Richie
Member
The "dummy" in question would be me.
I just bought my first EBMM bass (a SUB), on eBay. Yup, eBay, the cause *and* solution to all of a bass player's problems. I'd been wanting a MM for a long time.
Since there's no case in this deal, the seller wants to detach the neck for shipping. Seems like the right call. But I've never attached a neck before. I've owned 3 basses in my life, a Gibson Thunderbird, a Rickenbacher 4001, and an original Steinberger. Of course none of these have bolt on necks, so my experience is nil. But I'm not retarded either. If I were, I doubt I would've been able to spell Rickenbacher on the first try. So after searching and reading messages for the last hour, I wanted to ask you nice people a few specific questions.
I've been doing my own bass setups/adjustments since the late '70s, so I know my way around a bass, just not neck attaching. I also live close enough to Guitar Center that on a windy day I could hit it with a paper airplane, but I assume this is a simple operation and there's no need to get the authorities involved.
I'm hoping when I'm holding the body and neck in my hands, the "insert part A into slot B" section of my brain will kick in. But do I need to keep anything else in mind? Is it important to lie the bass flat on it's face to align the neck and body perfectly flat against each other, or is it better to keep the bass standing up straight to screw it back together? Is it possible to crack the wood during this process? You know, without a quart of whiskey involved. And will the bass just magically go back into it's perfect alignment when the 6 screws are back in place and tight (as if it were never seperated in the first place), or does there need to be any adjustment of any kind? Any help in this area will be *greatly* appreciated! Again.....dummy.
Also, I read in this forum to be careful not to "over-tighten" the screws. Well of course this is a somewhat relative term. I'm a small guy and not too strong. I'd assume (for me) I should tighten until I can't turn the screws anymore with almost all my force. Or should they be left so you could unscrew them again with just a little bit of force to start them off? I know this question may be a hard one to answer this way! "Use the same amount of force to remove a passed out 230 pound naked groupie from on top of you when you hear your wife's car pull up." But again, any helpful advice is most welcome. Please, be as specific and long-windy as you like.
And there's always Guitar Center....
Thanks for reading my question! I also appreciated all the past talk and links on pickguard replacement, another road I need to travel. I don't know what you guys see in Torts! Ecchh. I'd like to have one custom made. I think it'd be really funny to have a pickguard made for the SUB with a picture of *another* bass on it. Something ridiculous. Maybe that Kramer Flying V bass with the aluminum neck? Or maybe that picture of me my friend took when driving me home after having my wisdom teeth taken out. The possibilities are endless.
I just bought my first EBMM bass (a SUB), on eBay. Yup, eBay, the cause *and* solution to all of a bass player's problems. I'd been wanting a MM for a long time.
Since there's no case in this deal, the seller wants to detach the neck for shipping. Seems like the right call. But I've never attached a neck before. I've owned 3 basses in my life, a Gibson Thunderbird, a Rickenbacher 4001, and an original Steinberger. Of course none of these have bolt on necks, so my experience is nil. But I'm not retarded either. If I were, I doubt I would've been able to spell Rickenbacher on the first try. So after searching and reading messages for the last hour, I wanted to ask you nice people a few specific questions.
I've been doing my own bass setups/adjustments since the late '70s, so I know my way around a bass, just not neck attaching. I also live close enough to Guitar Center that on a windy day I could hit it with a paper airplane, but I assume this is a simple operation and there's no need to get the authorities involved.
I'm hoping when I'm holding the body and neck in my hands, the "insert part A into slot B" section of my brain will kick in. But do I need to keep anything else in mind? Is it important to lie the bass flat on it's face to align the neck and body perfectly flat against each other, or is it better to keep the bass standing up straight to screw it back together? Is it possible to crack the wood during this process? You know, without a quart of whiskey involved. And will the bass just magically go back into it's perfect alignment when the 6 screws are back in place and tight (as if it were never seperated in the first place), or does there need to be any adjustment of any kind? Any help in this area will be *greatly* appreciated! Again.....dummy.
Also, I read in this forum to be careful not to "over-tighten" the screws. Well of course this is a somewhat relative term. I'm a small guy and not too strong. I'd assume (for me) I should tighten until I can't turn the screws anymore with almost all my force. Or should they be left so you could unscrew them again with just a little bit of force to start them off? I know this question may be a hard one to answer this way! "Use the same amount of force to remove a passed out 230 pound naked groupie from on top of you when you hear your wife's car pull up." But again, any helpful advice is most welcome. Please, be as specific and long-windy as you like.
And there's always Guitar Center....
Thanks for reading my question! I also appreciated all the past talk and links on pickguard replacement, another road I need to travel. I don't know what you guys see in Torts! Ecchh. I'd like to have one custom made. I think it'd be really funny to have a pickguard made for the SUB with a picture of *another* bass on it. Something ridiculous. Maybe that Kramer Flying V bass with the aluminum neck? Or maybe that picture of me my friend took when driving me home after having my wisdom teeth taken out. The possibilities are endless.
