action toooo hiiiigh - shim the neck joint?

[billoetjen]

Hi again Folks,

Once again seeking the good advice from THE SOURCE. I just replaced the stock bent metal bridge on my project Ibanez bass with a Gotoh 206. This predictably gave more crispness to the attack, more presence in the highs, and a stronger fundamental on the E and A strings. All good stuff (and by the way I know this because I made digi recordings before and after.
What I didn't count on was how high the action would become. You've heard this all before - even with the saddles bottomed out, the strings are strung like telephone wires above a street - way up high.
So, please stop me if I'm about to do something stupid. Following apparantly smart advice I've seen here, tonight I will destring, unbolt and shim the whole pocket with a thickness or two of sandpaper and the base of the pocket with another. Like I said, it's a project, but it keeps getting better and better. I just don't like getting tired so quickly, wrestling with this action.
Thanks as always.
Bill

[spudmaster34]

yup, that is the way to do it

[MuzikMan]

Should I use a higher grit to get a smoother sound?

[Greenman]

Good time to install threaded inserts to the neck and use 10-24 stainless machine screws. Cut a new brass nut and you will have " The Package "

[pkr2]

No, that's not quite the way that you do it.

You don't cut a shim to fit the whole neck pocket. You cut a strip about 3/4" wide and place across the pocket where the end of the neck goes. this "tilts", or iow, changes the angle of the neck in relation to the body. You can use more or less thicknesses to get the right angle.

Adjust the string height screws to get the saddles about 1/8" above the bridge plate before you start shimming. Get it as close to the action that you want as you can, and then use the height adjusters to fine tune it.

Sandpaper works very well as a shim but the material that you use has absolutely nothing to do with the smoothness of the sound.

Forget modifying the neck bolts and changing nuts to brass. If you were not advanced enough in your setup skills yet to shim the neck without help, you definitely shouldn't be attempting major changes yet. Take it easy and build your skills slowly. It'll pay off in the long run.

[billoetjen]

Hi pkr2,
thanks for the thoughtful response. I considered exactly that approach (a shim only at the bottom of the pocket), but I read in several other sources about "kink" developing in the lower 1/4 of the neck from doing that. Seems the unbalanced force between the upper screws and the lower ones can warp that section, causing a permanent problem of thosse last frets always being too high, relative to the upper frets. Anyway, by the time I read your response, I already fit two thicknesses of VERY coarse sp into the pocket, rebolted and intonated. Things are lining up very much as I'd like, the tone is creamy now, and intonation is very close to perfect. However, the strings now come pretty close to the last few frets. I might try adding a single, thin shim to the upper part of the pocket if things don't settle in as I like.
Thanks again, and keep up the good work everybody.
Bill

[Moose308]

Of course a more pemanent solution might be to go get a real shim cut from a woodworking shop. Any outfit ought to be able to cut you piece of maple which is properly tapered in about 5 minutes. You don't need them to shape it or anything, just get that taper. 1/4" stock ground/planed/sawn down to zero thickness at one end would do fine. Maybe get them to cut it lengthwise to match the width of the neckpocket.

Then, once you determine just how thick you need it (bottom of pocket) you can trim the shim at home to match the contours of the neck pocket. It's all hidden anyhow, so it doesn't matter if it looks a little sloppy. 4 holes, and bolt it in.

[Philbiker]

Originally Posted by Moose308

Of course a more pemanent solution might be to go get a real shim cut from a woodworking shop. Any outfit ought to be able to cut you piece of maple which is properly tapered in about 5 minutes. You don't need them to shape it or anything, just get that taper. 1/4" stock ground/planed/sawn down to zero thickness at one end would do fine. Maybe get them to cut it lengthwise to match the width of the neckpocket.

Then, once you determine just how thick you need it (bottom of pocket) you can trim the shim at home to match the contours of the neck pocket. It's all hidden anyhow, so it doesn't matter if it looks a little sloppy. 4 holes, and bolt it in.

You may be able to get get real wood shims at a billiards supply house. This is the material they use to fine-tune the balance on a table when it's installed.

[pkr2]

Originally Posted by billoetjen

Hi pkr2,
thanks for the thoughtful response. I considered exactly that approach (a shim only at the bottom of the pocket), but I read in several other sources about "kink" developing in the lower 1/4 of the neck from doing that. Seems the unbalanced force between the upper screws and the lower ones can warp that section, causing a permanent problem of thosse last frets always being too high, relative to the upper frets. Anyway, by the time I read your response, I already fit two thicknesses of VERY coarse sp into the pocket, rebolted and intonated. Things are lining up very much as I'd like, the tone is creamy now, and intonation is very close to perfect. However, the strings now come pretty close to the last few frets. I might try adding a single, thin shim to the upper part of the pocket if things don't settle in as I like.
Thanks again, and keep up the good work everybody.
Bill

The main thing is that you have it fixed to your satisfaction.

The way way that you fixed it is fine.

What I described is the way almost all bass necks are shimmed from the factory, if a shim is needed.

I like your line of thought, in any case.