Quote:
|
Originally Posted by jasper383 I have purchased a Precision Bass from someone, and he is shipping it with the neck removed.
Any advice on assembling the bass? How tight do I tighten down the screws? Do I worry about neck angle/ action/buzzing/dead spots?
Any advice from those who have been there is appreciated. |
Going to a pro is best, but....
I switch between a fretted and fretless p-bass neck on my '70 p-bass
several times a year. Warning: I am not a luthier! Here is what I do:
1) Put the bass on a good work surface, resting on its back on a nice
thick towel to protect the finish,
2) Make sure the neck, plate, and pocket are clean and free of dust,
wood particles, loose paint chips, etc.
3) When installing the neck, lower it into the neck pocket from above.
Do Not try to slide it in from the open end of the pocket, as the heel is
flared and won't go in that way.
4) Don't put any stress on the fragile lower horn edge of the pocket, as
the finish and thin wood there can easily chip.
5) Make sure the neck is fully seated in the pocket.
6) Flip the bass over gently, put the plate where it belongs, and insert
all 4 screws.
7) Tighten each screw a little at a time. In other words, tighten each
one a few turns at a time with a good fitting phillips screwdriver.
8) Get the screws really tight (equally), but don't over tighten to the
point when the head of the screw gets striped or burred. If one doesn't
tighten up snug, extract it and put a thin long sliver (flat tooth pick) of
wood in the hole (no glue!), and retighten.
9) Restring, tune up, and check to see that the neck is sitting straight
in all planes. For example, if you see the G string is really close to the
edge of the fingerboard up between the 15th and 20th frets, the neck
is pointing down toward the floor slightly when you hold the bass to
play it. To adjust, loosen the strings and the screws, and gently push
or pull the neck in the direction it needs to go to make it align with
the strings. Retighten as before and restring.
10) Do any needed truss rod and action/intonation adjustments.
11) Play it a lot, and check it again each day for a few days.
Shimming a loose pocket is a whole other THANG.
I hope this helps.
