SgtPepper02 Posted June 6, 2021 Share Posted June 6, 2021 So in 2019 I purchased this funky looking homemade project at a car boot sale for £20, it had scheller tuners that has “made in west Germany” on the back of them and a really warm punchy pickup, however the neck is beyond repair. This neck is made with wood that chips apart as you hold it and the truss rod is running free underneath the fretboard. The sad part is that the neck felt amazing to play for the short while it was useable, it is a lot thinner than my other basses at only 55mm wide at the joint. Looking for a new neck that size has made me realise that this width is only common on short scale necks so I’ve decided to make my own one using the original as a template. Would I come into issues with rigidity at full scale length? Or does it not matter? I’m relatively new to guitar building so this may be a silly question, I’d appreciate the advice either way! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waddo Soqable Posted June 6, 2021 Share Posted June 6, 2021 That's brilliant ! Looks like someone's made a Rickenbacker out of a kitchen table :).. What a great 20quids worth 👍 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waddo Soqable Posted June 6, 2021 Share Posted June 6, 2021 I was thinking, unless you want to replicate exactly the existing neck, it'd be a lot easier to buy a cheap J bass style neck from ebay, you could even trim the headstock to be closer to your original. It'd save a lot of grief making a neck from scratch, unless of course you fancy it as a challenge ! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itu Posted June 6, 2021 Share Posted June 6, 2021 String spacing at the bridge varies from 14 to 21.5 mm that I know. I see no reason to make it even broader or down to 10 mm if needed. The width of the neck shouldn't mean a lot if it is well made and the strings are reasonable (nothing like thick set and a tenor tuning...). You can also use a good amount of CF in the neck. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted June 7, 2021 Share Posted June 7, 2021 Assuming you made like for like and use decent timber, yes - plenty strong enough at that width. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlungerModerno Posted June 10, 2021 Share Posted June 10, 2021 Is the neck truly a write off? Is it breaking apart to fragile chunks or could it be glued back together, i.e. would it work again if the truss rod worked? I'm asking because if it held tune once, it may again. If you liked the way it was it may before it may be easier to repair this neck, than to modify another neck to feel like this one. I'm just wondering on the construction - would it need a new sunk stripe, would routing it out be an option, or would it be an opportunity to replace the fretboard if that's a concern? (if it's soft wood or badly damaged). Replacing it with a quality used or new neck will probably be the better option, as long as the neck pocket is stable and the neck is fitted well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted June 16, 2021 Share Posted June 16, 2021 On 06/06/2021 at 17:15, Waddo Soqable said: Looks like someone's made a Rickenbacker out of a kitchen table :).. What a great 20quids worth 👍 Isn't this true of all Rick's?? 😉😉 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waddo Soqable Posted June 16, 2021 Share Posted June 16, 2021 2 minutes ago, TheGreek said: Isn't this true of all Rick's?? 😉😉 Shame the prices aren't likewise... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted June 16, 2021 Share Posted June 16, 2021 Don't confuse "cost" with "worth"...😀 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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