From a distance the bass looked as if it needed a simple neck repair and a new set up, something we have done successfully in the past. Now having stepped very deep into the project there is much more to it then we expected. The epoxy glue was difficult to loosen and remove from the neck joint. It has caused many wood slivers and splintering to the neck. The normal steam and water used to loosen hide glue has caused the wood to discolor and twist. All in all…this is a difficult repair.
Lonnie has come to the conclusion this is not what we thought it was going to be…BUT…it does not matter. He will use his 30 years of skill and expertise to cobble these piece together in to a wonderful playing Epiphone bass. I have said before; don’t tell Lonnie it can’t be fixed. He will only dig in deeper to prove it can be fixed and not half ass’ed, but it can be fixed and done right!
He has moistened the piece of wood that have twisted, clamped them back together so the can dry in place…kind of using the memory in the wood to fit it back together. Once the entire piece will fit back together like a puzzle he will glue them together with HIDE GLUE and then begin to use pins to reinforce the repairs. If all of this goes well, the fractured repairs will knit together and this bass should be able to with stand the tremendous tension of the bass strings…no small feat.
For Lonnie the “thinking part” has now moved into the “doing part”. I have full confidence in his skills, persistence and patience.
This bass will swing again.
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