New neck to give new life to old custom p bass?

[TheButler]

I need some opinions on a new neck i'm planning to put on my custom P bass The one on it at the moment is a 'vintaged' maple w/pau ferro fretboard (very nice but too wide and only 20 frets.) I am wanting to get a thinner neck (jazz bass roughly), 24 fret but one that can still fit the neck pocket on the body without much 'DIY' etc. I don't even know where i should start to look (i originally thought Warmoth but they apprently have bad neck dive) features of different wood types etc. If someone could link me to companies that they know to have good reputation to make high quality necks or where i can find out about differnet woods used and their merits that would be great!

[spudmaster34]

I have never heard of warmoth necks causing neck dive, unless you use heavier materials

[MNbassist]

ive got a warmoth neck on one of my basses, theres no neck dive, they are especially well made necks, id suggest one, although its a little pricy

[fish man]

There's no reason at all a Warmoth would be heavier, but I'd DIY anyways.

[TheButler]

Apparently they have steel reinforcement rods, I have heard it elsewhere on these boards that people find they give neck dive. I am not too bothered about price. I hear that Warmoth can't spray the headstock if you give them a swatch or paint # ? I am just really wanting to know the ins and outs and what people would think would look good on a white bodied bass that has black hardware.

[Phil Mailloux]

Originally Posted by TheButler

Apparently they have steel reinforcement rods, I have heard it elsewhere on these boards that people find they give neck dive.

BS, whoever posted that was full of it. Reinforcement rods don't cause neck dive.

About your replacement. You can't easily put a 24 fret neck into a 20 fret designed body. You can switch it for a 20 fret Jazz neck though, if that's what you want. And yes, Warmoth necks are excellent but pricy.

[fish man]

Originally Posted by Phil Mailloux

BS, whoever posted that was full of it. Reinforcement rods don't cause neck dive.

About your replacement. You can't easily put a 24 fret neck into a 20 fret designed body. You can switch it for a 20 fret Jazz neck though, if that's what you want. And yes, Warmoth necks are excellent but pricy.

You could make (or have made) a custom 24-fret neck to fit, but it would change the scale length, and that might cause neck dive. The idea would be to change the scale length in a way that the difference between the 20th and the saddles on the existing config would be equal to the distance between the 24th and the saddles with the new neck.
Does anyone know how to figure this out?

[TheButler]

I don't really know much about it. However, I know that you can get 24 fret necks were the fretboard overhangs. I have been looking at the warmoth ones and do really like them, the choice of woods etc is great What woods are the best choice when coming to a neck anyways ?

[Musiclogic]

you can have a 24 fret neck made with a long lip and set back heel for this type of rerofit, or have a 24 fret short lip neck and have the neck pocket alterd to fit.

[TheButler]

ah right nice. Still need some thoughts on wood though

[fish man]

Wood?
I like the more interesting varieties of maple (birdseye flame curl whatever), and in terms of fingerboard, it's mostly aesthetic IMO, so you could, depending on the colour of the bass, go for a nice rosewood/cocobolo/ebony or maybe something lighter, birdseye/palemoon/etc.

I wouldn't recommend getting a 24-fret fingerboard overhang, it make access almost impossible, and looks ridiculous.

[keyboardguy]

Here's some sites you should look:

http://www.allparts.com/categories.p...e=Bass%20Necks

http://wdmusic.com/bass_guitar_necks_13487_ctg.htm

http://www.guitarpartsresource.com/middle_bass.htm

http://www.mightymite.com/necks/index.html


Regards,

Mike

[TheButler]

Thanks thats great, I just really need an 21 fret at least that won't look too stupid will it ? The bass itself is a vintage white solid colour over a swamp ash body. I dunno if i should paint the headstock the same colour of white or make it the same wood as back of neck. I know it is down to personal prefernace but i would still like opinions Also, I will be selling my other enck but don't know how much i could get for it ? It is a light rosewood fretboard W/ lightly flamed/vintaged maple neck. The headstock is natural maple i think and has been finished to look very shiney. Unfortunatly there is a 70's style fender decal on the headstock stuck on by the previous owner don't know why he did it, is a high quality bass no need for fender decal

[Rodent]

warmoth does make a 24 fret neck designed to fit into a 20 fret neck pocket



you'd definitely need that extension resting on a pickguard

all the best,

R

[TheButler]

Yeh, i was thinking about that thanks, i do play some stuff where the few frets at the top are needed but it is just weighing it now

[spudmaster34]

for figuring out what the scale should be if you want 24 frets and no body mods.

I think, If you measure from the g saddle to the 20th fret, then multiply that be 4, it will give you the scale length if you were to make it a 24 fret bass with the 24th fret being in the same place as the old 20th, Anyone feel like looking at my math?

[fish man]

Originally Posted by spudmaster34

for figuring out what the scale should be if you want 24 frets and no body mods.

I think, If you measure from the g saddle to the 20th fret, then multiply that be 4, it will give you the scale length if you were to make it a 24 fret bass with the 24th fret being in the same place as the old 20th, Anyone feel like looking at my math?

I tried all that out, and yes, that's correct. Unfortunately, I discovered that the scale length would have to end up as 42.8" , and the neck would have to be 10 inches longer. So, that's pretty much right out of the question. Fun exercise though ...

[TheButler]

hmmm that would look like quite an extraordinary P bass. I don't think i'm quite up to navigating my way around a 42 inch neck just yet Thanks all the same

[MarkTAW]

The extra frets overhang the body, the don't add to the length. Warmoth, nor anyone I know of, will make a super-long scale length neck - they'd have to change the expensive machinery to do that. Just 34 and 35 (and that probably only on a 5), and just the regular number of frets + some overhang.

My warmoth neck bass is pretty heavy. It doesn't neck dive per-se, but it does affect playability a bit.

Funny how their site mentions the weight of a vintage and a bi-expanding truss rod, but not how much more their solution weighs.
http://www.warmoth.com/bass/necks/ne...ion=truss_rods

USACG uses graphite, and they offer a 21st fret. They just don't offer Fender headstocks.
http://www.usacustomguitars.com/neckfeatures.html

I have a Warmoth neck with a 21st fret, and it's nice to be able to hit that 5th above the octave two strings up. It does make it more difficult to reach/adjust the truss rod, though. 24 frets on a bass would look very strange - it would almost hit the pickup. 21 looks fine, nobody even notices it.

There's plenty of places to get replacement necks, Mike's list of links is excellent. I may have a couple others if I dig around.

[fish man]

USACG don't have Fender heads, but they have some really awesome alternatives. They don't, however, do 24 frets, or so they replied when I asked them to.