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Narrowing a stock bass neck?

hooky_marr

hooky_marr

Supporting Member
Jul 26, 2005
847
1,308
Chicago, Illinois
#1
That's basically it. If I had a stock short-scale with a Fender-type neck, but I wanted it to be a bit narrower (width, not depth) to somewhere in between the stock width and a Hofner Beatle Bass, could I plane it down, or would it compromise the strength of the neck?

Follow-up question: Would it be worthwhile, or even possible, to build a custom neck that fits a Warmoth SSB neck pocket, but has a narrower fingerboard and neck once you get out of the pocket area? (i.e. like the fingerboard is "stepped back" around the heel area)
 
#2
You could make it narrower at the nut, but if it fits a neck pocket, it would have to be the same width at the heel. You could make a step by the heel if you wanted the sides of the neck to be parallel with the strings. It will be a fraction less stiff, of course, but I wouldn't expect it to be a problem unless the stiffness is marginal already.

I did something similar once using a flap wheel on an angle grinder to sand both the neck and the frets. Make sure the direction of the flap wheel is pushing the frets into the wood, not pulling them out! Once you've got it most of the way there, you'll need to file it along its length to make it straight again.

How much narrower do you want it to be? Are you sure it is worth the effort?
 
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#3
I don't think losing stiffness would be an issue. I think @smart51 brings up the real issue of how to handle changing width at the pocket. If you narrowed the neck the length of the fingerboard you'd have to do some sort of step and maybe need to narrow the spacing at the bridge (new saddles? A different bridge?).

Building a neck is doable too, but the neck would still end up at current width over the pocket. You'd have to pull frets from the existing neck and refret anyway, so making one isn't that much more work than altering the current neck. If there's a chance you'd ever sell the current neck, then I wouldn't modify it.
 
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#4
Like the others have said, narrowing an existing neck is not a big deal. I've done it a few times for customers. It can be done with the frets in there, as long as you are careful not to push them up in the process. I remember doing the narrowing with a big file. Carefully, checking with a straightedge as I go. Blend the shape on the sides of the neck with a file, smoothing it with sanding blocks. Obviously, you are going to mess up the finish on the back of the neck, so you'll probably be sanding all the finish off and refinishing.

No worries about the structural strength. You'll only be removing a small amount of wood, and it's out where it's not under much load anyway.

Yes, you could make a custom neck as you describe, with the fingerboard narrower over the heel. Leaving small shoulders at the sides of the heel. That shouldn't be any problem. Assuming that you are narrowing the string spacing at the bridge.

You could also do that to your existing neck, if you want to. A little extra wood trimming with a chisel and a file.

Are you thinking of doing these mods yourself, or asking about whether someone can do them for you?
 
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#5
smart51 said:
How much narrower do you want it to be? Are you sure it is worth the effort?
Click to expand...

Good question. I'm currently playing a Bacchus WJB-Mini jazz bass which has a slightly sub-30" scale length. I think it feels a little big because I put flats on it and I'm still getting used to the string tension (might switch back to roundwounds) but it's not overly wide; I had swapped the stock Fender-style bridge for the narrowest Hipshot Style A (.656 spacing) to tighten up the spacing a bit, intending to try pick-style playing for a Beatley tone.

I'm considering getting a second WJB Mini as a sort of test bed for some 3-pickup layout ideas, and I was looking at the Kahler 2440 bridge which can go down to 14mm spacing like a Hofner, which led me down the path of wondering if a straighter, more guitar-neck-ish taper would work better.
 
#7
Bruce Johnson said:
Like the others have said, narrowing an existing neck is not a big deal. I've done it a few times for customers. ... No worries about the structural strength. You'll only be removing a small amount of wood, and it's out where it's not under much load anyway.
Click to expand...

That's good to know. I had guessed as much but good to hear it confirmed.

Bruce Johnson said:
Yes, you could make a custom neck as you describe, with the fingerboard narrower over the heel. Leaving small shoulders at the sides of the heel. That shouldn't be any problem. Assuming that you are narrowing the string spacing at the bridge.
Click to expand...

Good. As noted in an earlier reply, I'd be going for a 14mm spacing, likely using a Kahler 2440 bridge, or a slightly wider 15ish-mm using Babicz solo rails packed tightly.

Bruce Johnson said:
Are you thinking of doing these mods yourself, or asking about whether someone can do them for you?
Click to expand...

Oh, I'd definitely be getting someone more skilled than myself to do it! I don't have the tools nor the space.
 
#12
hooky_marr said:
Yeah, some sort of step would be needed, but that's an inelegant solution.

I don't think I'd be selling the neck / bass. I may just go the completely custom route.
Click to expand...
One could also completely fill the neck pocket with a block of wood, and then route a new neck pocket in that for a narrower neck, essentially leaving a shim on either side of the neck heel. Or just fit a shim to the bass side and then shave down the neck heel to meet the treble side of the new, narrower neck.
 
#14
J Posega said:
One could also completely fill the neck pocket with a block of wood, and then route a new neck pocket in that for a narrower neck, essentially leaving a shim on either side of the neck heel. Or just fit a shim to the bass side and then shave down the neck heel to meet the treble side of the new, narrower neck.
Click to expand...
That is a possibility, but at that point it's better to just start from scratch :)
 
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#16
J Posega said:
One could also completely fill the neck pocket with a block of wood, and then route a new neck pocket in that for a narrower neck, essentially leaving a shim on either side of the neck heel. Or just fit a shim to the bass side and then shave down the neck heel to meet the treble side of the new, narrower neck.
Click to expand...

If you narrow the neck pocket and the neck on that end, you have to consider a narrower bridge, or you run the risk of the strings falling off the fretboard when you play it. Fender J necks are narrower at the nut than a P neck, but not at the heel - people seem to be OK with this in general. You see a lot of folks wanting a thin (J) neck on their P, but I've never seen one complaining that a J neck was too wide at the heel.
 
#17
micguy said:
If you narrow the neck pocket and the neck on that end, you have to consider a narrower bridge, or you run the risk of the strings falling off the fretboard when you play it. Fender J necks are narrower at the nut than a P neck, but not at the heel - people seem to be OK with this in general. You see a lot of folks wanting a thin (J) neck on their P, but I've never seen one complaining that a J neck was too wide at the heel.
Click to expand...
Indeed. I’ve got a Kahler 2440 bridge which I’m going to set up as narrow as possible to try that out; it goes down to 14mm spacing.
 

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