73 ric with twisted neck

[ryan summit]

hey dudes
a friend of mine just bought
a 73 ric bass of craigs
for $350
the guy is legally blind
and the skunk that sold it to him
didnt tell him that the price was so low
because the neck was twisted
beyond any kind of basic repair
he took it to a local music store (alto in ny)
they told him it was a complete loss
anyone got any ideas, tips,solutions
on how to solve this
and make it into a playable bass
doesnt have to be a numbers matching resto
and he dont have a lot more moolah to blow on it
ill upload pics as soon as he sends them
but until then
whats the first step in replacing the neck
any help greatly appreciated
good dude,bad,bad luck

[Chankgeez]

I'm no expert on Ric basses, but I do know that they're usually made with neck through construction.

Which means the situation doesn't seem so good for your friend.

The reason that the music store probably told him it was a complete loss is because the entire neck probably needs to be replaced. Not a cheap fix and probably not worth it.

[Jeff-7]

Take it to a luthier shop to get an opinion from someone who knows their shit. He might be able to get it at least halfway playable. Or at least get a quote and resell the Ric with full disclosure on the condition and cost to get it fixed.

[AxAxSxS]

All might not be lost. It should be a dual trussrod design yes? Also a combination of heat and pressure might be able to straighten the wood. A luthier who knows his shit should be able to help. If not, I'll take it off your hands for $350 and have a go at it. (I would offer to fix, but hardly qualify as "knowing my shit")

[ryan summit]

lemme get some pictures up
but im sure recouping his do re mi
woud be a decent option
where you live at ax

i also put in nother thread
where i posted this conundrum
same dude is sellin a 5150 2x12 combo
i think 200w
to try and offset the hit
cause now he needs to buy playable bass
thanks for the help guys

[theavondon]

Just like...send it to EGC, aluminum neck it.

[ryan summit]

is that possible?
i mean is it easy put a new neck in somethin
not easy for you and me
but easy for a luthier
but aluminum would be sick

[AxAxSxS]

I live in wa state. Pm me if you want to work out details.
Egc option would be sick, but not cheap. IMO you get what you pay for with them. I currently have taken to calling my gear fund, "the egc fund"

[MEC]

He could part it out on eBay and easily get his $350 back.
There are a lot of people out there who will pay big bucks to restore their shit with vintage correct parts.
Tuners, pickguard, electronics, bridge, pickup cover, pickups, headstock badge, knobs, strap pegs, all that stuff is worth something to the right buyer.

The pickup/s alone COULD get him close to breaking even.

It sucks that your friend didn't get a playable instrument but he probably got at least what he payed for if not more.

[ryan summit]

tried to talk him into it
but its like that dream guitar thing
if he sells it
he aint gonna get another one kinda thing
especially for 350
that ric thread was really helpfull
hopefully he gets it back from alto
before they do any more damage to it
(and dont ask me why he left it there)

[AxAxSxS]

Well I wish him all the luck with it. Try relaxing both truss rods,with no strings on it, see what that looks like after a day or so. Can you get pics of it? I'm just curious how bad it is and what direction its twisted in, I still think it might be salvagable.

[Nelson Instruments]

You need to be really careful with vintage rickenbackers because nobody seems to understand how those terrible truss rods function and very often the fingerboards popped off or cracked near the nut.
Heat pressing the neck might be an option.
Removing the fingerboard, planing the neck and re-gluing the fingerboard could be an option. Also if the truss rods are functional maybe a pulling the frets, truing the fingerboard and refretting could solve the issue.
I wouldn't say it is a total loss but regardless of the fix it won't be cheap.
If he doesn't have the money to fix it then parting it out on eBay would be a good option as people love paying too much for projects. He might even make enough money on the deal to afford a bass in better shape!

[ryan summit]

. He might even make enough money on the deal to afford a bass in better shape!

this is what i keep reminding him
ballpark
how much somethin like that cost
and whats your opinion on havin
a new neck put in nelson
maybe i should do a poll