MIM jazz bass neck pocket gap question

Rman12321 · #1 03-13-2013, 11:05 PM

I got my new MIM Jazz a week ago, and yesterday night I was cleaning out some of the factory wax from one of the screws on the neck plate and I backed it out 1-2 turns just so i could clean it better. Today I noticed a miniscule gap from where the body heel meets the neck. My question is, could I have done this by backing out one screw the slightest bit? Because I never really looked for gaps when I got it so, I dont know if it was there before, or If I caused it by backing out one of the screws 1-2 turns while the other 3 were still in.

Any help would be appreciated since this is giving so much anxiety

Thanks

Draculea · #2 03-13-2013, 11:36 PM

I think it would depend on which side the screw is; if it is one of the screws on the heel-neck joint side it might be possible that the string tension caused this gap to be there as only one screw might not have been enough to hold up. Did you loosen the string when you did this, or did you keep the bass tuned? if you did the former, the gap might have been there from the start and you didn't notice that, if it was the latter then maybe you caused the gap. I don't think it's a difficult fix anyways, just loosen the strings and screw it back tightly. Just my two cents, hope it helps.

Rman12321 · #3 03-13-2013, 11:43 PM

Hello, thanks for the reply, I loosened all the strings off yesterday then backed off the screw 1-2 turns then tightened it down, and the gap is still there. So can I conclude that it was manufactured that way?

Thanks

Also, the gap is less than a millimeter, so is this type of gap normal?

Rman12321 · #4 03-14-2013, 02:13 AM

Heres some photos to show what im talking about, I just loosened the top 2 screws on the neck plate, held the neck and body tightly together, then screwed them in and it didnt really change anything

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/90/img0077jq.jpg/
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/33/img00741b.jpg/
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/248/img0076nm.jpg/

I dont know if you can really tell by the photos, but I just tried to fit a 0.50mm pick in there and it did not slide in so i think the gap is smaller than that...

I am doctor diagnosed with OCD and anxiety disorders so I really lose sleep over thinking I caused this gap myself, and I constantly go and check it. Is it normal for the neck to not sit flush with the body in these areas? Because ive tried to loosen the screws and re-tighten them down but nothing happens....

dj5 · #5 03-14-2013, 02:24 AM

Don't worry about it - as long as you've done what draculea said, that's it. Any gap visible was there before you touched anything, and it makes no difference at all, as as much wood as is possible is in contact with the pocket. They're rarely perfect - it is timber after all, not metal, which you'd expect to be perfectly flush.
Don't keep going over it - you'll drive yourself crazy for nothing.
All the best

Showdown · #6 03-14-2013, 02:35 AM

Buy a set of feeler gauges and see how big the gap is.

If there is a gap loosen all 4 bolts and see if it fits tight with all of them loose. If there is no gap with all the screws loose, then tighten them slowly working your way around a little at a time so they go in evenly. Don't tighten one down completely before starting on the next one. The gap could be from the screws binding, and moving around from screw to screw a little at a time tightening them evenly will help prevent that.

Good luck, and take your time.

dj5 · #7 03-14-2013, 02:57 AM

Good point - tighten them like you would a car wheel - diagonal and small increments. Forgot about that, but that's the way I tighten everything - I'm a bit OCD too. When I see people putting things together with an electric screwdriver full torque on each screw one at a time it makes me cringe! Come to think about it, that's how they tighten the wheel nuts in the garage, but they're too big and burly to point this out to!