Building up a neck pocket

[searchfunction]

I bought a bass from an e-bay "luthier" for cheap. After all is said and done, i need to either build up the neck pocket or recess the bridge to get a good string height. the bass came with a .180 shim in the neck. how do i do this? or what should i do?

[lowfreq33]

I'd buy a sheet of wood veneer and cut it to size. You can do multiple layers to get the height you want.

[Big B.]

Got any pics? For a Fender type bass I'd be more likely to add a piece to the neck pocket. On a more custom style bass I would be more likely to add a contrasting layer to the neck instead and sculpt it to look cool.

[pilotjones]

If you have the facility to do so, you can angle one surface of the existing shim to give the neck some tiltback. But adding more shim as suggested by lowfreq is easier.

[searchfunction]

I was just wondering, isn't .180 inch of shim a huge amount?

[Phendyr_Loon]

Originally Posted by searchfunction

I was just wondering, isn't .180 inch of shim a huge amount?

Yeah, that's a lot. A little over 1/8", close to 5/32".