Jazz neck on a P body

[relman]

I am interested in this combination, redembling Adam Clayton's main bass. Any comments????????

[Blackbird]

I used to have a Fender Precision Élite II with a Jazz neck and it worked just fine. There's no inherent difference between a P and a J neck, except their dimensions.You'd have more sound variance between maple and a rosewood or pau ferro fingerboards. If you want the Precision sound and a narrower neck, that would be an option. If that's not the reason for doing the change, then you should ask why you want that combination. I'm sorta curious myself.

Will C.

[Yvon]

Fender used to have the Duck Dunn signature model with a p body and a J neck.
maybe you could find one.

[sbassett]

This may be a bit down-market for you, but isn't the Squier Standard P-Bass Special exactly that - a Jazz neck on a P body? I have played a couple at stores and they seemed decent. Also, what about the P-Bass Lyte? I played a used one about a year ago at a local store and I recall that the neck was more like a Jazz neck.

[relman]

That's exactly what I want: P sound with a smaller neck. I feel uncomfortable with the dimensions of the P neck, which i would exchange for a jazz neck any day!

[Hambone]

Since no one has gotten to the actual question yet, I will.

Any of a number of aftermarket manufacturers can supply you with a neck. Most, if not all, are very simply "drop-in" installations that require little in the way of tools. Since the butt of the Jazz neck is the same dimension as the P, it will be easy to make the swap. The caveat here is the setup that you will likely have to perform after the swap. I doubt seriously that you could just string up and have the bass play like you would want it. If you don't have experience with this, then take it to your local tech or luthier. They should be able to do the proper setup and the cost isn't too much ($30 - $50 usually). If you CAN do your own setup then you're ahead of the game. Another detail not to overlook is that most necks from aftermarket suppliers are drilled for the larger tuning posts like the stock MIA P's and J's. The smaller posts like on the MIJITSO '62 reissues will require that you get one without the holes drilled. It might be simpler just to get another set of tuning keys for the new neck and then you can have 2 complete necks for comparison.

By the way, should you like the new combination, you could easily sell the old neck (with or without tuners) on ebay and recoup a sizable portion of the cost of the new neck! It is amazing how high factory necks will sell for.

[Marty Forrer]

One point that nobody has yet mentioned, is that this swap, although seemingly easy, has an annoying little hitch, and that is the necks you are swapping need to be checked for width at the last fret, and for screw hole alignment. Not all necks are the same width, meaning you may have to shave some wood out of the pocket, or you may have to make up a shim. Also you may need to drill new holes in the neck for the four screws if they dont line up.
Some necks will drop straight in, no problem, others will not. I know, I've done this several times.

[Foxton]

When I started to play bass, I always dug the P-bass style body and sound. I had problems with the neck because it was like a telegraph post :-). I liked the J-bass type neck but not the styling and sound.
Anyway, I made my mind and asked in a local workshop to assamble me a P-bass with a Jazz bass neck. And what do you know? I didn't stop playin' it ever since I bought it.
Try this solution, you may have your dream bass guitar custom made and cheaper than the original.

[Rockinjc]

Just because nobody else brought it up I'll say it. Fender necks come in different thicknesses and widths. But its true for guitars and basses. A quick search on Google found this site http://www.mrgearhead.net/faq/guitarfaq.html

They say "During the period of time from the early '60's to the early '70's, Fender used the letters A, B, C, and D to refer specifically to the width of our guitar necks at the nut. These letters were stamped on the butt end of the necks, and had no reference to the shape or contour of the neck. An "A" width was 1 1/2" at the nut, "B" was 1 5/8", "C" was 1 3/4", "D" was 1 7/8". "

I think the Jazz width is 1 1/2" but has a dramatic taper to it. If you like the Jazz taper then Jazz is the way to go. I like by thin fretless P neck bass a lot. Just so you know it's still not all that difficult to find a 70's P with a thinner neck in the $700 range.

jc

[Edited by Rockinjc on 01-26-2001 at 02:47 PM]