D'oh moment

[Jeff Moote]

Any 4/4 strings will do, correct? They're usually the same price as a 3/4 set.

[Matthew Tucker]

This morning I played the bass after it had been under tension all night, tuned to DGCF. Surprisingly nice, and worth persevering with. But I really can't see it getting a lot of use at 44" so I'm pretty much resigned to the task of cutting the neck down somehow.

Any luthiers able to give me any hints on how to cut that long splice? I'm thinking a backless japanese katana saw perhaps ... and a hacksaw to get through the graphite part ... ugh.

Can the job be done with the neck still on the bass or will i have to (groan) somehow get that neck out of the block again?

[Bob Branstetter]

I know you don't want to hear it, but I don't see how anything other than a neck graft or a total neck replacement is going to give you a long term solution. I assume you are talking about a long scarf joint. The graphite bar and epoxy will make that very difficult to do, if not impossible. I've never been a fan of scarf joints on bass necks. Even if you can do a near perfect job, over time those long thin edges of the scarf always seem to chip away or snag on something (Think wood splinter in your thumb!).

[Matthew Tucker]

Well Bob, for better or for worse, I already extracted the graphite rod and did a spline graft, without removing the neck from the bass.

This is a cheap bass for my daughter. I spent a couple of hours on this and I think a scroll graft would take a lot longer, not including the time to remove the neck and go through all that again..

If it turns out unsatisfactory I can still do the longer and better repair.

But I think I did a good job.

[Bob Branstetter]

Hi Matt - It looks like you did a nice job with it. I would have expected you having more trouble getting the graphite bar out with that thin neck.

Maybe the next cheap bass you get will have a broken neck and you can try your hand at a neck graft. I have a feeling, from looking at your previous work, that you would be able to do a good graft too. I've always felt that completing a nice graft is one of the most satisfying experiences a luthier can have.