Assuming that your bass was constructed properly, a luthier can sort that out. Two alternatives are to buy a third-party neck from a reputable manufacturer or buy a new bass.
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Are jazz bass necks too small?
- Thread starter Mantis Tobaggan
- Start date
As far as the truss rod being maxed out, that has less to do with the guitar than the location of the guitar. I live in Florida and a very humid environment and have to actually adjust my neck more often than any other place I’ve lived. So yes, you can blow through a truss rod’s life in a shorter time in some locations. It’s a little bit exacerbated by the fact that the Jazz neck is so thin, but I’ve also experienced this on my P bass in Florida.First of all , yes it is unusual for a Jazz neck truss rod to be maxed out. As to the neck feeling small , this is subjective. If you are used to the wider P neck then yes , a jazz neck is and will feel smaller. If you are used to an Ibanez neck , they are (most of them) about the same size as a Jazz neck. As to whether this is a problem , again it is subjective. I own two P's (both 1.65 necks), an Ibanez and a Cort bass. I prefer the P necks for performing as the give me a bit of "wiggle room" so to speak. I keep the Ibanez and the Cort in my practice room (computer room) and these are what I learn new songs on. The Ibby is a 1.50 neck so the same as a jazz. The Cort is just a hair smaller than the Ibby. I have no problem switching back and forth from any of them. I have played all of them on stage over the years but mostly the two P's for the last seven years or so. Some people have a problem switching neck sizes , some don't. So I guess I have to put in the old standard disclaimer that YMMV.
I have played a couple of P's over the years that had the 1.75 neck and did notice the difference from my basses but didn't have any problem with them either.
My P Bass came (new) with an A prefix stamped at the base of the neck. Not knowing much about this topic, it always appeared to me the same nut width was the same as a Jazz. I now also own a Jazz and both necks appear to be the same size.
The "A" neck is 1.5" at the nut. Typical for a J, slim for a typical P. I had a friend with a 72 P with the A neck. Soooo nice!
FWIW, in Fender B is 1.625" and C is 1.75" wide.
As for the OP, Jazz necks being small is a relative term.
My fave neck of all is a P w/1.75” nut, but, I Love my de-fretted AVRI ‘62 Jazz neck also. I have always felt comfortable with wide and flat necks so 5 strings came easily for me.
In fact I really think necks alone are almost inconsequential as I play EUB, short scale, fretless, 35” all in my collection, all get used for different applications.
They get selected by the task, so to speak.
In fact I really think necks alone are almost inconsequential as I play EUB, short scale, fretless, 35” all in my collection, all get used for different applications.
They get selected by the task, so to speak.
On a more serious note, there are many thousands of Jazz players out there who find the neck just fine. Then there are those like Duck Dunn who put a Jazz neck on a P bass.
I have wide hands and short fingers. I much prefer the Jazz necks. I have a Fender MIM Precision Deluxe that came stock with a Jazz neck. I’ve started playing some 5-string bass and the widest at the nut neck I’ll play on those is the 1.75” aka 45 mm.
My first bass was an L-series (1964) Jazz Bass, BUT it had the (wide) C-width neck, which was apparently an option at the time. I think back then, Jazz Basses had A-width necks as standard and P-Basses were B as standard, but I have seen plenty that had C. I'm pretty sure that my C-width neck with a Jazz Bass decal on it was THIN and not the more rounded profile that P-basses of the day had. The A-width is narrower than I like as well, but I didn't realize the reduced mass of the thinner A-width neck caused a problem with truss rod compensation. If that were a common problem, you'd think they would use a thicker truss rod or thread it down further. Perhaps the latter would lead to snapping or some other ugly problem. Having said all of this, my current Jazz Bass is an American Standard five-string, and I think that's no different than the neck they put on the P-basses... in other words wide. I do like the thinner profile while being wide. As I recall (from contemporaneous ads, and not actually being quite that old) the Jazz Bass was touted as facilitating "advanced playing technique". You'd think if it were aimed at double bass guys, a thick neck would be more familiar. I do like the two single coil pickups over the P-bass setup. Punchy, and if the pickups are at about the same level, there's no hum in the studio. I also like a series configuration, and even if you want a single tone control, I recommend a double pot on one shaft so they can be wired before the volume controls.
Like I did. This thing is absolutely the best Fender I've ever played.
40mm is pretty narrow for a Precision. I'd say Precisions are more like 42mm, with many a bit wider.
My P ('66) has the 1.75 neck, and I've found over the years that the "Fullerton Slugger" neck is the only thing I'm really comfortable playing. I used a Precision Plus for a while when I had my Precision in for refretting and a new pickup, and I didn't care for it (tone or feel) at all.
Neck too small is subjective, its a lot like a fat ass - preference and perception goes a long way.
If you're not experienced fixing your own guitars - leave it alone - but you can often get more truss rod travel by loosening the truss rod entirely, clamping the neck straight under string tension, then tightening the truss rod a bit. This can "reseat" things.
Also many people choose to pretend that you can't shim the neck on a Fender, but 99.999% of all Fenders ever produced play their best with a shim in the neck pocket to get the upper fret access just right without absurd truss rod tweaking. There is a right way and a wrong way to shim a neck pocket - the shim should ALWAYS be at the inner most portion of the body, and not wide enough to interfere with the lower neck screws.
If its really bad, you can also get more truss rod travel by having a luthier do a defret, planing the board back to the right geometry when straight, then refretting. This can look weird though as it thins rosewood boards unevenly in some cases, but its better than a warpy neck with high action. It is expensive though...it would be a last resort for a bass you'd never part with.
Carol Kaye (who does not seem to be a fan of Precisions) once said the first thing she did when she got a P-Bass in the Wrecking Crew days was to shim the neck.
If you have small hands, then the jazz neck will feel just right. My classic stingray 5 had a 1.44mm neck width. My favorite bass luthier (Christopher Royce), rescaled my 5 string neck to the popular 1.38mm nut width. (the jazz bass nut width). And now, she handles like a dream. So I would say that for big hands the jazz bass neck size would be an issue; but Louis Johnson played a jazz bass on occasion and you know how big his hands are!!!
Can anyone tell me if your putting the shim towards the headstock or the butt in the neck pocket? Or; WWCD? ................. ......... What would Carol do? 
