Failed Scroll attempt

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Adrian Levi

A distraught bass owner dropped this off at me , said that this repair lasted about a year , surprisingly so with a 6mm pine dowel and barely any glue at all on the surfaces.
Of course a scroll graft is the correct procedure but he needs the bass asap as he is in the middle of a recording / any insight on how to make a decent interim repair ...... BTW bass is from Russia ?

If you are referring to those 2 pieces in your hand as the Scroll graft area then you are gravely mistaken. Gravely as far as the bass is concerned. That is NOT a scroll graft. Just an old pegbox/neck repair and poorly done. Actually, that is when it needed the actual graft of a new neck. Like Arnold said, you can't glue it there unless just to hang it on the wall, without strings of course.

This is what a scroll/neck graft is;


.. and after done, looks like this;

[Adrian Levi]

Herr Smith , I said that the proper thing to do would be a scroll graft (onto a new neck of course ), as you can see I labeled the failed procedure as you see it in the pic as a 'scroll attempt'.

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

If you are referring to those 2 pieces in your hand as the Scroll graft area then you are gravely mistaken. Gravely as far as the bass is concerned. That is NOT a scroll graft. Just an old pegbox/neck repair and poorly done. Actually, that is when it needed the actual graft of a new neck. Like Arnold said, you can't glue it there unless just to hang it on the wall, without strings of course.

This is what a scroll/neck graft is;


.. and after done, looks like this;

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Adrian Levi

Herr Smith , I said that the proper thing to do would be a scroll graft (onto a new neck of course ), as you can see I labeled the failed procedure as you see it in the pic as a 'scroll attempt'.

Sorry, reading here while at work I mis-read your post. I thought obviously that you said the graft was done correctly rather than the correct repair IS a graft.. My bad. Good.. we are on the same page here.

The ONLY repair I see here that will work IS a graft. Anthing else will fail in time and possibly cause more damage down the road leaving less wood where you need it to do a good graft. Now that it's apart and clean, it needs a graft, period. No way around it that I can see.

By the way, that's Arnold's work above on my former Prescott.

[Adrian Levi]

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

Sorry, reading here while at work I mis-read your post. I thought obviously that you said the graft was done correctly rather than the correct repair IS a graft.. My bad. Good.. we are on the same page here.

The ONLY repair I see here that will work IS a graft. Anthing else will fail in time and possibly cause more damage down the road leaving less wood where you need it to do a good graft. Now that it's apart and clean, it needs a graft, period. No way around it that I can see.

By the way, that's Arnold's work above on my former Prescott.

How do you manage to part with these gorgeous instruments ? Surely you must have regrets from time to time ...

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Adrian Levi

How do you manage to part with these gorgeous instruments ? Surely you must have regrets from time to time ...

Yes, I miss them for how they sounded the few times I used each one of them but in business, I must sell most of them and hold on to only a few. When a 'saved' bass kept for myself is admired by others and sold, I go and choose another. This is the business I chose to do so I live with whatever happens.