Wednesday, June 24, 2020

Epiphone Accu Bass Jr Overhaul

There was lots to repair on this Precision-style bass. For starters, the grimy fretboard had separated from the neck; and the nut was broken. The bridge was so cruddy that the saddle height hex screws were frozen in place. As if that weren't enough, someone had decided to "rewire" the electronics sans solder -- a couple connections were just twisted together! In any case, as I'd have to replace the pots and output jack and rewire the innards; that issue would be taken care of.

The fretboard was reglued to the neck with Titebond III and clamped, and all was well after four days. Following this, the fretboard was subjected to a thorough reconditioning; which included a healthy dose of lemon oil right at the end. I eventually managed to remove the frozen saddle height hex screws with the help of heat/cold treatment, and a sturdy pair of pliers. After derusting, servicing and a lube job, eight new hex screws were fitted to the saddles; and the bridge reinstalled.

The high density foam pieces that sat underneath the pickup halves had lost their springiness and were virtually unusable, these were replaced with four springs. All the electronics were removed; Alpha 500K pots,0.047uF cap, and Neutrik/Rean NYS229 output jack wired in.

After installing a new nut, the neck was reattached to the body. The Epiphone Accu Bass Jr was fitted with a new set of strings, and set up to normal specs. I'm thankful I was able to help give this bass a new lease of life.














4 comments:

  1. Do you remember what replacement nut you got? I need to replace a missing one and can't find the size anywhere, thanks man

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    1. Yes, I do. It was a replacement nut for a Precision-style 4 string bass. Got it from a local guitar store. It was not a perfect fit, though. Had to do some filing and sanding. Your best bet would be to take just the neck to a guitar store, and find a suitable nut. Bear in mind that you might have to do some work getting it to fit. You might also have to shim the new nut if it's too low. Best of luck 🤞

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