Guitar Repair
Old Kay Bass
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This is debatable the most major project I have ever undertaken. A dear friend of mine bought this 1/4 size Old Kay Bass on Ebay. We can safely say that the disclosure was incomplete at best, deceptive at worst.
The bass arrived with the neck broken off, The Neck block inside was split. Upon disassembly, I found that both end blocks has been repaired, with something akin to plaster of paris.
Whoever did this should have their tools forcably removed from them. I'll add to that the the plywood back had been seriouisly sanded, such that an entire layer of ply was missing in places. The ply back was completely broken at the heel of the neck and somewhere along the line, neck heel and headstock breaks were reglued, with the addition of a huge dowel inserted right through the Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard. Plywood does not take well to disassembly under the best of corcumstances. It splits along the layers, and disassembly tools tend not to follow the joints. Here's a slide show if the first repair.
The bass arrived with the neck broken off, The Neck block inside was split. Upon disassembly, I found that both end blocks has been repaired, with something akin to plaster of paris.
Whoever did this should have their tools forcably removed from them. I'll add to that the the plywood back had been seriouisly sanded, such that an entire layer of ply was missing in places. The ply back was completely broken at the heel of the neck and somewhere along the line, neck heel and headstock breaks were reglued, with the addition of a huge dowel inserted right through the Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard. Plywood does not take well to disassembly under the best of corcumstances. It splits along the layers, and disassembly tools tend not to follow the joints. Here's a slide show if the first repair.
After a bit more than a year, the bass took a fall, and regrettably the neck block broke again. I agreed to put it right, at no cost, because it is possible that I made the wrong choice in regluing the neck block rather than replacing it. Frankly, I didn't have a clue as to how to go about replacing a neck block in a bass. Now I do.
The following slide show depicts a complete rebuild of the bass, including a laminated maple neck block replacement.
Interestingly, the sound improved markedly. This would indicate that gaps and loose connections were inhibiting sound transfer. The second go involved extensive jigs and molds, and a complete rebuild of the plywood back and kerfing.
The following slide show depicts a complete rebuild of the bass, including a laminated maple neck block replacement.
Interestingly, the sound improved markedly. This would indicate that gaps and loose connections were inhibiting sound transfer. The second go involved extensive jigs and molds, and a complete rebuild of the plywood back and kerfing.
