To salvage or not to salvage? Stu Hamm mexican Fender

[AprioriMark]

I'll post pics later if anyone's interested, but as I was cleaning out my guitar-senal, I found a bass I used to play a lot on the road: this Stu Hamm Urge bass, a MiM Fender, which I'd ripped the crap-tastic active garbage electronics out of and thrown in Basslines (which I've since put in another bass).  The problem I'm having is that the less-than-stellar neck finish has not taken kindly to sitting in a case in my garage in western WA state for 10 years.  The "skunk stripe" is sticking out from the maple neck a bit, and the maple is discolored around it. 

The question that I have is:  Should I try to salvage this neck (which I like the feel of, and is a 32" scale rather than 34") or should I try to somehow have a conversion neck made?  I seriously have no idea where to start with that.  Is it possible to get this old neck refinished?  I imagine that many of you have had similar neck issues, so I'm hoping that you have some advice.

-Mark

 

[whitebison66]

You can sand it down, and spray a finish on it with rattle cans. It may not look perfect, but how does it look now, right?

We definitely need pictures!

Skunk stripes and fretboards often end up with these differences. No big deal, just use a sanding block and take a (tempered) whack at it.

Then spray itr to seal it back up.

You said you liked it. Is a MiM former road bass worth a new neck? Your call, but I'd encourage you to try the repair yourself!

 

[AprioriMark]

Thanks for your words, and I am going to try to do this repair myself, including trying to level the frets (a first for me).  I'm going through my garage and finding instruments and parts I'd completely forgotten about, hahaha.  I have quite a few potential repair projects, it seems.

My one question for moving forward is this:  Is Tung oil or TrueOil a better choice for the Maple neck with a skunk stripe?  I feel confident in being able to take out the blemishes with a bit of sanding (should I strip first?), but I prefer a more "raw" feel to my bass necks than what a spray on poly might offer.  I've done that before on guitar necks and been happy with the result, but not the speed of the surface.  I especially like my bass necks as raw as possible.

I'm sorry for being so clueless about this... I hope to learn, finally, things about repair that I should have known for years.

-Mark

 

[whitebison66]

Pictures would help us get a better idea of what you're working with.

I'll assume (!) that it's either got thick poly on it or, if we're lucky, a thinner matte finish.

For tru/tung oil, you'd have to strip the WHOLE neck and be sure it's all gone, otherwise the leftovers will show.

If it is covered in poly, you might be better off just filling in the finish cracks/chips with Super Glue (make sure you have VENTILATION) and roughing off the finish to a matte.

Depends on how much work you want to do.

For the skunk stripe, use a file that won't cut on a flat surface, just hit any protrusion. The stripe should flatten out pretty quick, and you can probably get some/all the discoloration too. Just be mindful of flattening too much and changing the feel of the neck.

Also, keep in mind that this is, in your own words, a beater road instrument. If you want to try and restore it to factory, knock yourself out, but it will take a lot more work than just getting it back to a playable (but not visually perfect) state.

Let's get it playable first, then see if you want to take it further.

Oh, and POST PICTURES!!!

 

[Assumer]

Fix it, put a lefty nut on it, then ship it to me.  I have always wanted on of those necks.  You should get it working.  Shame to let it go to waste.