$25 Beater Bass...help me bring them back to life!

lauregami

lauregami

May 1, 2019
91
252
4,571
California
#1
Edit 5/22/19: Public service announcement: If you are reading this with the idea of getting a beater as your first bass and repairing it -- please spend your money on a functioning instrument! The only reason I bought this bass is because I am interested in bass repair.

Hey everyone! Today GAS struck me hard. I found a bass on offerup for $25! Couldn't pass it up. I knew there would be issues with it - there always are with instruments at such a good price. I handed over $25 (plus a delivery fee for the guy) and brought it upstairs. Well, it's exactly what I expected:

20190520_180216.jpg

There's no branding whatsoever, no year, it looks like the serial number was on a sticker that was removed, the knobs are missing, and the electronics are completely shot. I plugged them into my amp to tune and they were buzzing constantly, even with no input. Then they popped loud and died. I tested my amp to make sure that the amp didn't blow up - thank goodness I'm safe there. But they need a new pickup, at least. I will ask about that in the appropriate Pickups forum when I get to that bridge.

But I found a larger issue when I took a look at the back:

20190520_180252a.png

Take a look at that wicked headstock crack! It doesn't look too deep, thankfully. I showed the damage to some people on the Bass Discord and they recommended some wood glue and a clamp. So I'm happy that that seems salvageable.

Goals for this bass:

-Repair the headstock.
-Replace and fix up the electronics.
-Replace or at least clean that bridge.

I think I can just take the knobs from my Ibanez and slap them on here for now. I hope they're the same threading.

Anyone else have any tips? Is this bass worth saving? Anyone have any idea what make and model this might be?

Thanks in advance for all your help!
 
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#5
Headstock breaks like that happen and if repaired correctly can last many years. That being said this looks to be about as low quality as they come. Chances are it will need everything to be a usable bass. New nut, tuners, fret work, pickups, bridge...

If you want something as a project to learn and practice those sort of mod/repair skills then you've got it. If you were hoping for a couple quick things and your ready to rock this might be a poor choice.
 
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#6
lauregami said:
It's okay. I fully anticipated that upon purchase.

If the bass is truly unsalvageable, then I simply see it as an opportunity to give the instrument a proper burial.
Click to expand...

You could possibly find a different neck. I have some unknown P bass copy that had a twisted neck, I wound up putting a Rogue neck on it that I got at a garage sale and put some pickups in it I got off of Ebay used for $13 shipped.

I mean you could fix that neck possibly, it's sort of hard to tell from the pictures but I've salvaged worse instruments than that.
 
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#7
Reedt2000 said:
Headstock breaks like that happen and if repaired correctly can last many years. That being said this looks to be about as low quality as they come. Chances are it will need everything to be a usable bass. New nut, tuners, fret work, pickups, bridge...

If you want something as a project to learn and practice those sort of mod/repair skills then you've got it. If you were hoping for a couple quick things and your ready to rock this might be a poor choice.
Click to expand...

Thankfully, I already have 2 fully-functioning basses, so I'm already "ready to rock." In fact, I was very interested in a full project! I'm really interested in instrument repair. Maybe this is the opportunity for me!


Ostie said:
I would de-tension the strings immediately until you can make the repair.
Click to expand...

Will do so right away. In fact, I'm gonna remove the strings entirely.


Mordamir said:
You could possibly find a different neck. I have some unknown P bass copy that had a twisted neck, I wound up putting a Rogue neck on it that I got at a garage sale and put some pickups in it I got off of Ebay used for $13 shipped.

I mean you could fix that neck possibly, it's sort of hard to tell from the pictures but I've salvaged worse instruments than that.
Click to expand...

Ahh, should have thought about that! It is indeed a screw-on neck. As much as I'd like to keep the original with the finish, if I can't save it I will find and get a new one.
 
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#8
lauregami said:
Thankfully, I already have 2 fully-functioning basses, so I'm already "ready to rock." In fact, I was very interested in a full project! I'm really interested in instrument repair. Maybe this is the opportunity for me!




Will do so right away. In fact, I'm gonna remove the strings entirely.




Ahh, should have thought about that! It is indeed a screw-on neck. As much as I'd like to keep the original with the finish, if I can't save it I will find and get a new one.
Click to expand...
Don't even go in that general direction yet. Attack that neck as if it is the last one on earth; then you have a fair chance of executing a good repair.
 
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#10
bolophonic said:
I’m still re-reading to figure out how someone pays for a bass and takes possession without noticing that the headstock is halfway broken off.
Click to expand...

Easy! I purchased it intentionally, sight unseen with the idea of having a project bass.

I need to reiterate that I am not disappointed in this instrument. It is EXACTLY what I expected!
 
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#11
This is a ridiculous, possibly idiotic, project. If the guitar were in perfect condition it would be barely worth twice the price paid. The neck crack repair is easily six to eight times the acquisition price.

However:

If the idea is to learn advanced repair work you could not have chosen a better platform for a better price!

As Sis points out, the neck crack is the priority. Do some research on this forum. It's not difficult but it is time consuming. You'll have to make some cauls and angled blocks to clamp it correctly.

Once the crack is repaired the fingerboard/frets can be assessed. If work needs to be done some money will be spent on tools, some of which may be useless for any tasks outside guitar repair.

Anything else that has to be done is straight forward meat-and-potatoes guitar tech work. If you do not have a copy, purchase The Guitar Player Repair Guide by Dan Erlewine (it costs more than the guitar). All of the other work is described in detail.

Good luck.
 
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#12
202dy said:
This is a ridiculous, possibly idiotic, project. If the guitar were in perfect condition it would be barely worth twice the price paid. The neck crack repair is easily six to eight times the acquisition price.

However:

If the idea is to learn advanced repair work you could not have chosen a better platform for a better price!

As Sis points out, the neck crack is the priority. Do some research on this forum. It's not difficult but it is time consuming. You'll have to make some cauls and angled blocks to clamp it correctly.

Once the crack is repaired the fingerboard/frets can be assessed. If work needs to be done some money will be spent on tools, some of which may be useless for any tasks outside guitar repair.

Anything else that has to be done is straight forward meat-and-potatoes guitar tech work. If you do not have a copy, purchase The Guitar Player Repair Guide by Dan Erlewine (it costs more than the guitar). All of the other work is described in detail.

Good luck.
Click to expand...

"Ridiculous" & "idiotic" is a bit harsh (and subjective). But the rest of this post is accurate :D

Especially the recommendation of Erlewine's book. Definitely a great resource if you aspire to setup and repair guitars :thumbsup:
 
#14
Reedt2000 said:
"Ridiculous" & "idiotic" is a bit harsh (and subjective). But the rest of this post is accurate :D
Click to expand...

That was the intention. Some people will glance at this forum, but not read it in depth, and walk away with the impression that it is a good idea to purchase a very inexpensive instrument with a catastrophic repair issue and think that it is a good way to get a good instrument on the cheap. The tone of the statement challenges those folks to read on.

This statement is not subjective. Dollars are dollars and this project doesn't add up. It does not make fiscal sense if the goal is to own/play a guitar.

However:

If the intent is to learn advanced repair techniques the dollars are well spent. If the purchaser botches the job the only thing lost is some time and a little bit of money. If they are successful, they get a playable guitar out of the deal. In either case they learn something useful.

Conversely:

If the OP had spent ten times the amount ($250.00USD in 2019 dollars) on an instrument with the intention of learning advanced repair, that if perfect would have a value of two to three times the purchase price, it would not make fiscal sense. While they may learn something, they end up with an object that will never have the intended value. If they botch the job, they end up with expensive firewood.
 
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#15
I would certainly hope that I don't encourage people to buy dead-cheap instruments and try to get a deal out of repairing them.

Anyone who's reading this who thought that: Please spend your money on an actual functioning instrument! You will probably spend less than the repairs would cost. There's a reason I said I needed help bringing the bass back to life -- the implication being that right now it's dead as a doornail!

I went ahead and put a PSA in the first post to make it clear to anyone who might get that impression.

I am absolutely using this bass to learn advanced repair because it's something I'm really interested in. I didn't buy a new bass because I don't need one - I have two fully functioning basses.

If and when I go to a lutherie school I don't want to embarrass myself on the first day. I want to have a little experience in advance. It'll also help to have some of the tools in advance.
 
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#16
lauregami said:
I am absolutely using this bass to learn advanced repair because it's something I'm really interested in. I didn't buy a new bass because I don't need one - I have two fully functioning basses.
Click to expand...
As 202dy has said, it’s a good platform to learn from. And as he says, get the Erlewine book and check out Frank Ford’s website for lots of repair techniques from a real pro.

www.frets.com
 
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#18
lauregami said:
Edit 5/22/19: Public service announcement: If you are reading this with the idea of getting a beater as your first bass and repairing it -- please spend your money on a functioning instrument! The only reason I bought this bass is because I am interested in bass repair.

Hey everyone! Today GAS struck me hard. I found a bass on offerup for $25! Couldn't pass it up. I knew there would be issues with it - there always are with instruments at such a good price. I handed over $25 (plus a delivery fee for the guy) and brought it upstairs. Well, it's exactly what I expected:

View attachment 3421757

There's no branding whatsoever, no year, it looks like the serial number was on a sticker that was removed, the knobs are missing, and the electronics are completely shot. I plugged them into my amp to tune and they were buzzing constantly, even with no input. Then they popped loud and died. I tested my amp to make sure that the amp didn't blow up - thank goodness I'm safe there. But they need a new pickup, at least. I will ask about that in the appropriate Pickups forum when I get to that bridge.

But I found a larger issue when I took a look at the back:

View attachment 3421754

Take a look at that wicked headstock crack! It doesn't look too deep, thankfully. I showed the damage to some people on the Bass Discord and they recommended some wood glue and a clamp. So I'm happy that that seems salvageable.

Goals for this bass:

-Repair the headstock.
-Replace and fix up the electronics.
-Replace or at least clean that bridge.

I think I can just take the knobs from my Ibanez and slap them on here for now. I hope they're the same threading.

Anyone else have any tips? Is this bass worth saving? Anyone have any idea what make and model this might be?

Thanks in advance for all your help!
Click to expand...

Hey lauregami! I really like your project. Yeah, glue and clamp that neck first. LOL

After the neck, where are you going to get new electronics as cheap as possible? (If I had them I'd have already offered for the price of shipping.)

Keep this going. I'm interested to see how it all comes out.
 
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#19
Thank you all for your support, everyone!

Once I fix the neck, I think I might harvest the p-pickup from my Ibanez. It's not a godly pickup but it works...and is certainly suited for a repair job like this.

Plus, it leaves my Ibanez open to replace the pickups. Hell, I could possibly even swap the j-pickup from my Ibanez to my Jaguar. The model of Jaguar I have has a notoriously wimpy j-pickup.

I still need to check if the knobs from the Ibanez fit as well.
 
#20
The head stock is very repairable.
$25 for "classroom" material is a good investment in furthering your education.
Please keep us up to date on how the repair goes and what all you learn from it.

In the meantime, here's some inspirational material for you. It's about as bad a break on a headstock as you'll see anywhere, and it was repairable.
 
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