StevieD_FenderP2009 Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 (edited) Hi guys Thought I'd put up my first build diary on here as I'm currently restoring an '87 P bass that I recieved in rather horrible condition... Here's a picture of "Frank" Strung very loosely in this picture because of the massive problem with the truss rod... aka it's f*cked! Some pics I took when I was bored and started to dismantle it The fretboard: Gorgeous piece of Rosewood. Wish the neck was still usable Headstock: Very badly applied Fender logo (logo was replaced after the original owner had the headstock sanded down to apply a tint to it) that got damaged when I was trying to remove the truss nut (as it had no thread on it) The offending artical: The truss rod nut removed and binned. Replacement one installed... truss rod was actually broken This is why the neck is useless The body: fitted my chrome pickguard to it to see how it would look with the chrome pick up and bridge covers. Result? Taaaaaasty. Full pic 1: Full pic 2: Temporary neck fitted. DR Parts 1 piece maple neck from my orange P Bass fitted to it so I could try the bass out and see how it properly sounded through my rig. Sounds absolutely amazing but lacking some high end punch compared to my usual tone. They're the original 87 Fender pick ups as well, so I've slung them in my Orange P bass as I use that for more jazzy recordings I do. Out come the pick ups. Full pic 3: Silk bed sheets -drools- haha New pick ups: Seymour Duncan SPB-1 pick ups. Haven't fit them yet as I've completely dismantled the bass So after dismantling it, I took it off to my mum's boyfriend's workshop (he owns a classic car restoration company, Bedford Classic Car Restoration if anyone's interested) to sand it down and start the re-finishing. You'll love the finish once it's done, I'm not telling you what it'll be yet haha. I would of kept it all black but it was so badly dented that it needed a re-finish. Sanding pictures to come in next update Edited March 1, 2011 by StevieD_FenderP2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartelby Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 I like it like that!! Add a Badass II and a jazz pickup, remove ashtrays and that's what my next bass will be. Black/chrome/maple... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary mac Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 Looking forward to seeing the finished job. But prior to taking your next lot of pics, kindly tidy your room, it's tooo distracting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevieD_FenderP2009 Posted February 1, 2011 Author Share Posted February 1, 2011 [quote name='bartelby' post='1111198' date='Feb 1 2011, 04:19 PM']I like it like that!! Add a Badass II and a jazz pickup, remove ashtrays and that's what my next bass will be. Black/chrome/maple...[/quote] Ah ha, i'm doing half of what you've suggested, I'm going to be sticking a badass II on it but no jazz pick up. I will be getting a jazz bass at some point though [quote name='gary mac' post='1111247' date='Feb 1 2011, 04:53 PM']Looking forward to seeing the finished job. But prior to taking your next lot of pics, kindly tidy your room, it's tooo distracting [/quote] LMAO! Ah man that made me laugh so much. It has been tidied a bit since then you'll be glad to hear xD And cheers, i'm really looking forward to the finished job Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Burrito Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 It's looking good. The pickup cover is a Jazz one though, not that it bothers most. Black & chrome always looks great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevieD_FenderP2009 Posted February 1, 2011 Author Share Posted February 1, 2011 Yeah the guy who sold it to me told me he fitted it to the bass instead of the original P bass pick up cover. To be honest, i'm glad he did because I can easily rest my thumb of the top of it and play between the 2 covers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevieD_FenderP2009 Posted February 1, 2011 Author Share Posted February 1, 2011 Right, just got the pictures off my iPhone that I was taking during the sanding which I did yesterday. So here you go Pic 1: Sanding has started. Looking better than Fender's roadworn finishes too xD Pic 2: Coming along nicely. Front paint removed and holes/dents filled in. Just gotta give it a going over with very fine sand paper when done Pic 3: Completely finished! The grain of wood looks absolutely gorgeous. I'm led to believe it's Alder but I may be wrong Pic 4: The back nicely smoothed out. The previous owner decided to make it a string through body bass... he did a terrible job. Out came the ferrules, in go the pieces of alder dowel and finish. The guy who does all the painting at the workshop told me the best thing to do was to sand in a little dip across where the back of the ferrules were then put the filler over that so I get a smoother finish. Worked a treat! Pic 5: This shows you where the guy put the string through holes on the top on the body. They're all filled in now and perfectly flat with the body. Also, I've filled in the holes for the bridge cover as I will be putting new holes in on the bass to hold the bridge cover down even though I'll be fitting a Badass II to it, it's just nice to have them there for if I decide to re-fit the original bridge Pic 6: Side of the body. Really is a nice grain of wood. I was contemplating leaving it natural but I prefer the paint job I'm having done on it Pic 7: Modelling shot xD All smoothed out and looking rather tasty. Not gunna eat it though, I need to use it Also there's a couple of areas where i just went through the very top layer of sealant Pic 8: One more for the hell of it... Next update coming within the next week hopefully Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry norton Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 What are you going to do with the broken neck??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevieD_FenderP2009 Posted February 1, 2011 Author Share Posted February 1, 2011 [quote name='henry norton' post='1111324' date='Feb 1 2011, 05:35 PM']What are you going to do with the broken neck???[/quote] Not sure yet man. I'm really thinking of trying my hand at removing the fretboard and laying a new truss rod in it (as I have a truss rod from a P Bass neck that never got installed as the project didn't go ahead) but the bad thing is, where I had to try and widen the whole to get to the truss nut to it could be removed, it doesn't look right so If anyone has any suggestions on A: how to remove a fretboard without damaging it B: relaying a truss rod C: Sorting out the truss rod hole then I'll probably use it as it's such a beautiful neck and feels really nice to play I'll upload a picture later of the truss nut hole so you know what I mean about it. Never know, it may work. If I don't and you want it, I'll have a chat with you. Obviously I wouldn't wanna give it away for free as it's an expensive neck but I wouldn't want much for it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 That looks like it's been faced with a lovely single piece of laminate over the 3 piece body. I hope you're going for a translucent finish so that it'll show through, filled in dings 'n all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevieD_FenderP2009 Posted February 1, 2011 Author Share Posted February 1, 2011 [quote name='ezbass' post='1111378' date='Feb 1 2011, 06:11 PM']That looks like it's been faced with a lovely single piece of laminate over the 3 piece body. I hope you're going for a translucent finish so that it'll show through, filled in dings 'n all.[/quote] Haha nah, i'm going for a solid finish. I would of done a translucent finish if it wasn't for the filler etc on the body And I'm glad you think it's a nice grain too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry norton Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 [quote name='StevieD_FenderP2009' post='1111335' date='Feb 1 2011, 06:41 PM']Not sure yet man. I'm really thinking of trying my hand at removing the fretboard and laying a new truss rod in it (as I have a truss rod from a P Bass neck that never got installed as the project didn't go ahead) but the bad thing is, where I had to try and widen the whole to get to the truss nut to it could be removed, it doesn't look right so If anyone has any suggestions on A: how to remove a fretboard without damaging it B: relaying a truss rod C: Sorting out the truss rod hole then I'll probably use it as it's such a beautiful neck and feels really nice to play I'll upload a picture later of the truss nut hole so you know what I mean about it. Never know, it may work. If I don't and you want it, I'll have a chat with you. Obviously I wouldn't wanna give it away for free as it's an expensive neck but I wouldn't want much for it[/quote] Well, if it really is an '87 Fender it'll either be a Fender USA or Fender Japan - either way it's worth sorting out, and it does have a nice fingerboard too. Replacing a truss rod is quite tricky but not impossible (and much easier than if it was a one piece maple with a skunk stripe). We need to see a few more pictures to show what's been done to the truss rod hole, headstock etc. Also, are there any markings on the heel of the neck as that should tell you where it was made? And good luck with it by the way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevieD_FenderP2009 Posted February 1, 2011 Author Share Posted February 1, 2011 (edited) [quote name='henry norton' post='1111406' date='Feb 1 2011, 06:30 PM']Well, if it really is an '87 Fender it'll either be a Fender USA or Fender Japan - either way it's worth sorting out, and it does have a nice fingerboard too. Replacing a truss rod is quite tricky but not impossible (and much easier than if it was a one piece maple with a skunk stripe). We need to see a few more pictures to show what's been done to the truss rod hole, headstock etc. Also, are there any markings on the heel of the neck as that should tell you where it was made? And good luck with it by the way [/quote] Cheers on the good luck It was apparently made in the USA which wouldn't surprise me as it looks like the most amazing pieces of wood that have been used to build it. I got the full story on the bass from the original owner after asking what he meant by "the neck may need some work as it is quite bowed"... His reply was "Hi Steve, ever since I bought the bass back in 1988 it hasn't had a proper set up as I didn't know what to do with it* so I've just changed the strings a couple of times** and the neck has just bowed over time. It doesn't seem to serious*** so you should be able to fix it easily**** * Take it to a guitar shop and have it set up maybe? ** I hope he means more than "a couple of times" in 23 years as that's disgusting... *** Well mate, I've got a f*cked neck on my hands **** Well it hasn't been easy and it's still not fixed. The truss rod nut had to be drilled out as he's obviously attempted a truss adjustment recently and stripped the thread/allen key grip of the nut. I'll upload some pics in a few minutes for you all **EDIT** I've also tried a new Fender Mexican truss rod nut on the truss rod and it didn't fit but I tried an American truss rod nut and it fit perfectly Edited February 1, 2011 by StevieD_FenderP2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevieD_FenderP2009 Posted February 1, 2011 Author Share Posted February 1, 2011 As promised, headstock truss rod photos: I just need to add that I can't get a normal 90 degree allen key into the hole properly at the minute becuase of how far out the truss rod nut is so if anyone has one of the really long allen keys that Fender sometimes supply with their basses and guitars (I think it's a 3/16 allen wrench nut), could I either buy it off you or borrow it and send it back? Pic 1: This pic is taken to show you how much had to be drilled out of the underside of the truss rod hole Pic 2: Right above the truss hole Pic 3: shot from the tip of the headstock to show how much I had to drill out to access it =/ Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry norton Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 Oops. It looks like you'll need to do a bit of surgery whatever. Is the rod actually broken (loose, rattling, able to pull it out) or is the thread stripped because if it's just the thread, you can get a tool for re cutting it in situ, especially now it's got a nice big hole around it. Did the truss rod hole originally have a darker wood surrounding it (walnut)? If so, and as it's an 87 it's most likely to be a Fender Japan as Fender only made a few custom shop guitars in the US and they're usually 57/62 reissues, which have the truss rod nut down the other end. You'll never be certain either way if the markings were already sanded off before you got it so I wouldn't let it worry you too much. I'll post a link to the truss rod thread cutter if I can find it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lettsguitars Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 [quote name='henry norton' post='1112068' date='Feb 2 2011, 09:50 AM']Oops. It looks like you'll need to do a bit of surgery whatever. Is the rod actually broken (loose, rattling, able to pull it out) or is the thread stripped because if it's just the thread, you can get a tool for re cutting it in situ, especially now it's got a nice big hole around it. Did the truss rod hole originally have a darker wood surrounding it (walnut)? If so, and as it's an 87 it's most likely to be a Fender Japan as Fender only made a few custom shop guitars in the US and they're usually 57/62 reissues, which have the truss rod nut down the other end. You'll never be certain either way if the markings were already sanded off before you got it so I wouldn't let it worry you too much. I'll post a link to the truss rod thread cutter if I can find it.[/quote] i read somewhere (stewmac?) that the fender truss access wood was koa not walnut. who cares? is it possible to pull out a fender truss rod, out of interest? i assumed they were anchored. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevieD_FenderP2009 Posted February 2, 2011 Author Share Posted February 2, 2011 Nah there was no walnut/koa cap on the truss rod access, just a plain hole down to the nut. I don't know what to do in terms of how to fix it. The thread on the actual rod is fine and it does seem to be sitting it place perfectly (it's very tight to turn though and I can't turn it much at all right now, mainly due to not being able to fit the allen key in there much) but it was the nut that was broken so I replaced it. I'm going to try making a spacer to go between the top end of the rod holder and the truss nut like mentioned in the "maxxed out truss rod" thread. And to answer you Lettsguitars, I'm pretty sure it's anchored in there so I can't pull it out or anything like that. As said, seems like the rod is sitting perfectly in it's route but may need some grease poured down there to loosen it a wee bit so I can turn it again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry norton Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 [quote name='lettsguitars' post='1112084' date='Feb 2 2011, 10:58 AM']i read somewhere (stewmac?) that the fender truss access wood was koa not walnut. who cares? is it possible to pull out a fender truss rod, out of interest? i assumed they were anchored.[/quote] Yeah they are anchored - I was just trying to get an idea of what's wrong with the rod. If the nut's maxxed out and screwed down as far as it will go then either it's snapped in two (in which case it'll be a board off job and you'd be able to slide the broken end out, or it could be the nut doesn't have a washer to bear down on and it has just eaten it's way into the wood behind, which means it might be relatively easy to fix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevieD_FenderP2009 Posted February 2, 2011 Author Share Posted February 2, 2011 The main task afterwards though is getting the headstock looking normal again haha. I need to try and some how pack the truss rod hole out and level it off again. I think i'm gunna use some black plastic piping in there too to make it like the modern day Fenders so it is less of a packing out job, but I still need to pack out some of it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry norton Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 You should be able to find bits of walnut or koa dowel from luthier supplies such as stewart macdonald and touchstone tonewoods. You could drill it out for the access hole and glue it in same as you would do with the plastic pipe. The main thing is to get the hole you've made as neat and round as possible. Once you've done that and glued in whatever you're going to use to make it smaller, you can trim your dowel/pipe back flush with the rest of the wood. You'll find it takes on the almond shape just by trimming it flush with the curve behind the nut - no special skill needed, the trickiest part will be tidying up the truss rod hole. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevieD_FenderP2009 Posted February 3, 2011 Author Share Posted February 3, 2011 Big update! Base coat added to the body! Haven't got a picture just yet, got told by the painter earlier Hopefully have it back soon for the last bit of work I can do before it goes back for the final part of the re-spray and finish Frank should be back within a week Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevieD_FenderP2009 Posted February 12, 2011 Author Share Posted February 12, 2011 So, I said I should have it all finished in a week... WELL I WAS WRONG! Thanks very much to the painter. He didn't actually finish the base coating. Argh! I want my bass back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevieD_FenderP2009 Posted February 12, 2011 Author Share Posted February 12, 2011 (edited) Got the body back today for masking up. I'll be doing the masking tomorrow as I'm far to tired now to do it. Let's see if you can guess what it'll look like when it's finished As you can see, the holes from the string thru body modification are completely filled in and smoothed over. No more dents, dings or chips in the body now. I completely filled in the pick guard holes, pick up cover holes and bridge cover holes as they'll be re-drilled once I have the paint job completely finished. Hopefully i'll get the pictures from the masking process up tomorrow evening Stevie Edited February 13, 2011 by StevieD_FenderP2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartelby Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 Zebra stripes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevieD_FenderP2009 Posted February 13, 2011 Author Share Posted February 13, 2011 Close enough Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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