I pulled off the TRC to give the truss rods a bit of a tighten and noticed they were already pretty snug. I gave then both a turn from flat to peak and was pretty concerned with the amount of force I had to put into it to get her that small distance.
The weather here on the mid Atlantic coast has been up and down. From temps in the 15 degree range to as high as in the 40's within a few days. Temps have been all over the map. My home temps have been pretty constant. I have baseboard radiators with no humidifier. I don't think it has been excessively dry in the home. My other Rickenbackers have fared really well as far as neck stability goes.
A day later the neck was nearly dead flat and the muting was only at one fret. I raised the G side bridge up a half turn and presto, she was perfect. I decided to give her a good cleaning and in doing so, I found something that completely wrecked my day. I found a crack I can feel with my fingernail on the G side of the fretboard at the nut.
Here is my dilemma, send her out to have the fretboard pulled and repaired, or lower the price a grand or so and blow her out as is, or pull her parts out scrap the modified V63 body and look for an early 70's carcass to replant her guts into?
To have her repaired sounds like the best way but It is not that easy. I'm hesitant to put any more money into a bass I', already attempting to sell for a thousand less than I purchased her for. Larry Davis had a hell of a time paint matching the chip on the headstock. He'd pretty much have a much larger issue painting the neck after the repair. It has those two small cracks on the body near the neck. While this joint is stable, it is a detractor to a sale, and I know it. Putting more money into her to take more of a beating does not make sense to me.
Lowering her price to $1,500. and disclosing the issues is the least intrusive and costly for me. Yes, potentially losing a thousand dollars on a sale stings but no more money will be leaving my pocket.
The third option is last resort but somewhat attractive option since her electronics sound so good that I'm sure I make a great old hull reborn with her top notch pieces. I'd be in no rush to do this and I'd wait until the perfect hull comes available.
I'm no luthier but I think slimming this neck has undermined it's ability to hold straight, somewhat. Is the neck weak? I don't think so but I'd bet it is weaker than it was before it was slimmed.
Opinions and suggestions on my current situation are welcome.
Sepp
...you might give it a X-ray if you have a Doc friend with such a machine. Not joking, maybe from the sideview X-R you could see if the wood texture is disrupted also deeper inside as well?
