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When you own a great instrument for many, many years, it may easily desappear from your conscious sight, as a good per of legs do actually disappear for everyone, even if we all use them all the time.

You carry on and on using your legs, they transport you to innumerable places at will, but of course, you don't think about this miracle because there is no need for it, they will work regardless.

It is said that the average person wold take about 7.500 steps per day.

You become conscious of your legs and their immense value the day you lose them, or the day you cannot walk for a few days or weeks, due to some illness, or an accident. then, curiously, when you cannot longer use your legs, they become obvious to you; they can be seen inside yourself, and you picture them foundly.

My bass guitar desappeared from my sight too..., because I have played it for about 15 years already, and so, it became transparent to me, just like my legs. This wonderful instrument you have heard so many times in my recordings was really like an extension of my own body. I could play with it with my eyes closed, and would know exactly what nuance I would get. While I had this amazing instrument with me, it did not exist, yes, because of its perfection, just like my example of a perfectly working pair of legs. that makes me realize that the best instrument for a musician, it is the one that desappears while you play it, becoming pure expression, like an extension of yourself. This was the case with my 4-strings death friend...

It died when its neck tensor in spanisch called "soul", broke. I have lived in Glasgow for quite a few years before coming over to Chile, and as you know, in glasgow it rains most of the year, so himidity is everywhere. In Santiago of Chile you can get, on the contrary, very hot weather as a hard contrast, so metal mechanisms can rust and stick without you realizing it. Well, this is what happend. I did not lubricate the neck mechanics, which was a mistake I can tell you now... Well, I even ever thought about it. So, please, those reading these lines, take advantage of this happening and: "do lubricate your instruments" tensors, as they can brake due to rust, when you try to adjust your neck action.

I have always played music the way I want. This has an advantage: you enjoy music like few people on earth do, because you don't concentrate in the money-side of things and if music gives you for a living, you take it, but if it doesn't, you keep going anyway and definetely, you don't sell yourself for cheap music just to have some green in your pocket. My music is not really commercial that we could say. But, of course, the down, hard side of it all, is that when something like that happens you are screwed becuase you cannot afford to get a new instrument. This is exactly the situation. I will be without a replacement for some time I guess... I feel mad when I turn and cannot rich for my old good bass.

Please, do yourself a favor, go right now and do lubricate your instruments. I had to learn it the hard way, don't do the same mistake.

that should be fixable.

a good luthier should be able to remove the fingerboard and install a new truss rod, assuming that you really love the instrument that much....

I have gone from here to there, and there is no one able fo fix it. That's the problem. It is right now in the last luthier posible. I have done basses myself in the past, and have some experience, and could see that the way the fretbord was stick, it is difficult to get it off.

Of course, the "tensor" or truss rod is the problem. There are models that allow you to simply remouve them from one side and replace it by a new one, that's it, but this bass sims to be different.

This is the bass we are talking about:

well, unless the bass is graphite, it shouldn't be that big of a deal to remove the fingerboard. if it's graphite, you shouldn't need a trussrod...as far as i know, Steinberg licensed instruments are not graphite. afaik, that neck is made like most others are. perhaps the luthiers thought it was a graphite Steinberg. is that a bolt on neck? at worst it should be possible to reproduce it....

if none of the luthiers in your area feel confident about doing the work, there's probably nothing to be done, it's true. that might not be the case down the line, in the future, though.

We have a sportsman here in Germany, he is a runner.
He lost both legs in the past but he came back. Recently he has qualified himself to run with the unharmed sportsman at Olympia London next year.
Broken legs can be fixed, so there should be a way.

I had been told that it was graphite, but it isn't. I have been several years believing it was. I know it now, iit is not, the neck is made of wood. Of course there are similar models made up of graphite.

the luthier that has it now, it is someone that takes all the hard jobs, when nobody else can do anything else, he does. He told me today that he cannot detach the ingerboard from the neck, and that this is the problem. then, the truss rod seems to be stuck in some way, as he cannot take it out. He has all sorts of tools, so if he cannot do it, it will be difficult to find someone else that will. He is an experienced luthier in classical, ethnic and electric instruments, a man of about 60 years of age already, with lots of experience.

I am already building up my mind, and I see a coffin for my instrument...

Reconstructing it would of course be a solution, but it would be more expensive than a new bass altoguether. And, of course, the "sound2 will change its character, so there is no point.

I met a luthier once in Cleveland that used to be an autoworker. He was aggressive with damaged instruments.
I once saw him hack-saw a snapped off neck off a guitar, route out the remaining wood neck-heal with a jig-saw, roto-sand out the old glue, cut new grooves and slide in a new neck - on a Les Paul. The guy was NOT dainty.

So, I still think it's possible to get it repaired - OR - this can be taken as a sign to move on to a new instrument.

Greg

yeah, it can be fixed, if you're willing, but the instrument is not super expensive. unless it really is that kind of insane love you're probably best off letting it be.

you might just want to put it away in the closet though. you never know who you might meet. a friend with a cc lathe could cut off the fingerboard with precision and then a repair would be easy, although you'd need a new fingerboard.

first of all sorry this happened, Nestor - but heads up, the model is said to be fairly constant in quality/tone...
it won't bring back the memories (maybe follow Gary's tip and give the bass a place of honour), but I've seen them go shockingly low privat sales.
As I knew you played (and loved) this model, I often noticed them - imho noone can do a proper repair for less.
It's a glued in neck with a lot of 'extra' finish on the back side and the ebonol fretboard is probably fixed by some synthetic stuff.

You might still try out some low tension strings on it ... they can make a big difference, and you gain 1 extra tone.
As double ball end supplies are significantly limited, I'd try regular strings with a diy ballend (not sure if those screws serve the purpose to fix regular strings)
On the other hand the trussrod problem doesn't seem to be uncommon to this model.

good luck with it, Tom

Cool story about this crazy luthier, fortunately I did not meet him!

Of course, it can be fixed. With some good will almost anything can be fixed. I don't have any handy tools for that at home. I have no longer a place to work like I used to have. Now I live in a flat, so you cannot really do luthir kind of things here... If I had what I need, I would at least try to do it myself, why not.

today the last luthier called me, the one that is supposed to fix anything, I went to his shop and he could not remove the truss rod, and told me that the instrument can be repaired but that would cost me not less than 400 US $. Well, this is what I expected. I will not do it. It is too much, and it is very difficult for an instrument to remain the same after such a deeo operation, its character will certainly change.

Astro, you said: "It's a glued in neck with a lot of "extra" finish on the back side and the ebonol fretboard is probably fixed by some synthetic stuff". Exactly, you've got the real story. The luthier told me the glue was extremely strong.

"The trussrod problem doesn't seem to be uncommon to this model", now that, I didn't know... surprise to me.

Well, it doesn't matter, it is already a 22 years old instrument, that was good enough don't you think? It lasted well enough!

I will go for a Corvette basic 4 or 5 strings when I can, and problem solved. Thank you guys for your concern and for sharing your thoughts.

See you

This is almost sure what I'm going to get, hopefully soon:

Nestor wrote: "The trussrod problem doesn't seem to be uncommon to this model", now that, I didn't know... surprise to me.

Well, it doesn't matter, it is already a 22 years old instrument, that was good enough don't you think? It lasted well enough!

I will go for a Corvette basic 4 or 5 strings when I can, and problem solved. Thank you guys for your concern and for sharing your thoughts.

the trussrod thing may be somewhat overrepresented because it cannot be solved easily, as most wooden constructions simply end at the next best luthier without much discussion.
I've been fooling around with bass as a schoolboy but then for decades didn't touch an instrument.
Actually a Status bass brought me back into it some years ago... but since then my preferences turned almost 180 degrees.

I'm totally into the Fender vintage tone now, so 22 years isn't even where it begins...
Of course that's more of an urban legend as it's less in the age, but the making of the axe - and Leo happened to have some great woods (and luthiers) back then.

cheers, Tom

If I had money to tear away, I would most probably get one of these new extraordinarly babies:

http://www.marleaux-bass.de/bass_consat_signature.html

Look and hear it, and you'll be amazed.

I've never been to found of Fender. But not the tone as much as the body feel in my hands.

sure - Gerald (Marleaux) is a nice chap and knows his craftsmenship.
Fair price tags, too - but the optical finish is really expensive in Germany... while adding few (if at all) to the tone.
That's more about the fun to 'have' such an instrument.
It's cool that you can easily choose and buy worldwide today.
You can focus on what's most important to your own style and in optics the sky's the limit
I was pretty sure that Fender isn't your cup of tea at all.

From the technical point of view it's a bunch of bugs that were turned into a feature...
the funny thing is that (to my ears) this 'feature' gives the most integrating bass sound with the majority of musical styles.
It may be second choice for a melodic and soloist oriented player, tho...
And one has to really dig after the good ones.
As a mass product they have a solid average quality/tone, but few have the full potential of what's known from records as 'reference' sound. My guess is about 10%, but there are huge differences over the years.

cheers, Tom

I have a Steinberger Synapse Bass (5 string). I like the sound, I can often get a very deep tone while still maintaining some of the raw mid to highs. Or, it can sound like piano strings It uses a blend of graphite and maple, so I can make a note sing forever, or beat zombies off the stage without going out of tune. It has the phonelic fretboard, headless body, and an EMG humbucker/piezo bridge combo piped through an 18v active amp/eq. So it runs pretty hot. I can track it at line-level inputs if I wanted to! But, certainly, it should be played before purchased, not everyone's cup of tea.

http://www.steinberger.com/XS15FPA.html

It shure is a great instrument, I have played it long ago, and I liked the crispness of its tone. But it is too small and light for my way of playing. Particularly when slaping.

I think that if we talk about tone, and nothing but tone, I would definetely go for the Warwick high end bases. Pleyability is fantastic, sound is superior, electronics awsome, the motto "the sound of wood", really means something serious there... Warwick is for me the best, that's why I'm going to go, humbly, for a Rockbass, which is not the same, but hey, I have played a Corevette Basic 4-strings Active yesterday, and it was pretty cool. I would be happy with it, don't relly need funcy things, but pleyability, confort, and good sound, that's it. I don't care too much about golden gear, or things of the like, of course, I can apreciate and enjoy beauty like those who most like it.

What experience do you have with Ibanez basses guys? Does anybody has a 395 or a 505, or a 500, just to name some?

Astro, if you through at me some Marcus slaping with his amazing style, well, of course I like Fender, but it is not confortable to my hands, it is like odd to me. A Corvette, nevertheless, it is something that matches my body instantly, and with some minor adjustments, there you go, you're ready to rock.

It feels bezare to listen to your own recordings playing and instrument that was with you for 15 years, it feels like a person or a friend that has gone, crazy... But a new friend will have to come to my life...

it could be the best thing ever...

or it just might be ok.

I can see you on the right Jazz bass my cobber

This can only be a good thing - change will make new musical possibilities for you, along with everything you and the old bass learnt together.

That's my old good team! Thank you guys, Gary, Wayne, you made me feel happy.

Yea... sure, I have to move on and I will..., the problem here is not that much the attachment to my old instrument really. Attachment has had its strong effect on me for about two weeks, but "luck of gree" is stronger than that Anyhow, somehow I will rich the foundation to do it. I will sell parts and pieces, or a very cheap insrument for a start, and then save for a few months.

Definetely, from hard times there is a lot to rescue. Yes, when you see that death or destruction has arrived, your human nature is first smashed to the ground. then, it comes this beatiful moment of deep thought and relaxation that makes you undestand life better, and if you are honest with yourself, a better person too. Finally, the sun rises up and a new beginning starts, and if you are courageous and your good will participates with the surroundings of life, that always tends to show you some hope, you've got a new down. Probably, as you suggest dear friends, even better than it was yesterday!

Thank you!