T-Bay

Arrived at 9.15 this morning, by 9.20 it was set up and running. A great bit of kit and superb customer service.

Just ordered one today after reading on here. Got a message within 30 minutes with tracking info saying it was on its way.

Small update and more pics. The single insert for bridge was a bit tight so I fashioned a puller from two nuts and some washers and it came out a treat. Then another dab of filler and a bit of fettling and it needs to be left to go off overnight. It looks worse than it is as the filler needs to be flatted back and the earlier witness coat is looking rough.

Going well, just needs a tiny bit of finishing (probably a ,arch ends worth of filler) but have decided to ditch the Fender type bridge and buy something different. Partly to make it a bit different but mostly to make setup a bit easier. The first coat of primer filler wet well, should be done and ready for paint in a day or two if I get a chance to get at it.

Thanks, I went through a variety of options but that seemed to be the least intrusive with maximum end strength. A biscuit cutter bit would have been better in some ways but I don't have one. It's been cut back with a flush cut bit, sanded back and then a thin skim of epoxy filler applied today. Tomorrow is a busy day but hoping to get around to sanding it back. It only needed a smidge of filler, probably 0.5mm thick at the worst bit. It's so cold in the garage though that I have to keep bringing it in the house for anything to go off.

Johnny Cash - Hurt, the NiN version is a favourite but Cash's vocals take it to another level.

It's all glued up well and feels very strong. Hopefully I will get a bit of time this afternoon and trim it all up then apply a tiny amount of filler. I went down to my pet paint mixing shop this morning but despite the website saying they were open it was all locked up. Looks like I will have to wait until next week for paint.

Decided it has to be worth a go at a repair so set to today. I used a router to cut a slot bridging the cracks then made a couple of pieces to fit in there. I then forced glue into the cracks and fitted the pieces. That's all for today as the glue needs a day to go off fully. It will need dressing back and then a light skim of filler in places but should look ok when done.

[quote name='LayDownThaFunk' timestamp='1482861469' post='3203131']
Really don't like Korn do they? They're still doing alright for themselves.
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But they like Poison, oh the irony.

Some pics:

It's all stripped and apart from the pickup selector switch hole it's not too bad. I am thinking now that I will play about sorting this one as is and look for a donor for a bigger project. I will open up the cracks and repair them using epoxy (I have a big out of date tub at work that is sat there awaiting disposal and has been for several years but will probably just keep getting used for little projects). I will also mess about with the position of the strap at the front and try to get a better balance. And possibly a new bridge, the Gibson design isn't the best after all. Then it will need a lot of work to get the finish up to scratch. If the crack proves terminal it will be back to plan B or was it A?

[quote name='Andyjr1515' timestamp='1482796677' post='3202817']
I think it boils down to what you prefer. From a feasibility point of view they are both OK options.

Yes, you have a major crack but structurally that would be possible to fix...and there are no structurally critical areas impacted as far as I can see. So yes, more than possible to make that physically sound and then veneer over it to get the forward facing aesthetics looking OK.

Successfully removing a set neck and building a new body from scratch is a much bigger job, but also feasible....
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Whatever happens I will have fun and learn along the way so all good. I have done a lot of woodwork in the past and know my router from my biscuit cutter but it's always either been furniture or small pieces whittled for fun so this will be something new.
[quote name='3below' timestamp='1482827910' post='3202879']
Plan C: Cut the neck / body parallel to the strings so that you have the equivalent of a 'neck through' . Construct new upper and lower body wings of your desired shape and glue them to the 'through neck'. This method keeps the neck alignment and will be easier than extracting the neck. ( Not seeing the cracks clearly, I am aware this plan might not work).
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It could work if I did a backwards triangle shape if that makes sense. The taper wouldn't need to be severe. Or I could just trim the back end by 20-30mm. It is certainly another option.

Smooth hound wireless set up, will be mine in the not too distant future.

I have had a chance to look over the bass a bit more this afternoon. The crack is worse than first thought and extends across the front. The pickup selector felt strange which was because the top layer had splintered behind and it was hanging in on a tiny strip of wood hidden under the plastic disc. I can't work out how it's happened as there is no obvious damage whatsoever that could have caused the crack. The bridge is lifted, connected presumably to the damage but again no idea how.

Do what to do with it? I showed my father in law (drummer and bedroom guitarist) and he thought I should attempt a repair, well his exact words were that it would be criminal to cut it apart. So plan now is either-
1, continue with the idea of making a new body and cut out the neck to use.
2, repair the crack and use it as a veneering/ finishing project and redo it all to a nice standard in a weird colour (not black or cherry red, apologies to the purists)

I could potentially do a combination of both in that I could make a body AND repair this one then decide what to do when I have done the repair. If it is still weak then I could find another donor neck of use it if the body is worse than expected.

Peaches by the Stranglers, just perfect to me.

The pics don't pick up the extent of the cracks, they go across the side and just touch the bevel on the front on both sides.

So here are the pics. I am very surprised at the condition. Apart from the one main issue, and bits related to that, it's very very good, almost too good to butcher! From the front at a few feet away it looks fine but when you look closer you can see that the bottom corner has nearly been off. The odd thing is that there is no sign whatsoever of external trauma like a big drop. The split goes across the electronics cavity and the pickup selector feels very strange so I am guessing that the split continues under that and is causing issues. The bridge is also pulling out on one side by about 10mm. Related to the other or not? Who knows. Someone has started to sand back the neck and given up. I will have to decide whether to continue or refinish it in some way. It still plays and whilst it doesn't sound as good as mine, I think that is down to the bridge being so out of kilter! As a starter for a project it's perfect, part of me thinks it's criminal to cut and shut it but that was the plan so that is what needs to happen! With a couple of hours work it would make a decent gigging bass or wall hanger but where's the fun in that?

Thanks, that's much appreciated! A lot will come down to what I can get my hands on, the oak would only be used a strip down the centre but already leaning away from that to a dyed veneer. I fancy a really bright blue but that may also change!

The donor bass has arrived! Pics to follow......

[quote name='interpol52' timestamp='1482352518' post='3199863']
I found out that 4 mates in a room playing songs is powerful medicine.

I've played on and off with the same group of friends for around 25 years now. The last gig we did was around 6 years ago, for various reasons we haven't done anything since. Recently, the brother of the guitarist died very suddenly. That event brought us all together again, as friends and also as a band. All 4 of us have some serious issues to contend with at the moment in our lives, but for 4 hours in that rehearsal room we are invincible.

I have also realised that I may have to change my playing position/style as my right forearm, wrist and thumb are starting to give me pain.
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I work in a high pressure job and am knackered at the end of every day. The idea of adding a two hour band practice on the end of the day twice a week seemed nuts but I go home less tired and hell of a lot less stressed. It's time where you just focus on getting the music right and I think that is good for the mind and soul, it is for me for definite.

Something strange there, as said earlier by others they may well be more at work than meets the eye.

[quote name='Norris' timestamp='1482479551' post='3200847']
Oak is quite a heavy wood so I'd use that sparingly. The more usual woods would be mahogany if you want it dark, ash if you want it light with nice grain pattern or maybe alder if you want less prominent grain. Those are probably the easier woods to work with.

Edit: The neck is just glued in afaik. It won't be easy to remove without damaging either it or the body. You may need to cut the body away to remove it intact and then tidy it up carefully
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That's the plan, so it's good to know there are aren't any hidden fasteners that make life so much fun on the bandsaw. The body has been in two pieces before and (badly) repaired somis scrap anyway really. Which is why it's a perfect donor, the tricky to make fretboard is ready to go and I have all the fittings and electrics.

The oak I have is only thin so wouldn't be the base. Still working through ideas but thinking base wood, dark veneer, then thin layer of ? Then dyed veneer top but that has changed a dozen times in the last couple of days so no doubt will continue to do so and will end up coming down to what I can get at decent money of even free.

Still wondering about timbers and now thinking about a darkish base, a 5-10mm light section then a dyed veneer top, something like a flame maple in blue. Or a light base, dark veneer, light sandwich piece then veneer on top. I have some ideas about mounting the controls to make it stand out a bit but more of than later.

On a side note, does anyone know how the neck is held on on the EB3? I know it is glued but is it screwed as well?

The donor was picked up yesterday so is on its way towards me. While I am waiting I am looking at options. I have an EB3 and the Gibson bridge design leaves a little to be desired. I have toyed with the idea of cutting the head off completely but that may be a bit radical this time so wondering about this sort of bridge:

Or perhaps it's hard to play whilst wearing a straight jacket?