Tuners for Fender Precision to Jazz Conversion neck?

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

Amazon is currently selling the Fender maple Precision to Jazz conversion neck for £211. At that price it was rude not to take advantage and buy one to convert my 20+ year old bitzer from a beautiful unlined fretless into something I could actually play without causing people to grimace.

 

The neck is coming tomorrow, but I wondered if anyone knows what tuners it is drilled for? I think I have a spare set of the hipshot lollipops that come with JMJ & vintera 1 mustangs, plus a set of big 70's style hipshot lollipops — I hope either of those sets will fit without needing to redrill as it will save me tens of minutes.

 

The bass currently has an unbranded generic alnico pickup in it which sounds fine, but I know I'm likely to want to get an EMG Geezer for it.

 

Do the frets typically need much fettling with these replacement necks? If so I can take it to the Gallery (or more locally, Feline in Croydon) but it would be nice if it is fine out of the box.

[Lozz196]

Looks to me like a Mexican made neck so your JMJ ones should fit fine.

[Hellzero]

It's a Mexican neck indeed @Lozz196 and here are all the specs: https://be.fender.com/products/precision-to-jazz-bass-conversion-neck-20-med-jumbo-frets-12-radius?shpxid=42742186-e9a8-4ad6-ba2e-899ecb2c8766

 

So the JMJ tuners should fit if they are of the 4 screws kind.

 

The frets work on these Fender replacement necks is usually excellent, you'll only need to file down the nut.

Edited 20 hours ago by Hellzero
Missing sentence...

[Cosmo Valdemar]

18 hours ago, Jean-Luc Pickguard said:

Amazon is currently selling the Fender maple Precision to Jazz conversion neck for £211. At that price it was rude not to take advantage and buy one to convert my 20+ year old bitzer from a beautiful unlined fretless into something I could actually play without causing people to grimace.

 

The neck is coming tomorrow, but I wondered if anyone knows what tuners it is drilled for? I think I have a spare set of the hipshot lollipops that come with JMJ & vintera 1 mustangs, plus a set of big 70's style hipshot lollipops — I hope either of those sets will fit without needing to redrill as it will save me tens of minutes.

 

The bass currently has an unbranded generic alnico pickup in it which sounds fine, but I know I'm likely to want to get an EMG Geezer for it.

 

Do the frets typically need much fettling with these replacement necks? If so I can take it to the Gallery (or more locally, Feline in Croydon) but it would be nice if it is fine out of the box.

I'm confused... is that not a standard Jazz neck with a different name on the headstock?

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

Yep - its just a Jazz neck with a Fender Precision Decal. It has just arrived and looks perfect. I'm not going to be able to fit it for a while though. 

[Cosmo Valdemar]

Just now, Jean-Luc Pickguard said:

Yep - its just a Jazz neck with a Fender Precision Decal. It has just arrived and looks perfect. I'm not going to be able to fit it for a while though. 

I thought so! The "Precision to Jazz conversion" made it sound like there was something more going on 😄

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

It has mounting screw holes in the heel & tuner screw holes but doesn't have a hole for the string tree. Weird

 

When I take off the fretless neck, before storing it should I do anything like adjust the truss rod to ensure it is dead straight or doesn't it matter?

[Hellzero]

Releasing the tension on the truss rod is way better than straightening it to have a dead flat fingerboard. 😉

[Stub Mandrel]

It's a bit worrying that two of the three photos show a six-string Telecaster neck...

[Hellzero]

11 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

It's a bit worrying that two of the three photos show a six-string Telecaster neck...

But the Fender reference number links to the correct neck, see above.

[Stub Mandrel]

3 minutes ago, Hellzero said:

But the Fender reference number links to the correct neck, see above.

 

I'm sure it will match the description, just worrying that a business of the stature of Fender can't get the right pictures on an Amazon listing...

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

It arrived earlier. I didn't notice it at the time but it looks like a Jazz bass neck with a precision decal from the front, but does actually turn into a telecaster guitar neck when I observe it from the back. I don't know how it does this, but I think it is warping spacetime — It gets several inches shorter and the number of holes in the headstock changes. I'm afraid to fit it now.

[tauzero]

3 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

 

I'm sure it will match the description, just worrying that a business of the stature of Fender can't get the right pictures on an Amazon listing...

 

The description: "Increase the speed of your favorite Precision Bass with the P to J Conversion neck." Surely the terminal velocity of a Precision will be almost exactly the same when dropped off the official Relicing Building, regardless of whether a P or a J neck is fitted.

[Stub Mandrel]

2 hours ago, tauzero said:

 

The description: "Increase the speed of your favorite Precision Bass with the P to J Conversion neck." Surely the terminal velocity of a Precision will be almost exactly the same when dropped off the official Relicing Building, regardless of whether a P or a J neck is fitted.

 

Gemnjus not helpful.

 

"The concept of "terminal velocity" as it applies to a bass guitar is not a standard measurement or a practical consideration. Terminal velocity usually refers to the constant speed that a free-falling object eventually reaches when the force of gravity is balanced by air resistance. While a bass guitar dropped from a height would experience this, it's not a meaningful comparison between a Precision Bass and a Jazz Bass. The key differences between these two basses are their neck profiles, pickup configurations, and tonal characteristics, not their aerodynamic properties. "

[CherryLine]

On 29/06/2025 at 03:19, Jean-Luc Pickguard said:

Amazon is currently selling the Fender maple Precision to Jazz conversion neck for £211. At that price it was rude not to take advantage and buy one to convert my 20+ year old bitzer from a beautiful unlined fretless into something I could actually play without causing people to grimace.

 

The neck is coming tomorrow, but I wondered if anyone knows what tuners it is drilled for? I think I have a spare set of the hipshot lollipops that come with JMJ & vintera 1 mustangs, plus a set of big 70's style hipshot lollipops — I hope either of those sets will fit without needing to redrill as it will save me tens of minutes.

 

The bass currently has an unbranded generic alnico pickup in it which sounds fine, but I know I'm likely to want to get an EMG Geezer for it.

 

Do the frets typically need much fettling with these replacement necks? If so I can take it to the Gallery (or more locally, Feline in Croydon) but it would be nice if it is fine out of the box.

For that price, you could also grab a DIY kit from The Guitar Fabrik. They have great Precision and 5-Strings Jazz Bass kits that let you build your own bass from scratch. It’s a fun way to get exactly what you want and learn a lot along the way!

- https://guitarkitfabric.co.uk/products/bass-guitar-kit-precision-style-ebony.html
- https://guitarkitfabric.co.uk/products/bass-guitar-kit-jazzmaster-style-ebony.html