micahbell Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 So I have this really old Beatle style bass of unknown brand from way back in the day - my aunt used it when she was young - and I just got the okay from her to do with it as I please. She says the bass was never very good, but I hope at one time it was at least a little bit better! It hums like crazy, the electronics were shot, the tuners are busted, the bridge is busted, it gives me shocks if I touch the microphone as I'm playing, and the frets were very poorly done. So, I have taken it upon myself to use this as a project bass. I have 0 experience with this kind of stuff, so it will be an interesting ride. I'm stupid and forgot to take pictures before, but not that I have totally ripped out the wiring and the pickups and completed my first step (ripping out the frets) I decided to take a few so, here are a couple pics. Hopefully in the next couple of days I will finish the neck, then in a month or so I will order some pickup wire and rewind the pickups, find a bridge and set it all up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oxblood Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 Doing it up may well be a lot of fun (or it may not!), and I guess that in some sense this bass has a certain sentimental value for you, but you may find that getting it fixed up will cost you more than the price of a brand new Hofner copy, and if it was never very good to start with, then to be honest, will it be worth the effort? Thomann, for example, do one called the Harley Benton Beatbass that's an absolute steal. Re. the elecric shocks: this is most likely because the metalwork of the bass isn't properly earthed (grounded), and perhaps you have your bass amp plugged into a different mains socket from the gear that the mic is attached to. Or it could be the other way around: it could be that the mic is plugged into equipment that isn't properly earthed, so if you're holding the bass when you touch the mic, you become the path of least resistance to earth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
micahbell Posted August 14, 2007 Author Share Posted August 14, 2007 This bass definitely is not worth the trouble I am putting into it, but I am using it as a way to get myself into learning how the instrument works and how to do repairs and such, of which I have no knowledge at all. I think having a cheap-o bass is the perfect thing to get started on. I don't think the cost will be very much - a new nut ($5) a new bridge ($25) and some pickup wire ($35), and some wood to fill the frets ($5-10) is about all I need, so I wont be out that much cash and I think I will learn a lot from the experience. And for the shocks - it isn't the mic, because this doesn't happen with my other bass or any guitar I have used, so it must be the bass isn't properly grounded. How do I do that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
micahbell Posted August 15, 2007 Author Share Posted August 15, 2007 So after talking to a guy at a guitar shop, I have decided to go with Epoxy instead of filling with wood. He claims it will work just about as well and take a lot less time. So far it has been a bit messy, but I think it is still okay. I have done 6 frets and I am going to let it sit for a while, then I'll sand it down and see how it worked. If it went well I will continue. Here is a pic showing my messy work and my tools (epoxy and a razor) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oxblood Posted August 15, 2007 Share Posted August 15, 2007 (edited) [quote name='micahbell' post='45293' date='Aug 14 2007, 04:02 PM']...it must be the bass isn't properly grounded. How do I do that?[/quote] Easy - You run a wire from the metalwork of the trapeze tailpiece to the ground tag of the jack socket. There may well be a little hole right at the bottom end of the bass, next to where the strap nut screws in. This is for the ground wire to pass through. If there isn't a hole, drill one specially. Pass a good length of multi-strand wire through the hole (rather more length than you really need). Cut the wire so that about an inch of it is sticking out of the hole, and strip off a good half inch or so of the sleeving. Then solder this wire to the underside of the tailpiece, where it can't be seen. If it won't solder on properly, just splay out the strands of wire and screw the tailpiece to the body of the bass, trapping the bare wire between the two. Solder the other end of the wire to the jack socket ground tag. Job done! Edited August 15, 2007 by Oxblood Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdwardHimself Posted August 24, 2007 Share Posted August 24, 2007 [quote name='Oxblood' post='45126' date='Aug 14 2007, 06:31 AM']Thomann, for example, do one called the Harley Benton Beatbass that's an absolute steal.[/quote] i don't think it's actually possible to get anything made by any of thomanns house brands that ISN'T an absolute steal! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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