Found this bass, want to know if it's salvageable.

#24
dsnymike said:
This would definitely be something I would want to do myself if I did attempt it. Not experienced with wiring and soldering at all but considering this was free I wouldn't really care if I messed it up at all.

My only question is if the necks salvageable. Was thinking of rubbing some polish on the frets with steel wool after protecting the fingerboard, but the stripe coming out leaves me a little concerned.
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That would be my primary concern - but a replacement is easy enough too. Great opportunity for a Rescue Bass project!
 
#25
Yes its worth fixing up. You will have fun doing it and have a great bass with a story to tell every time you play it!
Use Titebond glue on that skunk stripe and use some C clamps with padded cauls of scrap wood to take the impressions from the clamps. Clean the electronics with some light sand paper or steel wool and contact cleaner. Replace the Pots and pickups if they are too far gone, but you may be surprised to find them working. Good luck with it. It already looks great.
 
#26
dsnymike said:
I'm a garbage man by trade and mainly a guitarist. I've always wanted a bass for the home studio but never bought one. Someone had this Mexican Jaguar bass out for collection and I couldn't help but take it home to see what was good with it. It's look like it's been outside for some time with the rust and what not. Surprisingly plays well and the electronics while not great do still work. I'd love to make a project out of this but I'm wondering if it would be worth it over just buying a good used one.

Couple key things I tried to picture are the skunk stripe is starting to separate from the neck a bit and the body is badly cracked in two places. But shockingly it still feels pretty nice and I haven't even put strings that aren't rusted to high hell yet.

Thoughts and opinions on building this up?
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It seems like water got under the gloss polyester finish I would strip that finish off because underneath you have alder wood which may look great just stain and gloss add some new strings get a setup check truss rod check electronics you could upgrade electronic badass bridge you have then a nice bass that you finished
 
#28
It was probably in a basement flood and the PO gave up on it. I would fix it up and rock it! Soldering isn’t that hard but you should study up on it first. Watch some YT videos and practice first.
 
#30
I love polishing a turd, and I've done plenty. I'd be all over this like a bum on a bologna sammich. Take it completely apart. New strings..😁 Pull the neck, ( check truss nut) PUs and pots. Clean the pots. Like said, Tite Bond and clamp for at least 4 days, neck & body. Sand the neck if possible or if it needs it after glue? Strip it and repaint. There, all done.
 
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#31
there is nothing better than free. follow the advice here. its sold new for possibly sub $700. whatever a repair guy will charge is still cheaper than a new one. even if you diy everything, you are still in the black.

people spend big money on relic'd instruments. you got one for free actually relic'd!
 
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#33
Man, I'm a garbage man too. I haven't found anything like this yet. We get in trouble for "scrapping", so we have to get creative when taking items off the route. I would say you can totally salvage it! Just polish the frets, clean her up, and put a new wiring harness/pot nuts in there.
 
#34
That looks like it got wet...not humidity, actual water. The finish crack on the body would never have gotten so extreme without the body soaking up a LOT of water. I had a buddy a long time ago with more than a few of those neon colored Dean basses that had water damage that looked exactly the same. It was very easy to tell it had happened as they were SUPER heavy from the moisture they still held. It could be saved but the skunk stripe popping out gives me pause.
 
#36
Not only is it fixable, but it actually looks like a relatively straightforward job.
  1. Back off the truss rod. Use a razor to push some tite bond into the skunk stripe seams. Wrap with some surgical tube and let it cure.
  2. Feather out the edges of the paint cracks with 320 and work up.
  3. Squirt some contact cleaner into the electronics (given they still work)
  4. Polish up those frets with 0000 steel wool
It's a couple hours work but nothing difficult.

What a find!
 
#38
As has been said, give it a shot and fix it if you can. You may be surprised with what you come up with.

My '78 Musicmaster was in far worse shape when I got it. It had been abandoned in a garage. Now after a couple different overhauls it's still my main player. Best of luck, great score.
 
#39
roycroft_88 said:
Nice find ! love this kind of stuff! Your are right on track with cleaning the frets. You say it plays good, so the neck is probably straight enough and the skunkstripe damage is only cosmetic. Just re-glue it(clamp it so it is flush). Leave the paint damage as is. Rock it.:bassist:
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A lot of people pay for the "road worn" look! Glue and elbow grease can take you far! Great find!
 
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