Ever glue a screw-on neck to it's body?

[madmatt]

IOW, has anyone turned thier screw-on neck into a set-neck?

I believe it would probably make the bass more solid. Just put some glue in there and screw her down.

Opinions?

[staindbass]

yep, many times. i first did it because my bass had a wide neck pocket and the neck would shift when i was doing bar band stage antics. if your gonna do it make sure all the dust is off the joining surfaces and there are no bumps or anything uneven. only use enough glue to make it one side wet, as little as possible. even then some might squeeze out the sides of the joint when you tighten the screws. put your 2 outside strings on, tighten them just enough to make sure they are straight, and shift the neck so the strings are evenly spaced along the edges of the fretboard, then full tighten the screws. a year later, you can remove it, take off the strings and neck screws, put the bass on the bed,facing up, support the neck up close to the headstock, and give a sharp downward smack with the palm of your hand to the fretboard right where the neckjoint is and it will come off. they you can use a warm wet facecloth to soften and remove the glue. i used regular elmers glue. it changed the sound very slightly with a pinch more sustain, and more consistent tone.

[Zooberwerx]

Originally Posted by madmatt

IOW, has anyone turned thier screw-on neck into a set-neck?

To believe it would probably make the bass more solid. Just put some glue in there and screw her down.

Opinions?

Is your bass not solid? If your neck is shifting within the pocket, there is a handful of mechanical fastener tricks which are simpler and more effective than gluing the joint. If your aiming to change the tonal response, it's a crapshoot.

Edit: mechanical fasteners to include sanding mesh, sandpaper w/ adhesive backing, etc.

Riis

[madmatt]

Well I am guessing the tonal response should be about the same since the neck pocket/joint is already tight and straight. I just figured I really never need to pull the neck off of this bass so why not make it permanent? The truss adjustment is easily accesible. It is a Fender American DLX P. Even if I wanted to pull the neck in favor of another there are not many who make a replacement, if any at all.

So I guess the bottom line is I just wanted an even better connection than it already has.

[staindbass]

i disagree that those methods are more effective. they add another layer of material to transmit the vibration through, and add damping. you would lose a pinch of what the glue would gain in terms of sound. glue is used on gibsons and violins, i think it helps the neck and body act more as one unit.(sustain) another layer of material would do the opposite.

[madmatt]

Originally Posted by staindbass

i disagree that those methods are more effective. they add another layer of material to transmit the vibration through, and add damping. you would lose a pinch of what the glue would gain in terms of sound. glue is used on gibsons and violins, i think it helps the neck and body act more as one unit.(sustain) another layer of material would do the opposite.

This was a reply to Zoober right?

[Zooberwerx]

Originally Posted by madmatt

This was a reply to Zoober right?

I believe it was. The materials suggested are tried and true and provide no more of a hindrance than a typical shim...which is frequently fabricated from the aforementioned sandpaper. If the neck is wonky / shifting, I've used "sheared staples" (got that one from Rick Turner) but, per your description, this is not an issue.

In all fairness to both sides of the discussion, I'd like to hear from some of our more learned luthiers / techs lurking in the wings.

Riis

[john grey]

There was a period that I was slapping more and more and I had THOUGHT that the design features that offered the higher density level (@ the neck/body connection) MAY have a better response to slapping (example is a 6 bolt Music Man, etc). Yet this wasn't always true. I found that some 3 & 4 bolt necks sounded great. So that when discussing issues such as using an adhesive, superficially, there is a certain logic that says "the density attachment level may be greater, therefore it should have certain advantages". Yet that's not always the case.
My guess is that the better mated surfaces are a key; given other issues are equal (tight, strong screws, good bite). If I felt that the neck may be shifting or poorly mated I would examine the surface of the neck/body joint to make sure I had a very flat surface & especially that the screws were tight and holding very firmly. If you have a great touch or a jig you could route a tiny fraction to assure you don't have any lumps or bumps. But the neck's wood will most likely always be harder that woods like Basswood or Alder. Ash can be quite hard, so each situation could have individual demands. Two unequal wood hardness may simply press the harder into the softer.
If the body was also of a hardwood, a flat surfacing may have a positive outcome, IF you're experiencing problems.
Gluing can be deleterious in that, if you ever take the neck off again, you may get more uneven surfaces than you started with. Unless you're experiencing obvious problems, it can be a gamble with little pay-off.

[JLS]

Originally Posted by madmatt

IOW, has anyone turned thier screw-on neck into a set-neck?

I believe it would probably make the bass more solid. Just put some glue in there and screw her down.

Opinions?

Threaded inserts & machine screws are what you're looking for. If you glue the neck in, you, or a subsequent owner, will regret it.

[TheEmptyCell]

This mumbo-jumbo about losing sustain through material is straight bull****. I have a bass covered in fabric, with the bridge being screwed right on over that fabric, and there is no noticeable muffling or deadening or any poppycock that anyone has mentioned when compared to any other Jazz bass.

If your neck pocket is loose, put some veneer or some kind of wood shim along the edge. Gluing it will only make working on it more difficult in the future.

If you're worried about sustain, let me ask you this, are you plucking a note, walking away, and making a sandwich? Doubt it, you're playing bass, not piano. No amount of glue will make a noticeable difference in 'sustain.' New strings would help that better.

The only positive is that the neck might not shift, but if it's that big of a deal, then having your neck pocket repaired (routed square, filled with a block, rerouted) is a better option.

[TheEmptyCell]

Originally Posted by JLS

Threaded inserts & machine screws are what you're looking for. If you glue the neck in, you, or a subsequent owner, will regret it.

This is also excellent advice.

[scotch]

If it was a loose or shifting neck, then using some sort of mechanical 'grip' is the standard approach. However, since your goals are more aimed at tone, glue under high pressure *might* get you some sort of result, but as said above, its a bit of a crap-shoot.

If you do glue your neck in, definitely use some sort of white glue or hide glue and be prepared that if you ever need to remove the neck (for a refret or other significant repair) that you do risk additional neck pocket repair.

In my opinion, the small amount of surface area being glued will have a very low percentage of possible affect on vibration transmission. However, sometimes a tiny improvement is worth it! Not worthwhile to me, but I'd love to hear you report back if you do it!

[frianbisher]

Please do not glue your neck in. You wont notice a difference in sound quality and it will just make it more difficult to work on in the future.

[grendle]

Originally Posted by staindbass

yep, many times. i first did it because my bass had a wide neck pocket and the neck would shift when i was doing bar band stage antics. if your gonna do it make sure all the dust is off the joining surfaces and there are no bumps or anything uneven. only use enough glue to make it one side wet, as little as possible. even then some might squeeze out the sides of the joint when you tighten the screws. put your 2 outside strings on, tighten them just enough to make sure they are straight, and shift the neck so the strings are evenly spaced along the edges of the fretboard, then full tighten the screws. a year later, you can remove it, take off the strings and neck screws, put the bass on the bed,facing up, support the neck up close to the headstock, and give a sharp downward smack with the palm of your hand to the fretboard right where the neckjoint is and it will come off. they you can use a warm wet facecloth to soften and remove the glue. i used regular elmers glue. it changed the sound very slightly with a pinch more sustain, and more consistent tone.

+1

Did it back in the day. Once the bass is properly set up and the neck is either shimmed or sanded it never needs to / or should, come off. In 20+ years of playing I have never had a bad neck on anything, the replacement argument is moot. It would be no different than working on a set neck or NT guitar either. I say glue the sucker!

[madmatt]

Thanks for all the replies.
From everything I have heard I guess it is plausible.
As far as future owners not liking such a mod: I do not plan on selling any time soon, if at all. I just like to tinker with ideas, so long as it is well-informed tinkering.
I probably will not be doing it any time soon, but it is there in the back of my mind.

[darkstorm]

Ive added wood glue or elmers glue layer to all bolt on basses and guitars with shims. Eliminates gap from the shim and gives fuller sound along with small increase to note sustain before fade out or longer note fade out. Only exception being bolt on with paint in the neck pocket or on the neck. Since glue wont bond to the paint and results in slightly hallow sound add. Not in a good way imo. There is a slight increase in bass and slight decrease in the mid peak typical of bolt ons to. Largest noticed effect has been on peeps basses or guitars with sloppy neck joints with noticeable gaps. On these I make sure all gaps are filled and some glue seeps out from all edges as bolts are fully tightened down. This wipes off very easy with paper towel. And if miss some, it comes off easy with edge of guitar pick or fingernail since it wont bond to poly finish.

[bassbenj]

Originally Posted by JLS

Threaded inserts & machine screws are what you're looking for. If you glue the neck in, you, or a subsequent owner, will regret it.

This is my view as well. Threaded inserts and machine screws make the neck very repairable and yet give a joint tight enough you'll never be able to tell it from a set neck. Hence looking to the future I generally prefer inserts.

HOWEVER, one advantage of a set neck is less material blocking your access to the higher notes. So, if one is planing on refinishing a bass and reshaping the area where the neck joins the body, I think gluing the neck would be an excellent idea. Personally I've never reshaped a bass like this but I can see how it might be desirable.

[gtvrb]

I would say don't mess up a nice and fairly expensive bass on something you just want to try out. Buy something cheap off craigslist or an SX and go to town. That way if you are not happy with the result or things get screwed up you aren't messing up a $750-1000 instrument.
There was some study about neck joint attachments and how there wasn't much discernible difference between them. I can't remember where I saw it now but I will look around.

[madmatt]

Welllllll...I did it!
I should of taken pics, but I basically removed any stickers from the butt end of the neck and sanded her down with some fine sandpaper, then I used the toothpick trick with the neck screws to make sure they were tighter and more permanent. Did the same with the pocket in the body, cleaned her up, slapped some Elmers wood glue in there and screwed her tight!
I let it set up for almost 24 hours.
Plays fine, looks fine, sounds fine, so I am glad I did it.
Some have said it will make the value of the bass go down, but I have done so many mods to this bass it is more experienced then a French ho.

Thanks for any advice you all gave.

[guy n. cognito]

So, is it "better"?