i think Bruces rate is a little high but there is going to be a lot of work in getting this back to a working order and have it look respectable and this quote is with a clear refin.
i would agree with you except for the instances of my buying and trading for a few years that has yielded me a lot of parts that are totally profit for me. i probably have enough parts to build at least three basses all of which would have very respectable pieces in the build ranging from NOS Gibby parts to names like Schaller, ABM, Gotoh, Dimarzio and a few others. my cash outlay so far is $182 for a salvagable Maho body and a new Maho neck blank. i admit i would have to buy fret wire but i do have two Rosewood fretboards and two bone nut blanks along with chokes, pots, bridges, tuners, covers, varitone plates (my lord!!!) and NOS headstock overlays with MOP inlaid logos. parts are not a problem. a rebuild would require almost no cash outlay in parts procurement unless i can't get it out of my head that i want a slotted headstock which would require some machine work to make me a set of long string posts i can add to a regular set of tuners. i already have a set of embossed 71 type EB3 pups to go on it so it is going to become a hodgepodge of Schaller, Gibby parts and Gibby styles.
i could probably even relic it and sell it to some idiot out there for an "original" at an inflated price, make a profit, as people will buy anything.
waiting for Fedex.