Goofy neck angle

[billhilly66]

I just finished a P-bass from Warmoth parts and the neck angle isn’t right. I used a standard L-bridges and the saddles are nearly bottomed out. I did a Warmoth J-bass last year and it set up just fine. Should I shim it or call Warmoth and gripe? Will a shim affect the tone? How do I figure the thickness of the shim vs the amount I need to get the saddles where they ought to be? Thanks in advance for your help.

[Rocky McD]

A very thin shim can make a very large difference in neck angle. Many are about the thickness of a business card, that is where I would start. I usually cut mine about 1/2" X 2" and put a slight touch of glue to hold them in place while installing the neck. Is the neck pretty tight in the pocket?
Rocky

[billhilly66]

yeah, the neck is real tight. That's what bugs me. This is the 3rd Warmoth build I've done and the other two had the same tight fit but they set up well. I guess the shim is the way to go but it kinda irks me that I have to go that route.

[Rocky McD]

A tight fitting neck is good because you will not be bothered with side to side movement. The shim should not affect the tone to any noticable degree. Shiming necks is quite common and you should not be concerned. Can you get a fairly low action with the saddles bottomed out? That size shim should bring them up to midway and a nice string clearance. Let me know how it works out.
Rocky

[billhilly66]

The action is ok. It still needs work and not all of the sadles are completely bottomed out. I'll try a small shim and see if I can get it to set up like the J-bass. Thanks for your help. I really appreciate it.