Mexican 5 j bass questions

[carl_thompson83]

Hello everyone, looking for some direction with this bass. The neck is extremely bowed and I'm thinking about just replacing it with a better quality one, is warmouth a good site?

I read mixed reviews on the neck quality for this bass, was it different through different years? I picked mine up back around 98-99. I m convinced that the neck quality is basically junk for this bass, at least the model and year I picked mine up.

Also I heard that the electronics weren't as good as the American version, although some years or models I guess weren't that bad for the mexican made?

I've never built a bass before is their a setup that wouldn't require a lot of soldering that would be like a plug and play thing? I'm open to suggestions.

[Beej]

How do you have your bass setup? What kind/brand/gauge strings are on it? Has it been professionally set up and what did they say? Fender necks can be hit and miss, but they can usually be worked with to cope with their limitations (same can be said for most necks). Any pictures of the bow? Can you post pics of the neck that show the grain orientation?

[carl_thompson83]

Sorry I don't mean setup like replacing hardware, cleaning it up, adjust truss rod, intonation, etc. I should of said replacing the electronics, one of the knobs buzzes badly I think it's the tone one have to check again.

I could try to get pics up, it will take a little bit. Last time I tried to adjust the neck it was still slightly bowed, it was pretty tight and I didn't want to go further for fear of snapping the truss rod.

It's been so long since I played it I forget what strings are on it, I need to setup this bass again.

[Rocky McD]

It sounds like you are not too sure about how to properly adjust the truss rod. Your neck may be fine, just too much relief. There is nothing wrong with MIM Fender necks, they are all made in the Corona factory in California. Some of the best playing Fenders I have played were MIM that had been properly set up and fine tuned.

[carl_thompson83]

I've done it multiple times, more frequently with my 4 string p deluxe. I just had it in my mind that this bass quality of the mexican version is janky. So if I try to tighten the rod too much it would just break. However as I'm reading more and more sounds like the quality isn't too bad for these basses.

Although, there is the issue with the tone knob buzzing. How much should it cost if I bring it to a shop to have it setup?

The pickups have gotten a little rust on them, heard it's not always a bad thing considering playability but not sure if they need to be replaced. Also the bridge is a little rusty probably need to get that replaced more importantly right?

At this point is it putting too much money into this bass? I originally thought so but reading reviews and others opinions I guess it's not that bad. Thoughts?

[phmike]

Wipe off the rust (it's a tool, not the Mona Lisa), tighten up loose stuff ('pot' 'buzzes' ***? is it loose?), set it up (loosen strings, tighten rod, wait a day, tune to pitch, rinse/repeat as needed or take to pro for opinion) and play on! MIMs are not usually (note the 'usually' part) as crappy as some folks think.

[walterw]

+1, but skip the "wait a day" part.

grab a 3/16" hex wrench, crank the rod til the neck is almost straight, get on with it. (by "almost", i mean you should hold a string down at the first and the last fret and see a gap between the 8th fret and the string the size of like a business card.)

replace the pickups and bridge because you want to put better ones on there, not because of a little surface rust.

the mexi basses make cool platforms for upgrading, as the necks and bodies are pretty good. it's mainly the pickups that need to be upgraded to give you a big improvement in sound.

[phmike]

I mentioned 'wait a day' because the original poster said the 'neck is extremely bowed'. In my (limited) experience the basses I've found with extremely bowed necks usually have the truss rod cranked down about as far as it will go already and waiting a day after tightening it some more often helps a bit. Waiting a day won't hurt but in 'extremely bowed' cases might help.
Lighter gauge strings or switching strings from flats (if that's what's on it now?) to rounds wounds or pressure wounds might also help a bit.

[JLS]

Originally Posted by walterw

+1, but skip the "wait a day" part.

grab a 3/16" hex wrench, crank the rod til the neck is almost straight, get on with it. (by "almost", i mean you should hold a string down at the first and the last fret and see a gap between the 8th fret and the string the size of like a business card.)

replace the pickups and bridge because you want to put better ones on there, not because of a little surface rust.

the mexi basses make cool platforms for upgrading, as the necks and bodies are pretty good. it's mainly the pickups that need to be upgraded to give you a big improvement in sound.

I agree with Walter, but would also suggest that you back clamp this neck, so that the trussrod doesn't have to do the heavy lifting.

[carl_thompson83]

Wow, thanks guys for all the input. A lot more than I thought I would get

[PeteJohnson]

Guys,

Hope everyone's holidays were grand.

I have the exact same problem (reading up the thread here) with the neck on a 1999 MIM Deluxe Jazz V. I'm not new to setup and repair but this thing has me beat. I got the bass off eBay and the neck is bowed, I think, beyond repair. I've back-braced the neck, done careful tightening of the truss rod, and it just ain't going any further. Relief is just way too high. I tried shimming but that only traded problems like high fret buzz, and thus higher strings. Argh.

So I'm out to replace the neck. I did a search on the whole talkbass site, but while many people talk about replacing the neck on this model, I can't find an exact reference to what fits. Does the Mighty Mite 2920 fit? My stock neck is 2 13/16" (2.8125) wide at the 20th fret. Also, Google, the font of all knowledge in this modern age, is remarkably garbled when it comes to this nagging problem.

Warmoths are a little beyond my price range right now. What does anyone think?

Thanks - Pete

[walterw]

somebody reported (i think it was here on TB) that a run of mexi basses had a problem with the truss rod not being installed right, to where the channel in the wood was too shallow; this allowed the rod to straighten out before the neck did, rendering the rod ineffective.

if the wrench is pretty tight and the neck is still up-bowed, you might be stuck with one of these lemons

[PeteJohnson]

Hi Walter,

Thanks for the info. That could indeed be the case, that's interesting. From the behavior I'm experiencing, and I am really being careful, that sounds about right.

I really would like to keep this instrument -- and even play it! So I'm soliciting the TB brain trust to see if there's a known fit that's cheaper than a Warmoth. My attempts to sand/rout out a neck pocket would probably end up catalogrd as one of the world's disasters.

- Pete

[walterw]

i say don't go cheap on the neck, that's like the entire "soul" of a bolt-on guitar. a good one would bring the instrument to the next level, IMHO.

warmoth or USACG, everything else i've seen has been a step down.

[prd004]

I love this forum! Great info from the masses!

If your neck is sereously bowed to the point where the truss rod is not fixing the problem here's what a guitar tech would do.....................

First he would remove the neck and use a special clamping device that would relieve most of the tension/bow from your neck without asking the truss rod to do any of the work!

Then with the neck in proper relief, and still in the clamp, he would then tighten the truss rod to hold the neck in it's proper position.

If this doesn't work, then there is an issue with your neck that would need MAJOR repair or replacement.

I would take it to a qulified tech, and even a Fender authorized tech (most already are) because if you tweak the truss on your instrument in an attempt to fix it, that will probably void the warranty. But this isn't all bad news because I believe your neck should still be under warranty. I worked for Guitar Center in the mid-nineties and at that time all Fender guitars and basses made in the USA AND MEXICO had a limited lifetime warranty that covered just about anything except the input jack and the nut (and I think the pots for Mexican instruments).

If you bought it second hand and there is no warranty, Warmoth is a great option, they make excellent stuff! A Warmouth neck will improve your bass a bunch!

[PeteJohnson]

Hi Mike --

This is all good info, I agree. And I've tried all the common, remedial repair stuff.

Problem is, cash is tight (been a rough year) and a Warmoth neck (if it indeed fit -- and that's an open question) would cost almost what I paid for this piece. I may end up selling the body, which is with the stock electronics and is candy apple red, on eBay (or even here, if I got an offer) and forgetting the whole adventure. But I got this because I wanted to take a dive into 5-string land. Although admittedly I didn't bargain on this one.

This forum is really good, though, you're right. I hadn't checked into Talkbass in a while and I'm glad I'm back.

Happy New Year, guys!

- Pete Johnson, Atlanta

[Zooberwerx]

Originally Posted by walterw

somebody reported (i think it was here on TB) that a run of mexi basses had a problem with the truss rod not being installed right, to where the channel in the wood was too shallow; this allowed the rod to straighten out before the neck did, rendering the rod ineffective.

if the wrench is pretty tight and the neck is still up-bowed, you might be stuck with one of these lemons

Walter, is there even a slim chance that the truss rod nut has reached the end of its travel and, if so, will a MIM jazz support the addition of spacing washers?

Riis

[PeteJohnson]

Morning guys,

Many thanks for all the ideas on this knotty problem -- I hadn't checked into Talkbass in many a moon. There is an amazing amount of knowledge and talent here.

The neck's in a jig right now, bending it ever so much further back and I'm just going to see if I can coax the trussrod along. Nothing to lose with this approach.

I did find out some things, though, that I'll post for the searchable future of Talkbass and everyone reading this now. The Mighty Mite 2920 seems to be for the P-bass 5; 3" at the heel versus my MIM's 2 13/16th. There's a Nitro 4+1 that is likely the correct measurement at the 20th fret, but it's pricey as the Warmoth. Plus, though all the hardware installation for that neck wouldn't be that challenging, I don't feel up to it now.

So thanks again to the brethren who offered their time and ideas for this. They're dutifully saved to memory with me and I hope to be speaking with you all again on these different forums.

Oh, and the footnote -- the wife took pity on my plight and offered that starting fresh might be in order. A Lakland 55-01 will be inbound in a couple of weeks. There is a Santa Claus.

Best from Atlanta, and happy rest-of-the-holidays to you guys,

Pete

[walterw]

Originally Posted by Zooberwerx

Walter, is there even a slim chance that the truss rod nut has reached the end of its travel and, if so, will a MIM jazz support the addition of spacing washers?

Riis

that is of course an easy thing to try and always worth a shot.