Need advice for a Jazz Bass Neck

im nowhere near as experienced as some of the guys on here but......

i believe that you can fit the new neck without any problems, as long as the distance from the nut to the 12th fret is the same as the 12th fret to the bridge.

if you do a search for intonation or scale length you should find some more info that may be helpful.

 

The answer is no, you can't replace your neck with a 22 or 24 fret version as a direct bolt in. You've been informed correctly. The scale of your bass is 34". That means that, on paper, the distance from the nut to the bridge saddle is 34" and the distance from the nut to the 12th fret is 17". The distance of the 12th fret from the end of the neck establishes how far the 12th fret is from the point where the bridge mounts. If a 22 or 24 fret neck were to be mounted, the extra frets would mean the 12th fret would be moved further from the stock location of the bridge leaving a case of the 12th fret no longer being in the center of the string scale. The solutions aren't pretty - route a longer neck pocket to accomodate the extra frets and put the 12th fret back to it's original location in space in relation to the bridge OR, move the bridge closer to the neck pocket to compensate for the additional frets. This last choice sucks because it has the effect of locating the pickups further back on the scale and the tonal response won't be what it was before the move.

That's why the short answer is no.

 

I dont have a solution to your problem, but the fender 24 basses are pretty sweet. Sell ur bass for one of these. They have 24 frets and seem to be well built.

 

But what about these Warmoth 21 and 24 fret 34" scale bolt-on replacement necks?

http://www.warmoth.com/bass/necks/necks.cfm?fuseaction=include_fretboard





Am I missing something special about the Fender Jazz Deluxe that makes it different from other Fender Jazz basses? I thought they all had the same standard bolt-on pocket ... what am I missing

Of course I can't say that I'd recommend the 24 fret (extended fretboard) neck - it sure seems like a lot of floating and structurally unsupported fretboard hanging out there. The 21 fret extension is nice and stable IME, but I've never had the guts to give the 24 fret extension a try.

All the best,

R

 

A 22 fret Fender neck will not work on a "20 fret" Fender body. It will physically fit, but you will not be able to intonate it. Also, a 21 fret or 24 fret Warmoth neck will not work on a Fender body designed for 22 frets. Those necks are designed for a Fender bass that has 20 frets.

 

I understand the 22 fret neck being a unique unto itself and the Deluxe 5. But the bass in question (original post) is a 4-string with 20 fret neck, yes?

My question is aimed more at the use of the 21 or 24 fret neck in a Fender Jazz Deluxe that comes standard as a 20 fret neck. Is there something unique about the Jazz Deluxe that prohibits the use of these Warmoth necks? I believe the answer is that they are interchangable with the Jazz bass Gualo has - but I've not had direct exposure to a Jazz Deluxe 4-string (I have a couple assembled Deluxe 5 basses here in my assembly lab) so I am wanting to validate that the 4-string Deluxe is the same animal as a regular Jazz.

Make any sense (I'm typing without the aide of coffee yet this morning)?

All the best,

R

 

i agree with rodent, Those warmoth necks are designed for this situation. The twelve fret will still be 17" from the nut and the bridge becaude the extra frets will be sitting past the neck pocket on the face of the guitar body, if you look at the 20th fret it will still be in the same position as the old neck once the neck is screwed in. A normal 24 fret neck (without an overhang) will not work because the 12th fret would then be 17" from the nut and about 19" (roughly) from the bridge.

However, i would not touch one of those things. It just doesnt look stable to me, no good for more than an occasional note which you cant reach anyway because the fretboard will be set quite far into the body

 

The 22 fret neck is not unique to the Deluxe 5.

Yes, those Warmoth necks are designed for a 20 fret Fender body.

 

Yeah, I have a hard time reaching the end of the board on a 20 or 21 fret Fender body, You would have to hold your guitar and get some rediculous reach-around for that thing.

 

Guys, my response was only aimed at the possible use of a Fender Jazz Deluxe 22 fret neck as the replacement. He didn't mention the Warmoths or I might have been jogged into that suggestion!

 

I like that...

consider yourself "jogged"...hehe

personally, I'm not a big fan of "extended" fretboards...I'm just too worried that they'll deform someway at the end. Besides, if the trussrod access is at the body end, this would be a BEAR!

Personally, I almost NEVER play anything beyound the 17th fret, so your basic 20 or 21 fret models are more than adequate for me.

 

I can see that..."aide" is actually spelled a-i-d...but those big words always trip me up, too...

 

I get that ik can't use 22 fret in Replacing with a 20 fret both 34 long scale but what about a21 fret with a 34 long scale there is a bunch of people says that would work. Are they wrong?

 

Thank you for using the search function,
When replacing a neck you have to look at the distance from the twelfth fret to the bridge, if that stays the same your good. But adding frets to a neck in the traditional way, making the whole neck longer, then just bolting it on won't work because of the extra wood added by the frets, to get around this Warmoth and others extended the fretboard above the body, but kept the neck the same dimensions where it meets the body, much like some upright bases. Another way around it is to use the longer neck and then move the bridge closer, or route the pocket into the body farther keeping the distance from the twelfth fret to the bridge the same.