Hohner Arbor Series P bass (warning: plywood content)

[lonestar]

I dug this out of the back of a cupboard. It plays very well, was almost still in tune and sounds pretty good, so I thought I might resurrect and upgrade it. I have Tonerider pickup and some Mex P electrics somewhere in a drawer which I might fit, as I don’t really want to spend much on it. I originally got it from my brother as swap  for a leather jacket back in the ‘80s.

Anyway I like the way the scratch plate has faded slightly  so any suggestions what I can use to repair the crack with ? I don’t mind if it isn’t perfect cosmetically.

[Baloney Balderdash]

Uninstall the pickguard and every thing mounted to it, clean the surface on each side of the crack with some ethanol, then glue it together with thin super glue (you'd only want a thin layer just covering the surface on one side of the crack, and be careful to put it right together the first time), pressing the surfaces together for a minute or so before leaving it to letting it cure for 24 hours on a flat surface (yes super glue cures in a matter of a few minutes but it takes up to 24 hours to bind fully at maximum strength).

 

Edited January 13 by Baloney Balderdash

[lonestar]

24 minutes ago, Baloney Balderdash said:

Uninstall the pickguard and every thing mounted to it, clean the surface on each side of the crack with some ethanol, then glue it together with thin super glue (you'd only want a thin layer just covering the surface on one side of the crack, and be careful to put it right together the first time), pressing the surfaces together for a minute or so before leaving it to letting it cure for 24 hours on a flat surface (yes super glue cures in a matter of a few minutes but it takes up to 24 hours to bind fully at maximum strength).

 

Thank you, that sounds like a plan.

[Downunderwonder]

Or if you really aren't that concerned about cosmetics you could rotate the small bit so it better fit and made the gap less noticeable. 

[PaulThePlug]

or tape across the back of the plate to hold in place...

Edited January 13 by PaulThePlug

[sandy_r]

9 hours ago, lonestar said:

... any suggestions what I can use to repair the crack with ? I don’t mind if it isn’t perfect cosmetically.

 

...if the broken piece can rotate at all then that end screw/hole is in slightly the wrong position - likely reason for the break is that end piece was under stress, and broke with a knock to the jack plug in place

 

So mending the plate is only half the job - the end screw hole needs to be carefully refilled and a new hole drilled exactly where that plate hole has 'moved' in the fix (likely less than a mm)

 

(just my €0.02)

 

Edited January 13 by sandy_r

[lonestar]

5 minutes ago, sandy_r said:

 

...if the broken piece can rotate at all then that end screw/hole is in slightly the wrong position - likely reason for the break is that end piece was under stress, and broke with a knock to the jack plug in place

 

So mending the plate is only half the job - the end screw hole needs to be carefully refilled and a new hole drilled exactly where that plate hole has 'moved' in the fix (likely less than a mm)

 

That's a good point. There is a slight gap in the crack too and it runs just under the jack socket washer. I'll have a play with it and post the result.

[Maude]

Is this the model with the funky 3D neck plate. 

If it is I have the fretless version and it's actually a very nice bass. 

The scratchplate is significantly different in shape to a generic P so an eBay replacement is out of the question anyway. I know you weren't heading down that route, but just in case you were considering it. 

[lonestar]

Just now, Maude said:

Is this the model with the funky 3D neck plate. 

If it is I have the fretless version and it's actually a very nice bass. 

The scratchplate is significantly different in shape to a generic P so an eBay replacement is out of the question anyway. I know you weren't heading down that route, but just in case you were considering it. 

It is that very one Maude, yes it is a nice bass. Thanks for the heads up re the scratch plate I did momentarily toy with changing it but definitely won't now.

 

[lonestar]

I glued the scratch plate, replaced the pickup and controls with a Mexican Player loom that I had and added copper shielding to the control cavity. I’m very  pleased with the result. Plays very well, after a quick truss rod tweak and has a great Precision thump with the ancient but pretty much unplayed Elites that have been on it since it was stored in a cupboard for years. Best bargain bass that I’ve owned!

[lemmywinks]

Depending on the type of plastic I've been using small (and very carefully applied) amounts of solvents for repairs, making sure any excess is immediately cleaned off. More like chemical plastic welding  than glueing, I've mainly used it for old retro laptop parts but also for other bits around the house, seems to create a very strong bond which doesn't have the typical glue line.