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Bass Neck Save


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I picked up a cheap 5 string bass neck on ebay. It has a broken truss rod, so I figured I could always salvage the fret board and frets at least.

So here's what I ended up with after I utilized the fret~board removal tutorial on this site.

IMG_0197.jpg

the board came off well for the most part aside from one sliver at the end.

The broken rod was the c channel type , and the ones I have are the flat bar/round rod with blue-wrap cheapies from ebay.

so the rod route is way too big for the truss rod I have until

IMG_0198.jpg

I stuck the truss-rod in the channel !

It protrudes a bit, but I can deepen the route by that much without an issue.

So my question is :

Will the rod still function if the channel was utilized?

IMG_0199.jpg

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Just did Wez... Stewmac - 13 USD ..... looking at it though, I think in the meantime, I will try to hit the hardware store. A length of threaded rod and I think I can repair the broken rod by replacing the rod itself inside the channel. If not, the replacement is on the way.

Thanks for the ideas.

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These were from Bezdez .... hope they are good quality. We'll soon find out! lol.... I tested them by making them flex and they all do what they are designed to.

I stopped using Bezdez for anything but binding and the occasional oddball inlay set. All of their stuff is just way too low end junk. Now, for all I know their rods could be the exact same that Bitteroot sells. But based on everything else they sell, I'm not going to find out.

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On a side note, I just scored a Swamp Ash 5-string Bass body from Carvin on eBay for 80 bucks. :Dhttp://cgi.ebay.com/Carvin-SB5A-Swamp-Ash-Active-5-String-Bass-Body-/150540531563?pt=Guitar&hash=item230cea376b

Their website doesn't even offer swamp ash bass bodies, and the ones they DO have are 155 bucks and they're not even routed for active electronics. I'm thinking I can pull this project in the gate for under $350. :D

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I stopped using Bezdez for anything but binding and the occasional oddball inlay set. All of their stuff is just way too low end junk. Now, for all I know their rods could be the exact same that Bitteroot sells. But based on everything else they sell, I'm not going to find out.

I've used the Bezdez rods and have never had a problem with them. The first time I bought them I got two figuring they were so cheap I wanted to test one and have second to use for the build. I tightened and loosened that thing to the point that you would have a full inch of relief if it was used in a neck and it didn't brake. I also put it in a scrap neck I have and glued a piece of scrap wood on for a finger board and eventually got it to break, but I adjusted it far beyond any normal amount would be and it was at the point that other rods would brake as well. So I feel confident at least that their rods are good quality.

The rest on their components are junk. I won't even use them for knobs or jack plates. I've used their binding because it was cheap and found that it does not work as nicely as stuff from other suppliers.

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So I ended up with a 5 string Alvarez bass neck for roughly 30 dollars......... and some time.

IMG_0218.jpg

On a different note : whats up with their scarf joint ?!? That really looks like end-grain bonding, and right on the headstock. :D

That's the 'best' way they could do it ?!?

I think you'll find the scarf joint is actually a sharp angle, not end grain. You can't see the angle because the sides are covered by the strips glued on to increase the width of the headstock, and the black face plate covers the fact that the neck wood actually goes at least halfway up the face of the headstock. I hope you can see what I mean :D

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