Members poomwah Posted January 13, 2010 Members Share Posted January 13, 2010 Well, figured I should start a new thread on it since I pulled the trigger. For those that don't know, here's some background.20 years ago I started playing on a 1990 black ibanez exb504. 4string, p/j, black hardware, triangle inlays. No matter how much I gave in to my lust for more expensive instruments, I always went back to my exb. Until I gave it to mary ann for valentines day 3 years ago when she wanted to start playing. Its now covered with happy bunny stickers. I really miss it. So, while at a pawn shop, I spotted a 404 (same as 504 except chrome hardware and dots) in a hsc for 130 bucks. Totally beat to hell, hideous paint job, but plays great, I had actually forgotten how much FUN these are to play. A little bit of scratchiness in the pots, no ground noise, but, like I said, a god awful paint job, lots of dings and a crack in the neck.I pointed out the crack in the neck and they dropped the price to 65. I offered them 50 and they took it. I went straight to the auto parts store and bought a can of paint stripper, lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members poomwah Posted January 13, 2010 Author Members Share Posted January 13, 2010 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members poomwah Posted January 13, 2010 Author Members Share Posted January 13, 2010 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members poomwah Posted January 13, 2010 Author Members Share Posted January 13, 2010 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members t3ch Posted January 13, 2010 Members Share Posted January 13, 2010 Giant canibus = Can you repair the neck? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members poomwah Posted January 13, 2010 Author Members Share Posted January 13, 2010 Giant canibus = Can you repair the neck? I hope so Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bassthumpintwin Posted January 13, 2010 Members Share Posted January 13, 2010 Maybe some good epoxy and a little sand paper? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members poomwah Posted January 13, 2010 Author Members Share Posted January 13, 2010 Hey Look what I found in the case Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bluedogaudio Posted January 13, 2010 Members Share Posted January 13, 2010 firewood Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SunofNothing Posted January 13, 2010 Members Share Posted January 13, 2010 cool. kinda. I have a very similar ibanez. Love those necks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members poomwah Posted January 13, 2010 Author Members Share Posted January 13, 2010 Worst comes to worst, I paid 50 bucks for a case for mary anns exb and a set of strings, then if nothing else I can strip and repaint the hemporific nightmare and hang it on the wall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LouSpaceMonkey Posted January 13, 2010 Members Share Posted January 13, 2010 Worst comes to worst, I paid 50 bucks for a case for mary anns exb and a set of strings, then if nothing else I can strip and repaint the hemporific nightmare and hang it on the wall Or you could make a bong out of it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members J. Posted January 13, 2010 Members Share Posted January 13, 2010 I didn't know it came with the OHSC! Sweet deal, even if the bass isn't salvageable (I'm sure it can be). If worse comes to worse, you can always part it out on eBay, make your $50 back, and have a decent HSC for free. Anyway, I'd completely sand the neck down. I've done it a couple times in ways that would make any luthier or decent repairman cringe, but the results have been decent. I started with 220 grit sandpaper and worked the entire back of the neck over until the finish was gone. I then moved up to 400 grit, which was smooth enough for me. Others will go with 800 and up, but mine felt smooth when fine sanded to 400. The sanding will get rid of any ridges and sharp edges left by the crack. Now, how much space is in the crack? It's a bit hard to tell without being able to see the neck close up in person. Does the crack close when you press on the sides of the neck, or is it pretty much stable as is? I'd force some wood glue down in there, clamp of necessary, and let it dry. Sand over the neck again to make it smooth, and refinish. Honestly, the crack isn't nearly as bad as I'd imagine. Unless there's a hidden issue, it should be totally repairable. I'm really looking forward to the finished product, especially when you redo that horrible "custom" paint job the previous idio... er, owner did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members J. Posted January 13, 2010 Members Share Posted January 13, 2010 On second thought, you *might* be able to remove the hand-painted stuff and leave the original gold finish intact with the right chemicals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Detox Posted January 13, 2010 Members Share Posted January 13, 2010 Here's a helluva deal if you want to flip some stuff and just start over... http://detroit.craigslist.org/okl/msg/1551096827.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members poomwah Posted January 13, 2010 Author Members Share Posted January 13, 2010 The crack does close up a little when you press really hard on it. The gold isn't the original finish. Its that hammered finish they used to use on old shop equipment and tool boxes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members J. Posted January 13, 2010 Members Share Posted January 13, 2010 D'oh! I should've remembered that from the original thread. Strip that baby then. What finish are you considering for the body? I suppose you'll have to see what the wood looks like underneath the paint before considering a natural or dyed finish. Nothing bonds raw wood fiber to raw wood fiber like wood glue. The original titebond is good stuff for this purpose. Some say modern polyurethane glues and construction adhesives are better, but for this purpose, I think wood glue is the best. Force as much as you can into the crack, then clamp. After it dries, sand and refinish the back of the neck. You should be good to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members poomwah Posted January 13, 2010 Author Members Share Posted January 13, 2010 Here's a helluva deal if you want to flip some stuff and just start over...http://detroit.craigslist.org/okl/msg/1551096827.html The ad was removed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members poomwah Posted January 13, 2010 Author Members Share Posted January 13, 2010 D'oh! I should've remembered that from the original thread. Strip that baby then. What finish are you considering for the body? I suppose you'll have to see what the wood looks like underneath the paint before considering a natural or dyed finish. Nothing bonds raw wood fiber to raw wood fiber like wood glue. The original titebond is good stuff for this purpose. Some say modern polyurethane glues and construction adhesives are better, but for this purpose, I think wood glue is the best. Force as much as you can into the crack, then clamp. After it dries, sand and refinish the back of the neck. You should be good to go. I'm torn on color choice. I'm not usually into black basses, but my original one was black, so I might just paint it black for nostalgic reasons. But, for a very long time, before I learned paint and body work, I wished my original one was purple So who knows, lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SB900LE Posted January 16, 2010 Members Share Posted January 16, 2010 20 years ago I started playing on a 1990 black ibanez exb504 . . black hardware . . . hrmm . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Hearafter Posted January 16, 2010 Members Share Posted January 16, 2010 One of the best bass players I've ever known played one of those. (R.I.P.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members J. Posted January 16, 2010 Members Share Posted January 16, 2010 It looks like that dude's bass has a replacement bridge on it, like a Schaller or something. Anyway, I'm really looking forward to this thread. Hopefully it will be in full swing before HC 2.0 comes in and kills us all. We'll have to archive it and/or move it to eBassist or something. I need to find a beat-up Ibanez EX series bass so I can join in the fun. Poomwah - since you know body and paint work already, refinishing the body should be child's play for you. I'm interested in how you'll do the neck repair, and how bad the crack really is once you get a chance to examine, repair, and refinish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members J. Posted January 16, 2010 Members Share Posted January 16, 2010 Speak of the devil...http://cgi.ebay.com/Ibanez-EX445-5-String-Bass-w-EMG-Select-Pickups_W0QQitemZ220540739920QQcmdZViewItemQQptZGuitar?hash=item335940a150 If I could snag that for the minimum bid price, I'd seriously consider it. I don't know about the "regular wear" comment as it looks pretty beat up to me, but it would be nice for a refinishing deal. I've seen ones in much better shape sell for less than two, but they don't come up very often. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JeffBass Posted January 16, 2010 Members Share Posted January 16, 2010 That bass has panache... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members poomwah Posted January 16, 2010 Author Members Share Posted January 16, 2010 The body is now black, giving it some time to set up before I wet sand it.As far as the neck, I put it face down on a pad on the bench and put a clamp at the base of the neck, then put another clamp on the back of the head and slowly applied pressure to it to try to grt the crack to open a little more. At the suggestion of a feww people on TB I used liquid ca glue. Then I removed the clamp from the head and reclamped over the crack.The next day I sanded it. Its smooth and is closed up. I tried the clamp method again and it held so far. Only time will tell. I might just keep it tuned to D just to be safe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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