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Last night I bought this weird electric bass off Craigslist. The body was a shopmade walnut thing that looked like a dogbone. It looked like the neck was maybe an old P-bass - same for the pickups and bridge. It worked fine. The tuners barely turn. The neck has been savaged. The dots were pulled from the fingerboard, and little black plastic rings inserted, then plastic rhinestones were glued in the holes. The whole fingerboard was finished with shellac. The neck and peghead were finished in metallic red, so after removing the neck, I worked over the heel with some lacquer thinner. 5 NOV 65 C

So it IS old. The question? Repair it, or sell it as is on eBay along with the vintage pickup and bridge?

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

That's a tough call Chris because these days things that we would think may have great value may not and the oddest stuff people tend to want often at high prices. We also have many of us like you and I who played all of our lives who miss an ax that we once had and then fall victim to high prices to get it. I very nearly pulled the trigger on a great condition 66 Mustang not because they were great guitars, they actually kind of sucked, but it was my first real guitar back in the day.

You know you could do both by listing it on eBay as-is with a reserve that you are happy with and if it does not sell try plan B and fix her up and sell her.

Took a load of pix of the parts.... posted a couple to PhotoBucket.
Should I have the nasty old wires replaced with NOS cloth covered wire?
Clean up the shellac from the fingerboard?
Just scroll through...
http://s588.photobucket.com/user/studem ... sort=3&o=0

_________________
"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

Oh you are a Masochist! Or really bored.

Do you think you can remove the finish grunge on the neck without pulling the frets? I'd try to resurrect it first. If you can re-wire it and get the neck cleaned up, you may have a better answer to the question of it's residence. Is it possible that's a '65 Fender "C" shape neck? Odd find, good luck.

Yes, Allan - I am hopelessly into the weird stuff.



Pretty sure it's really old, cracked shellac on the fingerboard. It would clean up without messing with the frets. I don't wanna strip the metallic red - might mess up the peghead decal. I'm not touching the fingerboard "inlays". If I did that, I might as well restore it to new.... and right now, the old stuff might be more desirable. I'd leave the pickup to my repair partner Mike Metz at Thesis Audio.




Absolutely on the money. Also, I think I'll saw up the walnut body to make other parts later.

_________________
"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

OK, listed the neck on eBay this afternoon - selling it as is.
All the hardware and the pickup, too.
The covers were glued to the pickup, and to the foam and the brass shielding plate - you couldn't take it apart.
Also, the wire turned out be old Beldon mic cable...
I don't wanna be the guy who messed up some vintage stuff.
Somebody else can do that after they pay me for the privilege.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/262024999913?ss ... 1555.l2649

http://www.ebay.com/itm/262024948896?ss ... 1555.l2649

_________________
"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

Sounds like a wise move to me.

Did I mention everything sold to the same guy in Chicago for over a grand?

_________________
"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

You flipper you!

Hey, it pays the bills.

_________________
"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince