Ok y'all...this isn't nearly as bad or daunting as it may seem. I just got mine mounted tonight with no hiccups whatsoever and it is spectacular! It's every bit as perfect and familiar as the Modulus and Gould necks I've played on. Do I wish it was essentially plug and play and precision tight like a Warmoth neck from the start? Sure, but they seemed to have done enough due diligence to make the installation trouble free from a fit standpoint. Adding the piece of aluminum into the neck to be able to tap into I have to say was a very unique design choice and will make them far more compatible with other screw hole patterns. I do still wish there had been a bit more upfront or even updated communication about what was going to need be done, but it is what it is at this point. Again, no knock at the KLOS guys who have always been spectacular. I want them to succeed in every which way, and this will all soon be forgotten about as the process gets refined.
A few things to note -
1. If you don't feel comfortable doing this yourself, DON'T! It is non-returnable once you start drilling.
2. READ THE INSTRUCTIONS, and then READ THEM AGAIN! THEY MUST BE FOLLOWED TO THE LETTER!
3. I'm not kidding. FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS. Even if you have done something like this before I can't stress how important it is. It needs to be precise, and you need to be precise in your execution.
4. Things you will need : A clean work surface, set of strings and at least the E and G strings installed into the bridge, a small C clamp (or whatever works for you) to clamp the neck to the body and something to protect them from damage, tape, drill, phillips screwdriver, a way to clamp the neck down so it doesn't move when you need to drill and tap the holes, a way to measure 15mm (I used calipers), PATIENCE.
5. The absolute smartest bit of instruction was to use tape to help get the neck centered in the pocket. I used two layers of blue painters tape and one layer of plastic pin-striping tape on each side of the neck while leaving the heal bare. This combination made the neck fit in the pocket as snug as a factory or Warmoth neck would with basically zero side to side movement. With the neck securely clamped to the body I strung up the E and G strings with just enough tension to keep them in place so I could eyeball how they lined up. Being that this was a Warmoth body, everything was already very precise and I actually didn't have to do anything further to get it perfect.
The tape is the trick to getting it right, and you will encounter problems if you do not get the neck centered in the pocket before getting the holes started.
6. I think the length of the screws they provided are
at least 1/4" shorter than they should be using. They do thread into the aluminum when the neck is on the body, but not enough to my liking especially for how much was tapped. I plan to replace them with something longer ASAP.
So there you have it! I'll post a full photo of the bass it's on when I have a chance to take it in better lighting. Please feel free to ask any questions!
