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02-20-2011, 12:01 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Kings Mountain, North Carolina | | | Should i shim my bass neck??
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ive set the bridge as low as it can go and also truss rod adjusted correctly? would shimming it help?  |
02-20-2011, 12:06 AM
| | | | wat? are you trying to achieve low action?
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Originally Posted by snyderz  Any bass can play any thing. | Naked Bassist Club Creator [#1] Carvin Club Member #89 Vegetarian Club Creator [#1] |
03-12-2011, 07:13 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Greeneville, Tennessee | | | I have the same problem bridge is bottomed out and neck is straight. The action is still not low enough. I wonder if a shim would help? |
03-12-2011, 07:18 AM
|  | Quatre-cordes | | Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: New Orleans, LA /El Paso TX | | | should be moved to setup and repair, but if you are sure that the neck is straight, the frets are level and you still cannot lower the saddles enough, then a shim would compensate for that. Most of the time though, on mass production instruments, fret level is not perfect, and if you have a high fret between the 15-20th fret, the shim will make the bass buzz horribly, and you will have to raise the action, getting you to the same place you were before shimming. Also if your neck is Fender style and ski-jumping same problem. |
03-12-2011, 07:21 AM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Virginia Beach, VA | | Quote:
Originally Posted by AHDBassist I have the same problem bridge is bottomed out and neck is straight. The action is still not low enough. I wonder if a shim would help? | If your bass is set-up correctly (including witness points!) and the action is still too high, a shim at the butt end of the neck pocket may help.
Once you have set your optimal relief via truss rod, do not adjust it to compensate for bridge limitations.
Riis
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03-12-2011, 07:33 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Greeneville, Tennessee | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by joeyl should be moved to setup and repair, but if you are sure that the neck is straight, the frets are level and you still cannot lower the saddles enough, then a shim would compensate for that. Most of the time though, on mass production instruments, fret level is not perfect, and if you have a high fret between the 15-20th fret, the shim will make the bass buzz horribly, and you will have to raise the action, getting you to the same place you were before shimming. Also if your neck is Fender style and ski-jumping same problem. | I agree, but I am not op so I cannot move it. It is a Fender Jazz Bass someone has defretted. Since there are no frets now the action needs to be lowered further but the bridge is already bottomed out. |
03-12-2011, 07:51 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: New York, NY / U.S.A. | | I just had the exact same issue with my new bass and a shim fixed it completely! Carvin SB5000 / SB4000 Roll Call...Part 3!
Cheers!
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03-12-2011, 07:56 AM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: long island new york | | | Also don't forget the nut might be a tad to high. |
03-12-2011, 08:12 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Greeneville, Tennessee | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by CharlieC | Excellent advice! Where did you position the shim in the neck pocket? |
03-12-2011, 08:17 AM
|  | Everybody Wang Chung Tonight | | Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Houston Tx | | Quote:
Originally Posted by AHDBassist Excellent advice! Where did you position the shim in the neck pocket? |
Any thing will work really. A business card works fine, I've had stock fenders that they used a piece of sand paper.
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03-12-2011, 08:20 AM
|  | Real Basses Have 5 Strings! | | Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Colorado | | | I have a few basses that had to be shimmed.
You have 3 choices.
1 - shim it flat. this takes the whole neck up a fraction of an inch.
2 - shim it with the head tilted down.
3 - shim it with the head tilted up.
For your situation try 1 or 2. |
03-12-2011, 08:24 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Virginia Beach, VA | | Quote:
Originally Posted by AHDBassist Excellent advice! Where did you position the shim in the neck pocket? | You have a choice: either a full pocket shim (overkill) or a partial shim placed in the butt-end (end of neck) of the pocket. I use beer can aluminum or metal flashing (swiped from the wife's art studio).
Riis
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"20% of the money will buy you 90% of the sound..another 30% of the money will buy you another 5% of the sound..you can't buy the remaining 5% of the sound because nobody can agree about what it is." |
03-12-2011, 08:34 AM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Coeur d'Alene | | | It's not that big of a deal IMO, a lot of basses need it.
What I did with mine was took the two jokers out of a new deck of cards, cut them in half, and shimmed the butt end of the neck pocket with them.
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03-12-2011, 08:41 AM
| | Registered User
Partner: Otentic Guitars | | Join Date: May 2009 Location: Gorinchem,The Netherlands | | | My $ 0.02: the back of the neck should make perfect contact with the bottom of the neck pocket to guarantee good tone and sustain. A shim may help (sandpaper
as mentioned by Hopkins is a good choice), but filing the neck pocket bottom may be necessary if it doesn't. The bottom of the neck pocket shouldn't show even the slightest rim. |
03-12-2011, 08:51 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Greeneville, Tennessee | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by Hopkins
Any thing will work really. A business card works fine, I've had stock fenders that they used a piece of sand paper.
| Just put it in the center of the screws? |
03-12-2011, 08:54 AM
|  | Moderator
Endorsing Artist: Martin Keith Guitars Moderator | | Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Long Island, NY | | Quote:
Originally Posted by joeyl should be moved to setup and repair | Better late than never. Moved. |
03-12-2011, 09:01 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: New York, NY / U.S.A. | | Quote:
Originally Posted by AHDBassist Excellent advice! Where did you position the shim in the neck pocket? | The small 1" x 1/4" x 1/32" cardboard shim was placed in the far butt end of the neck pocket, which raised and angled the neck enough to correct the issue (and remains un-detectable.)
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03-12-2011, 09:20 AM
|  | keepin' the beat since the 60's | | Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Studio City, SoCal, USA | | | No - NOT in the center of the screws. Between the last screws and the end of the pocket so the neck is tilted back. Putting it in the center will not help.
I have done this several times with one or 2 layers of business card cut to fit the curve of the pocket, and it works VERY well. Super low action without bottoming the bridge. I have also had a couple of basses where this was done at the factory with a piece of thin plastic.
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03-12-2011, 09:22 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: May 2010 Location: Saratoga Springs, NY | | Quote:
Originally Posted by AHDBassist I have the same problem bridge is bottomed out and neck is straight. The action is still not low enough. I wonder if a shim would help? | The neck should never be perfectly straight (most people think it should be), it should have a very slight inner bow. That alone might help w/ string buzz. Shims can help but I would exhaust other ideas b4 shimming
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03-12-2011, 09:23 AM
| | Registered User
I setup & repair guitars & basses | | Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Kensington, Ca | | | RE:My $ 0.02: "filing the neck pocket bottom"
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris K My $ 0.02: the back of the neck should make perfect contact with the bottom of the neck pocket to guarantee good tone and sustain. A shim may help (sandpaper
as mentioned by Hopkins is a good choice), but filing the neck pocket bottom may be necessary if it doesn't. The bottom of the neck pocket shouldn't show even the slightest rim. | "Filing" the neck pocket?
I don't think so...
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