Fender Jazz Neck Issues …fret buzz at 18th/19th/20th frets.

[Modern Growl]

I was hoping a fellow Tb’er could lend some wisdom.
It seems that no matter how I adjust the truss rod and action, my strings ‘clank’ up against the 18th/19th and 20th frets. They are completely unusable. The rest of the frets are fine, but as soon as I go up high on the neck to solo, those frets are a no-no.

I can get away with using them, but I have to raise my action to an ungodly height! I’m talking like 10/64th high!

Is there any way to salvage this neck and use those higher frets?

*Edit - Just to fill in and perhaps save time:
I've tried straightening the neck completely, and raising the action. That doesn't work. I've tried loosening the truss rod and raising the action, and that doesn't work either.

This doesn't happen to my other 2 Jazzes, or my P!

[202dy]

The value of advice without examination of the work is equal to the price that is paid.

It could be a matter of neck neck angle. If the bass has a micro tilt neck it is a simple experiment. Loosen the strings. There is no need to remove the strings. You just want to take some of the tension off the neck. Loosen the neck screws. Place the proper sized allen wrench in the hole in the neck plate and loosen (ccw) the screw. Tighten all of the above and see what happened. You may have to repeat this procedure a few times until the neck is where you want it. You will probably have to perform a new setup afterwards.

If the neck does not have the micro tilt mechanism it will have to be removed and shims placed in the pocket. This is a much more tedious process. However, the concept remains the same.

Also see:

Help! Need to Shim The Neck

http://www.fender.com/support/setup/basssetup.php

[Modern Growl]

It doesn't have a micro tilt neck. Its a standard MIA Fender Jazz.

I was thinking that I could perhaps put a shim (business card thickness) under the neckside screws, that way tilting the next ever so slightly.

Do you think that would work?

[Modern Growl]

Originally Posted by Joshua

A shim might very well help.

Also, we have to assume that you are setting it up correctly, and of course the lower you want the action the more specific all the adjustments need to be.

Just out of curiosity, do you know how to check for a high fret? Bolt on J basses do sometimes suffer from a hump where the neck bolts to the body...

actually no, I don't know how to check for a high fret...

any insight as to how to check, not only that but what to do to fix it if it is high?

*edit: all of the frets seem to be completely pushed down, and having full contact w/ the fretboard if thats what you mean.

[emils]

Straightedge is your friend in this situation.Try to get the neck as straight as you can using your trusrod. Once the neck is nice and straight give it a quarter turn of relief and then adjust the string hight on the saddles. Do it in this order and it should hopefully fix the problem.

[202dy]

Shims: business cards thin and thick
wood veneer
paper thin and thick
pickgaurd material etc.

The important thing is to use something that will not compress (itself or the body/neck wood) under the pressure of the screws. The rest of it is trial and error. It might take a thin piece of paper, it might take a couple of biz cards in thickness. BTW, cut the shim roughly a quarter of an inch wide and almost the width of the pocket in length. Eyeball measuring is fine as long as you're close. Place the shim just behind the bolts furthest from the bridge.

Good call Joshua. Normally you would expect to see the hump at ~F16 to18 but it can happen almost anywhere in the pocket depending on the location of a shim.

MG, if you have a hump take it back if it's under warranty. Otherwise it is a repair best left to a pro.

HTH

[Jazzin']

Sometimes a new set of strings can solve the problem.

[joeyl]

you may want to remove the neck and check if you have a shim in the pocket causing the neck to tilt too close towards the strings. If so remove it. I had one in my MIA, and I removed it.

[thumpbass1]

My Geddy Lee J-bass had the same problem. I ended up
making a very thin and carefully tapered wood shim that
I placed in the pocket towards the end where the neck
butt meets the body.This gave the neck just the right
amount of back pitch for the string angle and I was able
to set my neck for slight releif and adjust the action and
intonation for a comfy buzz free setup.
If a shim job doesn't help you might need to check for
a high fret as others have wisely suggested. I wish you luck
in solving your problem.

[Audiophage]

Sight down your neck and see if those frets in question stick up more than the others. If thats the case then your neck is fine, just your frets need to be adjusted.

[jeffhigh]

A shim will not be the answer.
You only need to shim if you cannot get the right string height with the bridge adjusters and you have found that you can get too high and too low as it is
You have probably got a rise in the top end of the fretboard,
If it is not too severe, a fret dressing will fix it.

[Basshole]

Check string relief. If it's high, tighten truss rod, and raise action. That usually is what is needed in "higher frets buzzing" situations.

How to check neck relief

[sedan_dad]

18th,19,20th fret?
Dude what are you doing way up there in the sky?
I didn't realize there were nessary notes past the 5th fret anyways.