Squier VM Jazz Action Issues

HillBillyWannaB · #1 10-15-2010, 07:25 AM

NOTE: I have ordered a Mighty Mite neck for this bass, but I'm going to customize it a little so I'd still like to get the stock neck better before this one is done.

Hey guys, I've been playing around with the action on my VM Jazz. Does anyone else have trouble getting a decent action on these? I've set up plenty of basses, so I'm not new at it. Any time I get the action close to being decent I get buzzing all over the place.

I would up doing a "reverse" shim on it which helped a little (it may need a little more). I did it that way because the bottom of the neck (bridge side) looked like a ramp, it really came up alot at the end of the neck. I put a shim on the headstock side of the pocket and removed the bridge side sandpaper shim that was in there. At least now the saddles don't look like theyre on stilts.

I'm a VERY hard finger player, so I don't want it too low. But any suggestions would be welcome. The neck relief is perfect and looks very straight. I also have a Gotoh bridge on it. I'll be uploading pics of the shim adjustment in a few minutes.

THanks

HillBillyWannaB · #2 10-15-2010, 07:57 AM

Here are the before and after pics of the shim, I still think it needs a little more. (Before/after)

SurferJoe46 · #3 10-15-2010, 09:08 AM

Something's wrong there I do believe. That neck sits 'way too deep into the pocket I feel and it's nowhere near the stock setting:

MINE:

YOURS:

My neck stands proud-er than yours does, fer sure!

My bridge height screws are right where the tops of the Allens are just slightly peeking outta the top and that's were I am at the mo for height adjustment.

Of all the basses I play, I dig in to this one a littler harder than the others and haven't dropped the strings lower - yet. That may change though. .

Burlington · #4 10-15-2010, 09:13 AM

Those necks are a lot different... look at the dots.

JLS · #5 10-15-2010, 09:19 AM

It sounds like you're describing a serious ski jump at the end of this neck. If you don't deal with this, nothing else will fall into place in re: setup, and, no, shimming the neck pocket in either direction is not the cure.

Bobster · #6 10-15-2010, 09:34 AM

Looks like the angled neck bottom and Gotoh bridge are causing too much gap.

I'd recommend leveling the bottom of the neck and then adding a neck pocket shim/spacer. I'm guessing somewhere arounr 1/32" or 1/16" of an inch and see if that gets it closer.

Bob

SurferJoe46 · #7 10-15-2010, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Burlington

Those necks are a lot different... look at the dots.

Yeah - I see the dots are placed in obvious different locations now that you mention it. His are IN the binding itself - mine are only halfway into it.

Did I misinterpret that he has a custom neck on it already?

I don't think so - look at the binding - they are identical.

But there's something very different here - perhaps a different vintage or manufacturing site?

HillBillyWannaB · #8 10-15-2010, 11:38 AM

No, that's the stock neck. I ordered a mighty mite neck to put on there.

Hey SurferJoe, thanks for the pic. I've noticed that also about the neck sitting too low. I've looked at a couple in some music stores around here and they look like yours, not mine.

Bob, would I be able to shim that much? If I did, I'd shim the whole pocket and drill holes through the shim. Would that be the way to go.

Here's a better angle of my neck:

SurferJoe46 · #9 10-15-2010, 11:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HillBillyWannaB

No, that's the stock neck. I ordered a mighty mite neck to put on there.

Hey SurferJoe, thanks for the pic. I've noticed that also about the neck sitting too low. I've looked at a couple in some music stores around here and they look like yours, not mine.

Bob, would I be able to shim that much? If I did, I'd shim the whole pocket and drill holes through the shim. Would that be the way to go.

Here's a better angle of my neck:

Gads ------ something fishy here methinks.

You never posted the year/make/model or country of origin though.

If you shim it, I wouldn't use a wooden shim - too soft in my opinion.

>> I'd use playing card stock since it's pure linen with a plasticiser and tons of heated pressure to make compress them and they do NOT flow or deform easily!

Burlington · #10 10-15-2010, 11:50 AM

OP, did you buy this brand new?

HillBillyWannaB · #11 10-15-2010, 11:53 AM

No, I bought it used (under $200). so I'm not that worried about it. I'm just hoping it's a neck issue that the mighty mite will take care of, rather than something with the neck pocket itself.

It's crafted in Indonesia, not sure of the year.

Bobster · #12 10-15-2010, 11:59 AM

HillBillyWannaB,

I'd shim the whole pocket and drill holes, for sure. I would use a hard wood like maple or ash for the shim.

HillBillyWannaB · #13 10-15-2010, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bobster

HillBillyWannaB,

I'd shim the whole pocket and drill holes, for sure. I would use a hard wood like maple or ash for the shim.

That looks like the plan. Can I find those woods at a Lowe's or Home Depot do you think? Or should I be looking elsewhere? I guess it will be more of a spacer than a shim.

If not I can use Joe's suggestion and get a deck of cards, just to see if that fixes it before I can find the right wood to use.

Thanks guys, any other suggestions are more than welcome.

Bobster · #14 10-15-2010, 12:33 PM

If you have, or can borrow an outside micrometer, measure the thickness of another VM's neck. Then cut the shim to match that thickness.

I would strongly recommend leveling the current neck's bottom to start with and work from there.

Bob

BuffaloBass · #15 10-15-2010, 12:57 PM

Dude, I had a 5 string like this and I almsot got fed up after many shimming attempts, and loaded the pocket with Steel Bed ( used for anchoring high powered rifle actions ) and milled it out fresh. I ended up shimming to the best of may amatuer ability and wheeling the bass as it would never had an adequate action for me until I dropped the dime on a professional luthier.

YMMV.

selowitch · #16 10-15-2010, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bobster

HillBillyWannaB,

I'd shim the whole pocket and drill holes, for sure. I would use a hard wood like maple or ash for the shim.

Isn't a business card used most of the time?

Bobster · #17 10-15-2010, 03:12 PM

selowitch,

For "normal" shimming, a business card works great.

However, if you look at the pics, in this case, there is significant difference in neck thickness at the heal in those two pictures.

It would take a lot of cards.

Bob

selowitch · #18 10-15-2010, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bobster

selowitch,

For "normal" shimming, a business card works great.

However, if you look at the pics, in this case, there is significant difference in neck thickness at the heal in those two pictures.

It would take a lot of cards.

Bob

Eh, business is slow anyway!

Seriously, though, yeah now that I look at the pics it does look like the body end of the neck is really far from the strings. So either the truss rod is allowing too concave a bow, the bridge saddles are set REALLY high, or the neck pocket is too deep, or ... well, you know, several possibilities.

HillBillyWannaB · #19 10-15-2010, 03:47 PM

Went to Lowe's today. I have a couple of options I'm going to play with tonight. I'll snap some pics and let you know how it goes.

BTW, playing cards and business cards are all good options. But I grabbed a bunch of the square paint samples from the paint department (some of them textured) to see how they work. And they're free, of course I don't think you're supposed to take a 2" stack of them.

HillBillyWannaB · #20 10-15-2010, 03:49 PM

Also, I know this all seems silly for just a squier. But I really do dig this bass, and it sounds killer!