='1454602386' post='2971266'] To Manton Customs: I think all the potential victims, sorry basses, I've considered have angled headstocks. Some dual truss rods. If the nut is in a slot could I replace it with a zero fret? [/quote] Yes, a nut slot may well be preferable as it has more distance above the nut. If this were the case you'd need to fill the nut slot (with wood) and install a zero fret at the front edge of the nut. An angled headstock will -9/10 times have the nut at the end of the fingerboard making things a little more complicated leaving less room or more carving for the anchor or zero fret at the head (stump!?). Whatever bass you chose, it would be a good idea to see it in person before buying and visualise where it would be cut, where the truss rod ends and if there is room for the necessary hardware.

Can you post pics of the bass? The type of headstock makes a difference (angled or flat), as does the nut type (in a slot or at end of headstock) but you certainly don't need to use an X Ray machine....a magnet will work just as well for locating the truss rod ! It won't pick up carbon fiber, but they don't usually run that far up and are unusual unless it's a high end bass. You should be able to get a pretty good idea of where the truss rod is by looking in the recces if it's at the headstock. As mentioned above, the body will also most likely need routing for to accommodate the bridge, unless you have some kind of unusual bridge in mind.

[quote name='Tonteee' timestamp='1454362761' post='2969062'] Hi, My partner knows something quite a bit about veneering, so I mentioned this thread to her. She says that whilst contrasting woods such as Purple Heart and Maple will look great, there's a high risk of colour bleed from the PH to the Maple when working with it - particularly when finishing it. Apparently, you get purple everywhere when you work with it. As such, she suggested going for a darker hardwood, such as Wenge or straight grain American Black Walnut, which removes the bleed problem whilst still offering an understated, classy finish. She also said that if you ask for a sample from an architectural veneering company, not only might it be enough for the job, but it will most likely be free..... [/quote] I'm guessing she is referring to the dust as it's not like it leaks anything or is a particularly oily wood. If the dust is the concern, it wouldn't really be an issue as long as you work neatly and keep a vaccum handy. There are plenty of purple heart laminate necks about and that's the same principle. Maple has extremely fine pores so there's nothing really there for the purple dust to get caught in. Padauk is a far bigger offender for coloured dust! If it was going to be an issue with finish, the board would not be finished anyway, but if it was, it would be just fine. Wenge or Walnut would also look nice though .

Have you considered filling the slots with maple veneer? The contrast it would create would be much more visually appealing (in my opinion anyway!) than trying to make it unlined, as you're always going to see the lines if you use purpleheart.

It sounds like the neck just fits your hand better on the quicker bass, often slimmer is confused with faster/better but it's all personal preference, one persons fast is another persons slow. Fretboard radius can come into it also, the Sire has a more pronounced 7.25" radius which you must prefer! Another contributing factor can be the finish...more satin/matte=faster, glossier=stickier.

I guess keeping an eye out on Ebay would be your best bet. I do custom necks but it would cost a fair bit more than the cost of the bass itself as mentioned above. What's the issue with the current neck? (provided you have one!).

[quote name='MoonBassAlpha' timestamp='1453713108' post='2961935'] I tried a bit of the Autosol on the back and the reaction wasn't so bad - it removed a scuff but still took some work to polish out. Maybe it is just going over the reacted bit on the front that is not working properly. I wonder if I should try something a little coarser first then go back to the Autosol? [/quote] I'd recommend something finer (like Ultimate) rather than coarser. It doesn't sound like the Autosol is having a reaction (it won't) but it's just creating a duller finish by creating fine scratches. So either the finish is softer than usual (for whatever reason, Nitro can vary) or you are putting too much elbow grease into it and creating fine scratches. As Grangur says the cloth or buffer can make a difference too, as well as the technique; you shouldn't use finger tips but make a flat surface with the cloth. Hope you get it sorted .

Sorry to hear that. I'm assuming it's a 74 Gibson SG, which means Nitro. So it sounds like a reaction with the Dunlop stuff. There is Silicone in the Dunlop 65, which is not good for Nitro. Can you post pics? I'm pretty sure I've used Autosol on Nitro before, as well as the Meguiars Ultimate I mentioned earlier. This (Ultimate) is more mild in terms of abrasive so I usually use this on Nitro (nitro is generally softer than Poly).

Yep, good idea for a thread . I'm Shropshire based but travel frequently to Staffordshire so can cover parts of that area too. No job too small or large and any Basschatter will get a significant discount!

It shouldn't chip off like that, so get rid of it . Even if it had adhered properly you'd probably never be able to get the areas with old lacquer level to the new lacquer and certainly not be able to blend a sunburst into it. Yes, that sequence will work. You could also spray the black edges first (after sealer) like the article I posted. You'll want to ensure your first sealer coats of clear are dead level so block sand it with 600 paper. Here is another article which gets mentioned a lot when people are talking bursts http://www.reranch.com/sunburstaerosol.html Make sure you spray a couple of barrier coats of clear after your amber. This means you can remove any overspray from the darker colours with light sanding, as you'll be sanding the clear and not the colour.

[quote name='nick' timestamp='1453326239' post='2958553'] Thanks for your advice, much appreciated. Going to have a think about how to go about it. Someone else has suggested moulding a section out of fibreglass in place of the missing piece of wood, another suggestion was to use headstock from a damaged donor fenderish neck & cut a piece out to fit. Once I 've done all the other bits, will start approaching some luthiers. Cheers [/quote] No problem . Those are some weird suggestions! If you need any further advice come the time then let me know. Good luck with the restoration, look forward to seeing it when finished!

No problem . The Nitro from Rothko & Frost that Plunger suggested above is good stuff.