Choking notes on frets 17-19 on all strings.

[dave_bass5]

Ive just got a brand new Fender HW-one Jazz and am having set up problems.
Ive set the relief to just under .010 at the 7th fret and my action is 2mm at the 12th on the E.
While i dont have any fret buzz from the nut up to the 16th fret, after that all strings are choking to some degree, getting worse as the notes get higher.
I have shimmed the neck, the reason being i want to put a tapered E string on and the saddle was already about to bottom out with a regular string.
Ive done this sort of thing before, and in fact my Squier CV Jazz is like this, but ive not encountered the fret problem before.
It seems like the frets are pretty level. Pressing down on the 12th and last fret still shows a uniform gap under the E string.
Ive heard about the Ski jump problem some people have and i think i know what to look for but maybe im missing something. Ive not seen any pics of a neck with this problem.

I would rather not raise the action as this action should be achievable IME.

Im wondering if i should send the bass back as its so new or just live with it. To be honest i dont play up that high so its not a day to day problem, but i am worried that maybe the neck has issues.

Any suggestions/comments welcome. Im normally ok with basic set ups but this is the first time ive encountered any problems.

[202dy]

A few questions come to mind. What is the string height at the last fret? How thick is the shim in the neck pocket? How much travel is left in the saddles, both up and down?

Everything else seems text book.

[Hollywars]

Sounds like fret problems.

[conqr]

No expert here but does indeed sound like a bit of a 'ski jump' preventing low action on the upper frets. If the neck is stable how about flattening it entirely (pretty much no bow) so the lower fretboard is in line with the rising upper, then raise the saddles a tad. Either that or get the upper frets filed down/crowned to compensate for the rise.

[standupbassman]

chances are that the 20th fret is too high. Check to see if it's popped up a little bit (you'd see a gap if it had). If that's the case you can fix it with a couple of pieces of wood and a C clamp. If it hasn't come up than you need to send it to a tech and have him dress the frets. Most stores (guitar center etc.) will allow you to take it back and they'll do it for you.

[MrGotBass]

Get back down to the first five frets! They're not paying you to play the high notes!

[dave_bass5]

Thanks for al the replies.

@202dy. Ive taken the shim out and now the action on the E string at the 12th fret is about 2mm. Going up towards the body it peaks at around 2.3mm so definitely no high frets.
As it stands now the relief is .010'' at the 7th fret.
This is my normal set up and it seems to be ok now, with the only issue being the A string at the 19th fret.
Of course there is a bit of buzzing on all strings past about 15th fret but the A seems to be the worse. I have noticed that the harder i fret the less its there. So maybe its partly me and partly a poor set up.

As i dont actually play that high its not really a problem for me, but as im within the return period i thought i would get some other opinions.
Maybe this bass just isnt designed to have such a low action. I compared this bass to my CVJ and thats perfect but ten i realised that has smaller frets, maybe this is why its easier to fret cleanly that far up.

[JLS]

Ive heard about the Ski jump problem some people have and i think i know what to look for but maybe im missing something. Ive not seen any pics of a neck with this problem.

You look for fretting out past the 15th fret. Trussrod adjustments will not help; shimming will not help. If it's not too bad, having some fallaway at the high frets will help. If you don't know what this is, take it to someone who does.

[dave_bass5]

I put some chromes on today but also put the shim back in.
Again, the higher notes are choking above the 17th fret but the action is really nice now so I think I'm going to live with it.

Going by my fret measurements above i dont think i have a ski jump issue.

[TGLbass]

Seems like I've been filing the last few frets on alot of Fender basses lately. You should be able to see the "heel up" problem by sighting down the neck from the nut.

I had two hi-way one basses--both sounded pretty clunky and they weren't what I expected they would be.

You know--I almost think they are (parts) made in Mexico and then assembled in the US-- or something like that.

[dave_bass5]

I must admit I'm feeling pretty disappointed about fender these days.
Since early aug I've gone through a mim 70 classic that had a high 11th fret and three MIA's that had build issues.
I don't find my new HW to be as poorly built as the MIA but also the neck doesn't feel as nice as my old HW1 jazz, or my CV Jazz.
I'm giving up looking for a workhorse bass and keeping this one, I can get a decent action and I'll not need to worry too much about the high frets.
I'm thinking of getting it converted to a PJ at some point so I'll get the neck sorted when I take it in.
I got it online and while I can send it back I feel this bass is fine in most respects and I could end up with one that's worse.

[KJung]

Originally Posted by conqr

No expert here but does indeed sound like a bit of a 'ski jump' preventing low action on the upper frets. If the neck is stable how about flattening it entirely (pretty much no bow) so the lower fretboard is in line with the rising upper, then raise the saddles a tad. Either that or get the upper frets filed down/crowned to compensate for the rise.

+1 I've seen quite a few basses set up like this... too much neck bow, and then the saddles lowered to make the 'action' seem OK in the middle part of the instrument. That is a classic 'shop that doesn't know what they are doing' set-up issue.

+1 to the above comment on a fret leveling also, if the above does not work. It should be an easy fix by a set-up guy who knows what he is doing. Plenty of room for adjusting up there with new frets.

[dave_bass5]

Cheers Ken.
As far as bow goes my relief is sitting between .008'' and .010'' so its flatter than the Fender spec. I can go flatter though and might give it a go today but the flattest ive ever gone is .008'' and that was on a 10" radius Lakland.
Im now thinking if i have to take it in i might see if i can get the frets changed to the smaller vintage style or banjo wire like Lakland use. Im much more comfortable with these.

[KJung]

Originally Posted by dave_bass5

Cheers Ken.
As far as bow goes my relief is sitting between .008'' and .010'' so its flatter than the Fender spec. I can go flatter though and might give it a go today but the flattest ive ever gone is .008'' and that was on a 10" radius Lakland.
Im now thinking if i have to take it in i might see if i can get the frets changed to the smaller vintage style or banjo wire like Lakland use. Im much more comfortable with these.

+1 Hopefully, a good set-up guy can get that bass playing great by just filing on the frets a bit versus a full refret.

Good luck!

[dave_bass5]

Thanks ken.
I must admit I can't get my head around why it's doing it other than maybe I'm not pressing hard enough.
With the gap between the frets actually getting slightly wider as the get closer to the last fret It doesn't make sence that the frets are higher, unless the gap should normally be greater than they are.

Oh well, l don't need those notes so I'll save some money and live with it for now.

[TGLbass]

Davebass5--- Fender --The last new Fender I bought was 2001. The last newest used Fender I bought was an o5. I haven't played any Fender newer than an 05. I think the prices now are too much for a Fender regular P or J. My 99 J I didn't have to touch. My 01 P I didn't have to touch--ALL the others I've had issues with, That's 2 out of about ten for me. OoooPS I forgot my Roadworn 2009 P bass. Made in Mexico --good guitar. SO I have become disappointed lately. I just don't want a new USA P or J.