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Any Advice On Assembling a Precision?

jasper383

jasper383

Dec 5, 2004
4,718
1,290
58
Durham NC
#1
I have purchased a Precision Bass from someone, and he is shipping it with the neck removed.

Any advice on assembling the bass? How tight do I tighten down the screws? Do I worry about neck angle/ action/buzzing/dead spots?

Any advice from those who have been there is appreciated.
 
#2
what's the reason for removing the neck 'for shipping'?

this is actually quite strange, as all of the basses you buy from mass produced companies thru the botique builders all ship with the neck attached, strings loaded, and tuned up.

is this person who will be shipping simply uninformed?

FWIW, I have shipped (and received for modifications)numerous basses across this country (fully assembled, and in tune) without an incident. if the bass is disassembled, I sure hope the person knows that they must also remove all the tension from the trussrod prior to packaging the bass ... and if the neck has been off for a long time, the trussrod should have been loosened back when the neck was removed

all the best,

R
 
#3
Hope you dont end up with a screwy neck. THere are many resources that tell people to loosen the strings and leave the truss rod as it is. That can lead to bowing problems when you get the bass. Has the person shipped the bass? contact him about the neck thing.
 
#4
jasper383 said:
I have purchased a Precision Bass from someone, and he is shipping it with the neck removed.

Any advice on assembling the bass? How tight do I tighten down the screws? Do I worry about neck angle/ action/buzzing/dead spots?

Any advice from those who have been there is appreciated.
Click to expand...

Going to a pro is best, but....:D
I switch between a fretted and fretless p-bass neck on my '70 p-bass
several times a year. Warning: I am not a luthier! Here is what I do:

1) Put the bass on a good work surface, resting on its back on a nice
thick towel to protect the finish,
2) Make sure the neck, plate, and pocket are clean and free of dust,
wood particles, loose paint chips, etc.
3) When installing the neck, lower it into the neck pocket from above.
Do Not try to slide it in from the open end of the pocket, as the heel is
flared and won't go in that way.
4) Don't put any stress on the fragile lower horn edge of the pocket, as
the finish and thin wood there can easily chip.
5) Make sure the neck is fully seated in the pocket.
6) Flip the bass over gently, put the plate where it belongs, and insert
all 4 screws.
7) Tighten each screw a little at a time. In other words, tighten each
one a few turns at a time with a good fitting phillips screwdriver.
8) Get the screws really tight (equally), but don't over tighten to the
point when the head of the screw gets striped or burred. If one doesn't
tighten up snug, extract it and put a thin long sliver (flat tooth pick) of
wood in the hole (no glue!), and retighten.
9) Restring, tune up, and check to see that the neck is sitting straight
in all planes. For example, if you see the G string is really close to the
edge of the fingerboard up between the 15th and 20th frets, the neck
is pointing down toward the floor slightly when you hold the bass to
play it. To adjust, loosen the strings and the screws, and gently push
or pull the neck in the direction it needs to go to make it align with
the strings. Retighten as before and restring.
10) Do any needed truss rod and action/intonation adjustments.
11) Play it a lot, and check it again each day for a few days.

Shimming a loose pocket is a whole other THANG. :smug:

I hope this helps. :cool:
 
#6
spudmaster34 said:
People ship basses with removed necks to save money on shipping
Click to expand...

Yes, this is why he is removing the neck. It's a used bass, not new. He's apparently a guitar guy, with lots of experience shipping guitars, all with the neck removed.

What is the point of loosening the truss rod to ship it? Do you loosen the rod before taking it off the bass?
 
#7
Ampeg SVT said:
Hope you dont end up with a screwy neck. THere are many resources that tell people to loosen the strings and leave the truss rod as it is. That can lead to bowing problems when you get the bass. Has the person shipped the bass? contact him about the neck thing.
Click to expand...

If you have received the bass already, I say, put 'er together and see
how she comes out. Leave the truss adjuster as is. You may just need to
adjust it when doing the set-up. Go to a Pro luthier if you are not
experienced with this. :p
 

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