Setup & Repairs

If your repair is not listed here, never fear: we love finding new repair solutions. Contact us with details and photos of your bass for pricing and repair estimates.

- Fingerboard dressing
- New replacement fingerboard in Ebony or Gaiatone
- Reshape nut and bridge to match fingerboard
- New bridge
- Re-fit or shim old bridge; re-cut string slots
- Adjusters fit to bridge
- Handmade maple “DiLeone” adjusters; aluminum; Full Circle, etc.
- Re-set old post
- New soundpost
- Summer/Winter soundposts
- “Neutral top” soundpost, using a dial indicator to determine the “neutral” position of the top. (This is a technique developed by Lou DiLeone.)
- Neck reset for maximum ergonomic utility and playability
- Neck graft to preserve the old scroll if original neck is broken or compromised
- New neck and scroll, hand carved to replicate an old scroll, or factory made to save money when the old neck fails.
- Secure loose neck joint at block
- Carbon fiber reinforcement rod in neck.
Custom fit C-extensions in Ebony (other woods), brass, and anodized aluminum. Custom designed hardware by Robbie and manufactured locally by Josh Ward.
- Realign machines
- Install bushings in the pegbox and drill new holes for the pegs.
- Replace machines. In the case where the character of the original machines is important to the integrity of the bass, replicas can be fashioned using materials that match the originals exactly.
- Conversion of a three-string bass to a four-string, the fourth gear can be fabricated to match the original three. (See this post about another Yankee bass 3 to 4 string conversion, the J. B. Allen)
- Shear plate to reinforce cracked pegbox
- New nut to cover added wood of shear plate
- Inspect and re-glue seams
Ragged edges catching on things and getting worse? Let us repair the wood and smooth the edges to preserve your instrument.
- Through the f-holes
- With top off
- Cleats, Inlays, veneers
- Cleats on cracks through the f-holes
- Veneer patches (with the top removed)
- New endpin
- Re-bush endpin hole
- New nut from ebony or Gaiatone
- Tailpiece hanger
- New tailpiece (Handmade or any style)
- New carved saddle from ebony or Gaiatone
- Raised saddle to reduce stress on the top
- Removal and necessary repairs of edge and linings to reattach
- Replace bassbar
- Springbars under bassbar to cleat bassbar cracks
- With or without re-arching
- Single or double layer patch
- Replacement linings and blocks
- Re-glue linings and Blocks
- Graft in wood to repair damaged areas
- Diagonal brace conversion
- Re-glue back braces with the top on
- Brace reduction and reattachment
- Repair and reinforce button
- “False Button”
- Soundpost area
- Re-arch top or back through the f-holes
- Patch to reinforce area
- Remove rosin buildup
- Clean and polish
- Bumpers on the ribs to protect the edge from damage
- Color matched to your bass

Bass players express themselves through their instrument. It is their voice. When that instrument is damaged or out of adjustment, they need someone to make it sing again.

Whether it’s a fine vintage bass or a student-grade plywood bass, our first objective is to do no harm. We strive to protect and conserve the original varnish and the original wood as much as possible. To that end, when possible we make repairs through the f-holes or the endpin hole that obviate the need to remove the top. This saves the owner money and prevents needless wear and tear on the instrument.

When removing the top is unavoidable, we take measurements that record the position of the neck and fingerboard. Before removing the top, we make a cradle that perfectly matches the contours of the back, and use it when clamping the top back on. This ensures that the instrument plays and feels the way it did before the repair.