Removing a neck

[molan]

So I have a yearning to check the neck stamp on one of my basses but I've never done this before.

Is it simply a case of unscrewing the bolts & sliding it off & then screwing them back until they feel 'tight' or do I need to be super careful about anything?

[Ou7shined]

That's pretty much it. Not too tight though, just until you get firm resistance.
I like to do them back up in a diagonal cross pattern (comes from putting cylinder head bolts back in in their recommended order) to send them home with even pressure. Just be careful not to wreck the phillips heads.

[chris_b]

[quote name='molan' post='863891' date='Jun 11 2010, 12:09 AM']....do I need to be super careful about anything?....[/quote]
Take the strings off first!!

[Al Heeley]

...and watch for any shims that might have been placed there, they could slip out and you need to maintain their position exactly when you refit the neck so the alignment & action is preserved.

[dlloyd]

Use the correct screwdriver (of course).

If the screws feel particularly tight on the way out, you might want to put a smidgen of vaseline on them before you put them back... otherwise you might find they get stuck half way in.

[xilddx]

If it's an old bass and the neck has no been removed for a long time, move it just tiny bit once you've removed the screws to make sure it's not going to pull any paint finish off around the neck socket. Sometimes the neck will "bind" a bit to the paint if it's a tight fit and you risk pulling a bit of it away. You should be ok though.

[Ou7shined]

I'm actually not sure about using Vaseline on wood.
I think it would permeate the wood creating a wet bond rather than forming a lubricated barrier. I prefer to use wax (candle, crayon, bee's) or as was posted here the other day soap works too.

[bigjohn]

A tip from a joiner mate of mine is put some wood glue on the screws just before you put them back in.

This doesn't glue the screw in - but it sets harder than the wood so it gives the screw holes greater longevity.

[dlloyd]

[quote name='Ou7shined' post='864174' date='Jun 11 2010, 11:19 AM']I'm actually not sure about using Vaseline on wood.
I think it would permeate the wood creating a wet bond rather than forming a lubricated barrier. I prefer to use wax (candle, crayon, bee's) or as was posted here the other day soap works too.[/quote]

I usually use fairy liquid

[Mr. Foxen]

Loosen all the screws before taking any one out. Don't put the screws down somewhere and then put the body on top of them leaving a load of marks on it.

Make a note of anything you are looking for, cause it totally sucks if you put it back together and realise you've forgotten in the excitement of your first neck removal.

[BOD2]

Have a look here -

[url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=49897"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=49897[/url]

... and listen to the advice about the neck being tight in the previous replies. Just go slowly and carefully. You can see that you don't actually need to remove the strings.

[eightball]

[quote name='Ou7shined' post='863899' date='Jun 11 2010, 12:23 AM']I like to do them back up in a diagonal cross pattern (comes from putting cylinder head bolts back in in their recommended order).[/quote]

ha ha! thats how i do it, and with that exact rationale! well, it's all essentially mechanical isn't it?