Jump to content
Why become a member? ×

Fender 3 bolt to 4 bolt neck conversion


Recommended Posts

A friend of mine gave me this 70s era jazz bass for me to own and restore to playing order. It's got all sorts of problems, but it has a body and that's all I need, I love that bridge pickup slot position.

 

I want this to project go ahead, however there is just one problem... the neck is absolutely knackered, basically unplayable (unless I want my fingers to be shredded into pieces). The bass also a 3 bolt system, so finding an exact replacement neck is tough, especially on a budget and in the UK.

 

I was thinking about buying a 70s style neck from fender, but they only come with the 4 bolt holes.

 

So my question is, could I modify the bass by drilling 4 holes into the body where the neck would go? Would the neck fit into the slot or would that be something I have to worry about? Has anyone done this before and/or is it possible?

 

I'm not worried about looks, and I'm not looking to hold any value, as I have no plans of selling the bass at all once I get it up to my playing standard.

 

(I am sorry if this seems like sacrelige to some people)

 

If anyone can help and/or want to ask questions about the bass please do not hesitate to ask

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I'd agree with Chris7273 - transferring the four neck holes accurately from the neck to the body wouldn't be a trivial job. whereas spotting through the three holes in the body into the neck would be easy. My first Fender bass was a hybrid like this; someone had mated a three-hole Mk1 Tele body with a four-hole '60s Precision neck. The fourth hole in the neck was just visible (could have been filled but wasn't) but no matter - the joint was as solid as a rock! Lovely bass, but a bit of a shoulder-buster at around 11lb!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...