Neck Doesn't Fit Body

[Livewire]

Hey guys, building a jazz bass this summer, the mighty mite neck I bought does not fit the jazz body I have. My question is, would it be better/easier to chisel the body or the neck until they fit each other. I'm a newb to the whole luthier section. Any help would be great, thanks!

[BassBilodeau]

Always work the neck pocket to fit the neck, never the opposite.

Maybe you could use a router instead of a chisel? that's whad I would do ...

[psychotiger]

Chisel bad. Router good. Make a template based on the neck. The neck should fit into the template as it would fit into the newly routered pocket. Test the template on scrap wood. Router the test pocket using a template bit. Adjust the test pocket using sand paper until the neck fits. You can use double-sided carpet tape to hold the template down. Template material should be at least 1/2" thick to bear the weight of the router.
Good luck!