Wednesday, August 3, 2011
King Moretone...
The work continues on the King Moretone. The neck and neck block have been cleaned of all the old glue (some of it not hide glue) and are ready to be re-fit. While the neck is off the bass Lonnie is taking advantage of being able to lay the bass on its top. This makes it easier to repair the edges on the back. Once Lonnie is all done with building up the edges and adding color the chipping will disappear. Sweet!
Saturday, July 30, 2011
The King Moretone...
Some days you are the hydrant, some days you are the dog…today Lonnie was the dog!
The King Moretone is coming along nicely after getting the fingerboard back on and the edges cleaned up. Lonnie had it off the table to work on another bass (that is a whole other story) and when he picked Popeye up to put him back on the table he felt a slight wiggle in the neck. Never a good sign, the previous repairs are beginning to fail. Now is the time to reset the neck while the bass is apart and before the set up. These vintage beauties are a fickle animal. You can take two steps forward and one step back, more then one time during a restoration. You need persistence and patience or they will drive you crazy.
After a short consult it was agreed the neck needs removed and reset. Now in the past this can be an easy task or a long drawn out mess. Well today Lonnie was the dog and the neck released in less than five minutes. That is by far the easiest neck removal in Lonnie’s repair career. There was not much glue holding it in place, with the fingerboard repair I guess the neck wanted some attention too. Lonnie was over the moon happy the neck came out easy. He started in the workshop at 7:00 am this morning…this was a good day.
The King Moretone is coming along nicely after getting the fingerboard back on and the edges cleaned up. Lonnie had it off the table to work on another bass (that is a whole other story) and when he picked Popeye up to put him back on the table he felt a slight wiggle in the neck. Never a good sign, the previous repairs are beginning to fail. Now is the time to reset the neck while the bass is apart and before the set up. These vintage beauties are a fickle animal. You can take two steps forward and one step back, more then one time during a restoration. You need persistence and patience or they will drive you crazy.
After a short consult it was agreed the neck needs removed and reset. Now in the past this can be an easy task or a long drawn out mess. Well today Lonnie was the dog and the neck released in less than five minutes. That is by far the easiest neck removal in Lonnie’s repair career. There was not much glue holding it in place, with the fingerboard repair I guess the neck wanted some attention too. Lonnie was over the moon happy the neck came out easy. He started in the workshop at 7:00 am this morning…this was a good day.
Friday, July 22, 2011
How hot is it...
Whew it’s hot! It’s so hot, I saw a robin pulling a worm out of the ground with an oven mitt. Now that’s hot!!!
Well, I have all but recovered from my foot surgery. I have been geeking out the last two days because my hard drive on my computer crashed…but all is not lost.
Lonnie continues to plug away after spending his days in a huge warehouse with no AC. The basement workshop feels pretty darn good at a nice cool 72 degrees.
Well, I have all but recovered from my foot surgery. I have been geeking out the last two days because my hard drive on my computer crashed…but all is not lost.
Lonnie continues to plug away after spending his days in a huge warehouse with no AC. The basement workshop feels pretty darn good at a nice cool 72 degrees.
While I was hovering over two computers Lonnie magically got the fingerboard on the King Bass re-glued. It is in traction right now waiting for the glue to dry. The cosmetic details around the edges is looking real good too. He will continue to work away.
Come back soon…
Thursday, July 14, 2011
King Moretone...
Lonnie made a bit more progress last evening. The top of the bass had lots of rosin and old dirt. He has a magic elixir for getting old dirt and rosin off the top of a bass. The bass now has a nice deep glow and looks fresh and clean (little bit like a facelift). He wanted to get the top clean so he can begin to work on some of the cosmetic edges and open seams.
The neck had a spot where the fingerboard would not release and a sliver of wood raised up. Lonnie used hot water, steam and a large palate knife to run up between the neck and fingerboard to pry it loose. The neck looks really skinny with out the fingerboard attached. I have to laugh when folks complain about a skinny Kay neck. Few realize much of the mass of the neck is made up of the fingerboard. If you want a thicker neck, put on a new fingerboard…that will really beef up the thickness.
Stay tuned…Lonnie’s on a roll…just call him butter.
The neck had a spot where the fingerboard would not release and a sliver of wood raised up. Lonnie used hot water, steam and a large palate knife to run up between the neck and fingerboard to pry it loose. The neck looks really skinny with out the fingerboard attached. I have to laugh when folks complain about a skinny Kay neck. Few realize much of the mass of the neck is made up of the fingerboard. If you want a thicker neck, put on a new fingerboard…that will really beef up the thickness.
Stay tuned…Lonnie’s on a roll…just call him butter.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
American Standard, Epiphone and the King
Here we are…mid way through summer…and what a summer it has been. New twist and turns every mile (the Tour de France is in stage 10, no pun intended).
I am now recovering from my second foot surgery and Lonnie is pushing forward in the workshop. He has been busy taking care of me, the house and working full time in addition to the workshop back log.
Our 1939 American Standard bass named Harvey is relocating to live with a young jazz player in Maryland.
The Epiphone B-5 named Luther is finished except for some final details and will soon be taking his long journey home.
And now, finally, it is Popeye’s turn. The 1950’s King Mortone is on the radar screen and repairs are underway. The fingerboard was not making full contact with the neck and was a source for vibration. So Lonnie removed the fingerboard, after a bit of a struggle, and now the neck is all clean with a fresh surface for re-gluing. The original fingerboard is in great condition and things should go back together with fresh hide glue fairly easily. Lonnie removed the old endpin and reamed out a new larger hole for a new ULSA adjustable ebony end pin. Once he gets the fingerboard back in place he will move on to the set up and a bunch of cosmetic work on the edges of the bass. The owner wants the full Bass Monkey speed neck treatment and face lift for this bass. This King Mortone had a powerful voice with some really old strings. I expect once the bass is set up and tweaked it will have a strong punchy sound, not to mention it will look good for other 60 or so years.
Keep checking back for updates. The Epiphone B-5 #811 slideshow of the completed bass will be coming soon. This Epi bass is headed for a long journey to a tropical paradise…Aloha.
The fun never stops! Have a great summer and be safe.
I am now recovering from my second foot surgery and Lonnie is pushing forward in the workshop. He has been busy taking care of me, the house and working full time in addition to the workshop back log.
Our 1939 American Standard bass named Harvey is relocating to live with a young jazz player in Maryland.
The Epiphone B-5 named Luther is finished except for some final details and will soon be taking his long journey home.
And now, finally, it is Popeye’s turn. The 1950’s King Mortone is on the radar screen and repairs are underway. The fingerboard was not making full contact with the neck and was a source for vibration. So Lonnie removed the fingerboard, after a bit of a struggle, and now the neck is all clean with a fresh surface for re-gluing. The original fingerboard is in great condition and things should go back together with fresh hide glue fairly easily. Lonnie removed the old endpin and reamed out a new larger hole for a new ULSA adjustable ebony end pin. Once he gets the fingerboard back in place he will move on to the set up and a bunch of cosmetic work on the edges of the bass. The owner wants the full Bass Monkey speed neck treatment and face lift for this bass. This King Mortone had a powerful voice with some really old strings. I expect once the bass is set up and tweaked it will have a strong punchy sound, not to mention it will look good for other 60 or so years.
Keep checking back for updates. The Epiphone B-5 #811 slideshow of the completed bass will be coming soon. This Epi bass is headed for a long journey to a tropical paradise…Aloha.
The fun never stops! Have a great summer and be safe.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Making major progress on the Epiphone...
This Epiphone is getting close to being completed.
The back has been re-glued and Lonnie has quickly moved onto the set up. Like always, when Lonnie kicks it into overdrive, move over because he smells the finish line. He worked the past two evening late into the night. He is really pleased as everything is going together very smoothly. For as much trouble as the upper bout repair gave him the back off and back on went very well. The neck of the bass is very true and in perfect alignment. The string, bridge and tail piece are have fallen into the perfect spot.
The upper bout repair looks really good.
In set up mode
He is working on the set up and once again is detailing the bridge in his own special way. He loves doing the detail work and giving every bass a unique Bass Monkey touch.
He said I can take the bass for a test drive Friday night. I only wish…I am still on the mend from foot surgery. Standing to play a bass is still a few weeks away.
Enjoy the view!
The back has been re-glued and Lonnie has quickly moved onto the set up. Like always, when Lonnie kicks it into overdrive, move over because he smells the finish line. He worked the past two evening late into the night. He is really pleased as everything is going together very smoothly. For as much trouble as the upper bout repair gave him the back off and back on went very well. The neck of the bass is very true and in perfect alignment. The string, bridge and tail piece are have fallen into the perfect spot.
The upper bout repair looks really good.
In set up mode
He is working on the set up and once again is detailing the bridge in his own special way. He loves doing the detail work and giving every bass a unique Bass Monkey touch.
He said I can take the bass for a test drive Friday night. I only wish…I am still on the mend from foot surgery. Standing to play a bass is still a few weeks away.
Enjoy the view!
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Peeking inside for a good long look...
Lonnie is making slow progress with getting all the slivers of wood back into place along with the rib linings that came off in the removing of the back of the bass. I think this maybe the first Epiphone bass we have taken the back off. This gives me a great opportunity to really study and document the interior of the bass. This early 1946 post war Epiphone has solid rib lining verse many Kay basses having the kerfed rib linings. I don’t know how much, if any, difference this makes in structural integrity or tone but it is an obvious difference between the two manufactures. Another big difference is an Epiphone has a square sound post patch on the top plate verse the Kay bass having a round disk for a sound post patch on the back plate of their basses.
Corner blocks with centering pin hole
This Epiphone is super clean on the inside and the wood has very little oxidation, the wood is nice and bright. I love looking and studying the inside of a bass. The wood has a very faint image of newspaper print or some type of typography that was transferred from a slip sheet during manufacturing. It is too faint for me to read. I can see the pencil layout lines of where the center of the bass was marked and the FF holes cross alignment. There is also pencil marking from the luthier on the inside showing “T” for top and “B” for bottom on the corner blocks. The bass even has nails/pins at the corner block, neck block and end pin block which are factory original and were used in aligning the back to the sides. All of these things are fascinating to me because you can only see them when the bass is apart.
The bass bar has some interesting details and its over all shape
The repairs to the upper bout are just about finished, and then Lonnie can re-glue the rib lining to the same upper bout area. It is one of those multi day processes where he can not get out of his own way. And the hide glue needs 24 hours to set up before the clamps can be removed. This weekend he hopes to get the back glued on so we can finally move onto the set up. This bass has been on the work bench far too long for the minor repairs it needed. When we bought this bass it looked very clean and only in needed a set up. Which shows even to our trained eye there is more to be done then you can see or hear. You really need to get the bass on the work bench for a full examination before you can see the flaws…and even then we can under estimate what needs done.
The faint pencil lines used for layout and the square sound post patch
The bass bar is feathered into the top plate of the bass
The back of the bass is beautifully flamed maple
Patience, Patience, Patience…fast and easy is never fast, easy or cheap.
Corner blocks with centering pin hole
This Epiphone is super clean on the inside and the wood has very little oxidation, the wood is nice and bright. I love looking and studying the inside of a bass. The wood has a very faint image of newspaper print or some type of typography that was transferred from a slip sheet during manufacturing. It is too faint for me to read. I can see the pencil layout lines of where the center of the bass was marked and the FF holes cross alignment. There is also pencil marking from the luthier on the inside showing “T” for top and “B” for bottom on the corner blocks. The bass even has nails/pins at the corner block, neck block and end pin block which are factory original and were used in aligning the back to the sides. All of these things are fascinating to me because you can only see them when the bass is apart.
The bass bar has some interesting details and its over all shape
The repairs to the upper bout are just about finished, and then Lonnie can re-glue the rib lining to the same upper bout area. It is one of those multi day processes where he can not get out of his own way. And the hide glue needs 24 hours to set up before the clamps can be removed. This weekend he hopes to get the back glued on so we can finally move onto the set up. This bass has been on the work bench far too long for the minor repairs it needed. When we bought this bass it looked very clean and only in needed a set up. Which shows even to our trained eye there is more to be done then you can see or hear. You really need to get the bass on the work bench for a full examination before you can see the flaws…and even then we can under estimate what needs done.
The faint pencil lines used for layout and the square sound post patch
The bass bar is feathered into the top plate of the bass
The back of the bass is beautifully flamed maple
Patience, Patience, Patience…fast and easy is never fast, easy or cheap.
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