• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

S101 bass guitar, neck height in body

M

Mikej2

Guest
Jun 28, 2017
23
5
#1
hello, not sure if this will be in the correct section, but here goes:

I picked up a used S101 brand bass guitar last night at a thrift shop that needs a little work. Needs a nut for the jack which I'll take care of. After watching a couple videos on youtube for setting up a bass guitar it seems like the neck is set too deep into the body.

I've adjusted the bridge parts as low as they will go and the strings are still too high, I can get some measurements and maybe a photo later. If I push the string down onto the last fret and also onto the first fret it seems to my novice eyes (old to life, new to guitar repairs) that the truss rod is probably close to okay. A guitar player at work wondered if maybe the body was banana'd. It seems as though a spacer or shallow wedge in the cavity where the neck sits might put things in order.

The videos I watched talk about the bridge and nut and truss rod, but none so far talk about setting the neck into the body and getting that correct.

Any suggestions or links would be very welcomed. I can't afford to take it into a shop right now to get it corrected, if I could afford that I would probably take it to the local MusicGoRound or Wade's and trade it in on something.

Thanks in advance for any advice. I'd like to learn to do this myself so I'm better preparred for future projects.

Mike
 
#5
Paper shims tend to compress over time, a lot of people use pieces of old scrap credit card, a thin guitar pick, etc. If you like over-priced widgetry, Stewmac now makes wood ones in various angles and thicknesses. Maybe mess around with some thin plastic first to see how much thickness you need, then think think about something more permanent.
Invalid Link Removed
 
  • Like
Reactions: Lownote38
#6
With the proper terms from above I found a couple good videos that show making wedges out of maple, similar to the stewmac ones. A 3-pack of the stewmac wedges is more than I paid for the bass guitar. ;)

I also found some scrap tote bins at work and cut out a couple squares of plastic. Tonight or tomorrow I will play around with it again to see if I need a spacer or a wedge, then will proceed accordingly.
 
#8
+1 on Turnaround's comment. The material from the tote is going to be too thick for a partial shim the causes the neck to tilt back and probably not thick enough for a full size shim that covers the whole neck pocket and raises the neck up flat. You just need something cut to fit in the front of the neck pocket and you'll be surprised at how much of a difference a business card thickness will make.
 
#9
IMG_2233.JPG
I found some pine constructon shims at home and cut from the thin end. Thin end is paper thin, thick end is maybe 2-4 business cards thick or so, but I didn't measure since my goal right now is to just get this bass functional. I figure later on I can always replace the makeshift shims with maple ones.

In any case that little bit of shimming did bring the neck way up to where the bridge adjustment for height is back up on the screws. After this weekend I will get some new strings and then begin to play around with the truss rod adjustment.

I really appreciate all the input, thanks.
 
Last edited:
#10
Following up on this.
After I put the shim/wedges in and got everything back together I started playing with the truss rod. It was really loose so I tightened it up some, then tightened the strings, and now the strings were way low to the point that the bridge adjuster screws were near max height. Hmmm, so I loosened the strings again and looked at the neck and figured I could give the truss rod another quarter turn or so, let it sit awhile then retightened the strings and checked the height. Hmmm, learning a bit here about this adjustment stuff, so I loosened up the strings and removed the neck and then removed the shims and then put it all back together again. Added a little tension to the strings and was able to lower the bridge screws way back down. Still slightly high but seems not too far off to my newbie eyes, so I'm thinking I will adjust the truss rod a hair more in a couple days and see where the neck has settled in at.

I don't want to take the neck off too many more times because I don't trust wood screws after they've been reinstalled a few times because the wood tends to start to strip out from the screws, and I don't think I want to get into installing machine screw inserts into the neck on this thing. Worst case is I just save a few bucks and take the bass into a local shop and have them look it over and adjust it up some.

I did take it to the local-to-work MusicGoRound and they set me up with some jack nuts so that is better now. When the guy had it in the back room I'm pretty sure he was playing it a little because he was smiling when he came back out with it. If it was mine that he was playing then it sounded pretty good to my ears even though I was listening through a wall while I was looking at some bass amps they had on display.

I'm always open to learning new good things, and so far I'm liking this bass guitar journey that I'm on.
 
#11
Mikej2 said:
Following up on this.
After I put the shim/wedges in and got everything back together I started playing with the truss rod. It was really loose so I tightened it up some, then tightened the strings, and now the strings were way low to the point that the bridge adjuster screws were near max height. Hmmm, so I loosened the strings again and looked at the neck and figured I could give the truss rod another quarter turn or so, let it sit awhile then retightened the strings and checked the height. Hmmm, learning a bit here about this adjustment stuff, so I loosened up the strings and removed the neck and then removed the shims and then put it all back together again. Added a little tension to the strings and was able to lower the bridge screws way back down. Still slightly high but seems not too far off to my newbie eyes, so I'm thinking I will adjust the truss rod a hair more in a couple days and see where the neck has settled in at.

I don't want to take the neck off too many more times because I don't trust wood screws after they've been reinstalled a few times because the wood tends to start to strip out from the screws, and I don't think I want to get into installing machine screw inserts into the neck on this thing. Worst case is I just save a few bucks and take the bass into a local shop and have them look it over and adjust it up some.

I did take it to the local-to-work MusicGoRound and they set me up with some jack nuts so that is better now. When the guy had it in the back room I'm pretty sure he was playing it a little because he was smiling when he came back out with it. If it was mine that he was playing then it sounded pretty good to my ears even though I was listening through a wall while I was looking at some bass amps they had on display.

I'm always open to learning new good things, and so far I'm liking this bass guitar journey that I'm on.
Click to expand...


Glad things are working out. I may be misreading what you're saying but you don't want to use the truss rod adjustment to set your action. Go through some of the set up stickies and use the truss rod to get the neck to about 0.012" relief (give or take a thou or two) then use the bridge saddle adjustment to set your action. If the string height can't be set correctly at the bridge with the proper relief, that's when you may need a shim.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mikej2
#12
Yep, understood, I'm still learning what to measure and where to measure.

The guitar player at worked looked at it one day and noticed the neck banana'd a bit.

I'm also learning that having the bass in playing position gives different measurements than laying it flat on it's back on a towel on a table.

Kind of like adjusting bicycle derailleurs, learning which adjustment feature does what and adjusting them all in unison.
 
#13
This is a good discussion for me, sunce I have Dean bass, and I am looking at a S101 Standard at a thrift store. I am not primarily a bassist. I am a saxist/percussionist and composer. However, I love playing the bass. I have only played bass in public once. A new situation has arisen that may force me out on the 4-string again.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back