• Ernie Ball
  • MusicMan
  • Sterling by MusicMan
Ernie Ball Music Man Custom Design Experience

Help! How to build a 3bolt neck plate?

depalm

depalm

Active member
Joined
Feb 9, 2006
Messages
40
Location
Rio
Hi, I'm restoring an old Sabre Bass (Ash/Maple) that I've had for many years.

The finish is now almost done, just needs buffering. Gonna post pics as son as I can.

Only problem is: The 3bolt neck plate is missing!

I tried to find it here at home but no way. The bass was completely disassembled when I took it home and I'm not sure if the neck plate was on the hardware ziplock bag.

My initial plan was getting one off eBay but no chance, so I started to think in make one myself.

Does anybody knows how to do that? Or at least some place that I could order one?

Thans in advance.
best
 
Last edited:
T

todddlur

a place that makes things from metal. like a place that makes parts for ships, cars, bulldozers or really anything metal. a welding shop may work too.
 
depalm

depalm

Active member
Joined
Feb 9, 2006
Messages
40
Location
Rio
todddlur said:
a place that makes things from metal. like a place that makes parts for ships, cars, bulldozers or really anything metal. a welding shop may work too.
Click to expand...

Thanks todddlur

Don't think there's such place in Rio. I'll try to look anyway.

best.
 
Caca de Kick

Caca de Kick

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 29, 2006
Messages
1,363
Location
South Seattle
You are stuck with waiting for one to show up on ebay, or as Todddlur said have one fabricated at a machine shop.

If you need a trace of a plate for the machine shop, I can trace it on paper and mail it to you.
 
depalm

depalm

Active member
Joined
Feb 9, 2006
Messages
40
Location
Rio
Caca de Kick said:
You are stuck with waiting for one to show up on ebay, or as Todddlur said have one fabricated at a machine shop.

If you need a trace of a plate for the machine shop, I can trace it on paper and mail it to you.
Click to expand...

That's my plan 'B' Mike. ;-)
I'm looking for a machine shop around here.
That would be really nice if you could send me the trace on paper or pdf.

Thank you very much

Best
 
Last edited:
depalm

depalm

Active member
Joined
Feb 9, 2006
Messages
40
Location
Rio
bradfordws said:
Or no neck plate?
http://www.sadowsky.com/media/new/bass_neck_plates/no_neck_plate_lg.jpg

Or use a newer 6 bolt plate and cover the whole area - don't know if this will work, but it seems doable? Once you shim the neck properly or not, you don't need to acces that neck tilt screw anyway.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip bradfordws, I might do that if there's no other way, but I'd like to rehab its original shape.

I'm not really thinking in reselling value, it's just a restoring project for sentimental reasons.

Bought this bass man many years ago, when I was a teenager and then I just left it in my parents house for 2 decades along with a 77 P-Bass, an acoustic guitar and some nice pedals. My dad disassembled the basses to get a little more storage space and he maybe have lost the neck plate.

The finishing was bad 'cause of humidity. I refinished it to original aspect and now it needs only one little piece of metal to come to life.
Bridge, preamp, pickups, neck, everything else is working perfect

Wish me luck.
best
 
danny-79

danny-79

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 6, 2009
Messages
2,507
Location
England U.K
You could always put a add in the 'wanted' section but this thread is about as good as anything.
But the suggestion that Mike had about getting one made from a drawing of an original seems to be about the best solution.
 
J

Jim C

Well-known member
Joined
May 31, 2010
Messages
227
If you are restoring and refinishing; don't hack the neck plate; installing the wrong shape / size will set an imprint in the finish and that's no good
It will cost as much to copper flash and chrome plate the part than to make assuming you have either a tracing or a drawing.
If it were me, I'd fab it from stainless steel so that it could be buffed to a high luster; probably a $50 to $100 job at a big shop and less at a smaller place.
It can be done with a hacksaw, file, vice, and sand paper and buffing wheel if you were good and had time

If you get in a huge bind, send me a PM; important to preserve history both musical and family IMO
 
depalm

depalm

Active member
Joined
Feb 9, 2006
Messages
40
Location
Rio
Jim C said:
If you are restoring and refinishing; don't hack the neck plate; installing the wrong shape / size will set an imprint in the finish and that's no good
It will cost as much to copper flash and chrome plate the part than to make assuming you have either a tracing or a drawing.
If it were me, I'd fab it from stainless steel so that it could be buffed to a high luster; probably a $50 to $100 job at a big shop and less at a smaller place.
It can be done with a hacksaw, file, vice, and sand paper and buffing wheel if you were good and had time

If you get in a huge bind, send me a PM; important to preserve history both musical and family IMO
Click to expand...

That's what I had in mind in first place. I'm searching for some place here in Rio that could make it for me.

And yes, my tech said washers could ruin the finishing.

Thank you all very much.
best
 
J

Jim C

Well-known member
Joined
May 31, 2010
Messages
227
You can order the stainless online from mcmastercarr.com for a 1'x1' piece
All the shop would need would be a band saw, drill press, and maybe a belt sander to sand out the saw blade marks

Could also be done in a punch press or mill; would cost more but would be more precise and look a little better
 
Caca de Kick

Caca de Kick

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 29, 2006
Messages
1,363
Location
South Seattle
jlepre said:
Any word from EBMM Customer Service?
Click to expand...

I really have a hard time believing EBMM would have any 3-bolt neck plates because the 3 transitioned to the 4 bolt long before EB aquired MM. Leo took his 3 bolt design with him to G&L.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Ernie Ball Strap Collection
Top Bottom