Neck pocket is slightly loose - what to do?

[Stagelab]

I just bought a bass from a fellow TBer and noticed the neck is a little loose. I don't see much of a gap but if I push the neck a bit, it moves and you hear the sound of wood rubbing against wood. The screws don't thread through the body so that's not the issue. What can I do to troubleshoot this and get a tighter fit?

 

[2saddleslab]

As long as the neck is stable & doesn't shift around on its own, nothing. Do the neck screws tighten properly? If so, I'd leave it as is.

 

[MonetBass]

I just bought a bass from a fellow TBer and noticed the neck is a little loose. I don't see much of a gap but if I push the neck a bit, it moves and you hear the sound of wood rubbing against wood. The screws don't thread through the body so that's not the issue. What can I do to troubleshoot this and get a tighter fit?

What? Sorry, but that doesn't make sense. In your pictures, I clearly see a neck plate which is part of the 'screws through the body' setup. For what it's worth, that neck pocket looks pretty tight to me. Perhaps the screw holes in the body have widened a bit over time, hence the movement you mention. Some pics with the neck off would be helpful here.

 

[Stagelab]

What? Sorry, but that doesn't make sense. In your pictures, I clearly see a neck plate which is part of the 'screws through the body' setup. For what it's worth, that neck pocket looks pretty tight to me. Perhaps the screw holes in the body have widened a bit over time, hence the movement you mention. Some pics with the neck off would be helpful here.

I wrote that the screws don't thread through the body meaning they fall through the body, which is ideal. Thread is the important word here that you missed.

I'll take off the neck later and will post more pics.

 

[Stagelab]

New pics.

 

[ineedaclutch]

Have you tried the same under string tension?

 

[Stagelab]

Have you tried the same under string tension?

Not yet.

 

[Stagelab]

Have you tried the same under string tension?

Problem solved with strings installed. All good.

 

[Zooberwerx]

I just bought a bass from a fellow TBer and noticed the neck is a little loose. I don't see much of a gap but if I push the neck a bit, it moves and you hear the sound of wood rubbing against wood. The screws don't thread through the body so that's not the issue. What can I do to troubleshoot this and get a tighter fit?

So you're getting a clean pass-thru of the screws? Still not a bad idea to chase the holes for a little more elbow room...comes in handy when centering / aligning the neck.

To stabilize the affair, remove the neck and stick a piece of metal mesh / screen between the heel and pocket floor. Faucet aerators work well as do bong screens. I use aluminum screen I kife from my wife's art studio.



Riis

 

[Stagelab]

Not sure how but looks like there are two versions of my post. I must've had a load issue due to my crappy Wi-Fi and submitted twice.

Issue is resolved with strings installed. See Neck pocket is slightly loose - what to do?

 

[Zooberwerx]

Not sure how but looks like there are two versions of my post. I must've had a load issue due to my crappy Wi-Fi and submitted twice.

Issue is resolved with strings installed. See Neck pocket is slightly loose - what to do?

Well, okay then. Glad you got it sorted out.

Riis

 

[Aussie Player]

Bass players have been inserting picks into neck gaps as long as Fender has been bolting necks on bodies. Puzzled why a common historical issue, is a concern. It's the nature of 2 foreign parts being assembled by non craftsmen.

If you get a chance to visit someone with a century plus year old house, ask to look at the attic framework as you will learn immediately what craftsmanship in wood cutting looks like.

Easier still, take a look at a Warwick neck join or other upmarket bass luthier. No gaps, tight and no variation between samples.

Today I was in a GC and there was a huge variation in bass quality on FSO's from various sources. Of the 2 Japanese basses there, one a 40 year old Jazz bass and the other a 2023 Aerodyne P bass, both were the superior builds in the store out all the basses I looked at.

Not trying to be snarky, just realistic.

 

[BeowulfKingsley]

I had a similar problem. I put a thin wood shim on either side of the neck, secured by just a little wood glue to the sides of the neck pocket. That was in the 80s. Haven't had a problem with it since.

 

[devnulljp]

I put some of those little mesh screens they put in taps as filters in the neck pocket of my 70s Jazz with a swimming pool size gap and it's rock solid now.

People who like weed apparently use them in their pipes, making it difficult for the rest of us to get them. (I had to get some from a plumber)

 

[Alessandro Cruz]

Absolutely normal to me.

 

[JohnEdward]

Looks fine.

 

[Gervais Cote]

On my "beaten dog" p bass, I did put a few layers of masking tape on both sides of the neck pocket to impair the neck moving left and right.

Absolutely not necessary if the neck screws are tight but makes me feel confident when I play music a"punk rock player way" !

 

[Zooberwerx]

Re: pocket side wall shims. The interface "likes" to see some degree of gap to accommodate expansion & contraction. The mission-critical contact resides with the heel / pocket floor and heel / end-of-pocket.

Riis

 

[Major Seven]

I put some of those little mesh screens they put in taps as filters in the neck pocket of my 70s Jazz with a swimming pool size gap and it's rock solid now.

People who like weed apparently use them in their pipes, making it difficult for the rest of us to get them. (I had to get some from a plumber)

Dave? Daves not here man.