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06-21-2010, 01:02 PM
| | | | Brass shim for the neck pocket.
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Hi there,
After I removed the paint and releveled the neck pocket I needed to rise my neck and put 1 mm thick brass shim filling the entire neck pocket. Now I have desired low action and bridge saddles at the right hight as well as the correct angle between body and neck  But just not sure if I was right by doing such a thing...
Generally, I can't tell if it have a bad/good influence on the sound. But, nevertheless, should I leave such shim or replace it by maple veneer? Or should I do something else?
regards,
Vaesto |
06-21-2010, 01:12 PM
|  | THE RIFF AGRICULTURIST | | Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: BALTIMORE CITY | | | Does it sound good? |
06-21-2010, 01:26 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: D'Shaw | | Quote:
Originally Posted by vaesto  Hi there,
After I removed the paint and releveled the neck pocket I needed to rise my neck and put 1 mm thick brass shim filling the entire neck pocket. Now I have desired low action and bridge saddles at the right hight as well as the correct angle between body and neck But just not sure if I was right by doing such a thing...
Generally, I can't tell if it have a bad/good influence on the sound. But, nevertheless, should I leave such shim or replace it by maple veneer? Or should I do something else? |
You like it, you leave it.
Heck, I usually use masking tape or basswood and even G10 a couple of times for full pocket shims and there's been no real change in tone.
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"It's a Crapshoot." The timbre is in the timber. It's a poor craftsman that blames his tools.
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06-21-2010, 01:29 PM
|  | Registered User | | | | | If it works, it's right. Don't some of those fender necks that adjust through the neck plate have such a plate on the inside? |
06-21-2010, 01:34 PM
| | | | Yes, it sounds good to my ears. Sound has changed somehow, but I can't tell what the exact difference is. May be the fact I've also installed threaded inserts and bolt the neck much tighter is palying its role. Anyway, the sustain is improved significantly that's for sure. The tone - may be, I'm not sure yet.
What is the theoretic impact with such a shim on the tone/sound? |
06-21-2010, 01:40 PM
| | Pat's the best! | | Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Northern Virginia, USA | | Quote:
Originally Posted by IPA If it works, it's right. Don't some of those fender necks that adjust through the neck plate have such a plate on the inside? | Don't know about Fenders, but my Peavey basses with a "neck Tilt" have a heavy metal concentric disc the size of a quarter in them for this purpose.
I usually use business cards for shims. |
06-21-2010, 02:13 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: D'Shaw | | Quote:
Originally Posted by vaesto May be the fact I've also installed threaded inserts and bolt the neck much tighter is palying its role. Anyway, the sustain is improved significantly that's for sure. The tone - may be, I'm not sure yet. | Could be. Did you change strings too?
__________________
"It's a Crapshoot." The timbre is in the timber. It's a poor craftsman that blames his tools.
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06-21-2010, 02:22 PM
| | | | Nope. Strings were not changed. |
06-21-2010, 03:46 PM
| | Registered User
Endorsing Artist: J.C. Basses | | Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Phoenix, Arizona 85029 | | | The brass shim should be fine.
Most luthiers will use veneer of the body wood for the shim, to keep as little tonal variance as possible. However, most people here cannot here a difference in bodies made from different woods, so I highly doubt that 3 business cards' worth of brass will make the slightest difference.
In Chunger's thread, he said that he heard a difference when he used the threaded insert technique, so I suspect that's where your tone change came from.
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Originally Posted by McThumpenstein I don't think the wife would buy the "I need to take off this knob and put a whole new bass under it" story. | |
06-21-2010, 04:03 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Tallahassee | | | I've used playing cards as shims before, can't beat the price or stability (plastic coated)But I can't tell if 2 ace shims beats 1 brass shim..Hmmm... |
06-21-2010, 04:05 PM
| | Registered User
I setup & repair guitars & basses | | Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Kensington, Ca | | Quote:
Originally Posted by vaesto Yes, it sounds good to my ears. Sound has changed somehow, but I can't tell what the exact difference is. May be the fact I've also installed threaded inserts and bolt the neck much tighter is palying its role. Anyway, the sustain is improved significantly that's for sure. The tone - may be, I'm not sure yet.
What is the theoretic impact with such a shim on the tone/sound? | I've always gotten a tonal improvement, when I install threaded inserts & machine screws, the bass reacts much more like a neck-through. I use 1/4-20 inserts & bolts.
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Instrument repair/setup, Bay area
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06-21-2010, 04:07 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: NJ | | | re shims
I usually use measured guitar picks as shims... but looks like you did a good job there...Maybe the tone difference is a better neck coupling to the body?? combined with the brass??
If it sounds good don;t mess with it lol!!! |
06-22-2010, 03:19 AM
| | | I'll report later on when my Gotoh GB707 tuners arrive and I'll finally replace strings with DR Black Beauties
Last edited by vaesto : 06-22-2010 at 03:24 AM.
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06-22-2010, 09:04 AM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Fort Collins, Colorado | | | Why do people agonize over shims? It's fine, use the shim. What matters is that the instrument plays well.
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06-22-2010, 03:35 PM
| | | Just look at the size of mine "shim" It is not a small piece of some material under one side of the neck, but a whole neck pocket is covered - much bigger influence on tone/sustain/whatever: there is no direct contact between body and neck woods. I'm just asking if I'm not doing an overkill |
06-22-2010, 04:24 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Fort Collins, Colorado | | | Nope. Nice work, not overkill.
Actually it's a shim for the entire neck pocket, as it raises the entire neck by the same amount. If it works, it works.
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"...awesome as a monkey wearing a tuxedo made of bacon, riding on a unicorn!'"
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06-29-2010, 05:23 PM
| | | O.K. Finally my new Gotoh GB-707 arrived and had been installed. Also I put DR Black Beauties. Red Devils will be my next DR set...not too soon I hope
Now my bass SOUNDS!!! And I can trully tell - threaded inserts do their job well - there is an improvement in sustain and tone. They do their job of removing dead spots too! Be extra careful if you ever plan to do the same job!!!
Influence of the brass shim - can't tell much. At least I don't hear any negative add-ons to the sound: everything sounds great, notes ringing for ages...For this time I'll leave it. |
06-30-2010, 05:37 AM
| | | | Yes, I've always noticed a tonal improvement when using threaded inserts for the neck; shim or no shim. It's a worthwhile upgrade to any bass or guitar I think. It seems to also eliminate or reduce dead spots in many cases. |
06-30-2010, 10:33 AM
| | Pat's the best! | | Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Northern Virginia, USA | | The Tacoma Thunderchief has threaded inserts and machine screws instead of wood screws for the bolt-on neck from the factory. I have a business card in my Thunderchief as a shim.  | | Thread Tools | Search this Thread | | | | 
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