- Custom "False Nut" job on Voit & Geiger "Pancake" bass -
The customer who brought this bass to me wanted the scale length shortened via the process known as creating a "false nut". The problem was that this was 50 year old bass made by Wenzl B. himself, and a false nut modification is usually permanent.
Normally, the fingerboard is cut off near the nut, and a larger nut is fabricated to go over the nut space and neck where the fingerboard was cut off. This is not reversable without replacing the original fingerboard.
But I thought of something custom that would prevent me from having to cut the fingerboard, and still leave the bass able to be returned to "stock" in case the owner wanted to resell it in the future. I cut a ridge and slope into the fingerboard.
Then I fabricated and fit a "cap" out of some ebony stock. This was tough!
The cap was fitted to match the slope in the fingerboard and glued with hide glue.
Now with the original nut replaced, I've extended the nut by 1" without cutting the fingerboard.
With the string slots filed, it was ready to be strung up.
Although I would have to cut the fingerboard thinner near the nut and redress it, I could reverse the whole process. Another happy customer...
Jon Paget has been working on his own instruments and modifying gear for more than 30 years. More recently he has worked on Upright Basses for customers ranging from pros like Bunny Brunel, Stanley Clarke, and Brian Bromberg, to local schools and their students.
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Contact Jon at (714) 335-7091 or send email to stringmaster63@gmail.com
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