new jazz neck problem

[Kev]

bought a jazz neck off ebay to fit to my westfield bodied bass

recieved through the post, lovely neck nicely nitro lacquered, but the neck pocket isnt big enough on the westfield, its not deep enough and its not long enough.

how can i make the neck pocket bigger, without ruinin my bass?? it seems above my head, but i really dont wanna pay alot of money to fix the bass at a luthiers

any help?

in fact it measures 1.7in at the nut, so this would appear to be a precision neck, hence it not fitting

Edited May 15, 2008 by BassManKev

[neepheid]

[quote name='BassManKev' post='199420' date='May 15 2008, 11:22 AM']bought a jazz neck off ebay to fit to my westfield bodied bass

recieved through the post, lovely neck nicely nitro lacquered, but the neck pocket isnt big enough on the westfield, its not deep enough and its not long enough.

how can i make the neck pocket bigger, without ruinin my bass?? it seems above my head, but i really dont wanna pay alot of money to fix the bass at a luthiers

any help?[/quote]

If it only needs a little extra, you might get away with sanding it out. If it needs a lot, you need a router. You could ruin your bass body, but only if you're careless.

Take some accurate measurements and find out exactly what needs doing.

Edited May 15, 2008 by neepheid

[Kev]

im not exactly sure how id go about measuring how much needs to be sanded/removed

[johnnylager]

Luthier. It'll cost more if you f*** it up. IMHO you understand.

[Kev]

fair enough, tis what i was thinking anyways

bristol luthiers anyone???

[bremen]

[quote name='BassManKev' post='199445' date='May 15 2008, 11:47 AM']fair enough, tis what i was thinking anyways

bristol luthiers anyone???[/quote]

If there's a lot to be taken out it might be more cost-effective (and get a better result) to get a new Fender spec body from Allparts or similar, that you know will fit. There might be more worms in the can; for example you say the pocket isn't long enough, does this mean the screwholes might be in the wrong place?

[Hamster]

From the sticky:

Eltham 07971 240296 Bristol
Jonny Kincade 01179 243279 www.kinkadeguitars.co.uk Bristol
Frank Aust 01179 603589 Bristol

Edited May 15, 2008 by Hamster

[Bilbo]

Is a jazz neck something you get from nodding your head excessively to a swinging Basie groove?

NIIIIIICE!

[Kev]

[quote name='bremen' post='199451' date='May 15 2008, 11:55 AM']If there's a lot to be taken out it might be more cost-effective (and get a better result) to get a new Fender spec body from Allparts or similar, that you know will fit. There might be more worms in the can; for example you say the pocket isn't long enough, does this mean the screwholes might be in the wrong place?[/quote]
nah theres not a LOT to be taken off, main problem is it not being deep enough, and so strings rest on frets (i held neck in pocket and semi strung the g sttring just to test).under closer analysis it appears to be a precision neck (1.7 in at nut), which may explain why it doesnt fit.

sanding probably is all thats needed, but the level of accuracy in your sanding would have to be pretty high im guessing to keep it all even, which is why i dont wanna do it myself. id really rather avoid paying luthiers lots of money for this as its only a cheap parts bass im building, i just got the neck for a steal off ebay, luthier made with a nitro finish n lovely wood, and i wanna use it

Edited May 15, 2008 by BassManKev

[bremen]

[quote name='BassManKev' post='199624' date='May 15 2008, 02:44 PM']nah theres not a LOT to be taken off, main problem is it not being deep enough, and so strings rest on frets (i held neck in pocket and semi strung the g sttring just to test).under closer analysis it appears to be a precision neck (1.7 in at nut), which may explain why it doesnt fit.

sanding probably is all thats needed, but the level of accuracy in your sanding would have to be pretty high im guessing to keep it all even, which is why i dont wanna do it myself. id really rather avoid paying luthiers lots of money for this as its only a cheap parts bass im building, i just got the neck for a steal off ebay, luthier made with a nitro finish n lovely wood, and i wanna use it [/quote]

Precision and Jazz necks have the same dimension heel, it's just at the other end that the Jazz is narrower.


If it's not much sanding, give it a go! I had to fettle my Mexican Precision a bit to get the Mighty Mite neck in.

[neepheid]

[quote name='BassManKev' post='199624' date='May 15 2008, 02:44 PM']nah theres not a LOT to be taken off, main problem is it not being deep enough, and so strings rest on frets (i held neck in pocket and semi strung the g sttring just to test).under closer analysis it appears to be a precision neck (1.7 in at nut), which may explain why it doesnt fit.

sanding probably is all thats needed, but the level of accuracy in your sanding would have to be pretty high im guessing to keep it all even, which is why i dont wanna do it myself. id really rather avoid paying luthiers lots of money for this as its only a cheap parts bass im building, i just got the neck for a steal off ebay, luthier made with a nitro finish n lovely wood, and i wanna use it [/quote]

Nut width has no bearing on this problem. What you are suggesting is that the neck heel is deeper than the neck coming off. You could raise the action on the bridge to compensate. I thought you meant that it was having difficulty locating in the existing neck pocket because it was too wide.

[Kev]

[quote name='neepheid' post='199666' date='May 15 2008, 03:12 PM']Nut width has no bearing on this problem. What you are suggesting is that the neck heel is deeper than the neck coming off. You could raise the action on the bridge to compensate. I thought you meant that it was having difficulty locating in the existing neck pocket because it was too wide.[/quote]

yes its a very tight fit, and it doesnt go fully in. comparing the neck to the old jazz neck, the new neck is wider and deeper, hence the problem. i raised the action on the bridge, but to no real success

iv emailed a local bristol luthier, waiting for reply

[King Tut]

Maybe you just need a shim under the body end of the neck?

[Kev]

the guy i bought the neck from recommended that i just get some heavy production sand paper (yellow/green stuff), wrap it round a block n just sand, test if it fits, sand, test if it fits...

reckon this would be okay? seems sound enough, and saves needless luthier charges

[BOD2]

Yes, I reckon that would be okay.

It might take a while, but as long as you're careful and patient it should work. Be careful not to put too much pressure on the sides of the neck pocket to avoid any risk of cracking the finish there.

Also, you won't be able to sand right up to the back of the neck pocket. Some gentle action with a sharp wood chisel (by hand - not by hammer) should remove any "ridge" that's left there.

Don't be too worried about getting a perfect flat finish to the neck pocket. When you see the kind of stuff that's put into the pocket as neck shims (business cards, sandpaper etc.) it's clear that it doesn't seem to matter.

[Kev]

done, didnt need too much sanding really, so its fitted, bit of fret buzz but i think it just needs settin up, n il have a crack at that once the new neck has got used to the string tension.

cheers

[bremen]

[quote name='BassManKev' post='200331' date='May 16 2008, 12:13 PM']done, didnt need too much sanding really, so its fitted, bit of fret buzz but i think it just needs settin up, n il have a crack at that once the new neck has got used to the string tension.

cheers[/quote]

I love a happy ending :-)

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Edited May 16, 2008 by bremen

[Kev]

that second link is quality, i do know how to do a basic set up but that is a really good link