Vintage P: Are ski-ramp necks a problem that keeps coming back?

A neck replacement is as simple as it gets.
Would you pay a premium price for a Road worn classic car with an original engine that was blown up? Would a beat up 69 camaro with a new gm crate engine be worth top dollar? Only you can decide.

 

I can't imagine it getting worse. The ski-ramp is sort of inherent to the Fender bass design. How bad is it? Is it just something you notice visually or does it actually impact the action/playability? If you can get the action you want with a light sanding of the neck-heel frets then it might be ok. Is this issue reflected in the price of the instrument?

I have two early 60s bases and don't encounter this issue on either and I run pretty low action.

 

If you haven't seen it, we have a long detailed thread all about the "ski jump" condition over in the Pro Bench section of Hardware, Setup & Repair. We go over what causes the condition and how to fix it, in mind-numbing detail.

Getting the Facts about Ski Jumps

The quick answer to your question is that ski jump conditions build up slowly over some years. They are caused by the wood on the back of the neck being under too much load, and the wood stretches over time. The neck forms a permanent kink around the 12th fret. You can correct for the kink by level trimming the frets and/or the fingerboard out on the heel. But if you put it back under the same string load, without adding any new reinforcement, then yes, it may continue to stretch and kink.

The ski jump (aka 12th fret kink) is a whole different thing from wood warpage or instability due to weather. It's caused by the load of the strings being up to tune. Storing the bass with strings de-tuned will stop the ski jump from getting worse, but the kink won't recover back to flat.

 

Are shimmed necks more prone to develop ski jumps ? I have been told short shims (like the ones usually found on old Fender) are bad for the necks and that angled shims that cover the whole neck pocket are better.

 

My experience tells me that using a full pocket shim would be a better method.

 

You need to read the thread in the Pro Bench:

Getting the Facts about Ski Jumps

 

I'll share my experiences with this issue in hopes it helps.

I have an old Yamaha BB300 bass (July 1986) that developed the ski jump issue after about 10 years of play - no shims, factory bridge. Took it to a luthier, and he removed the frets, planed the fretboard, and reinstalled frets. The neck was perfect - for a while.

For the record, I play a *stupid* low action.

A decade or so later and the problem was back again.

After getting a quote for another repair/refret I seriously considered pitching the bass in the trash - the repair quote was almost double the original cost of the bass, and replacement necks for that model are a little difficult (more like impossible) to obtain. I decided to keep it around mostly for nostalgia, as it was *my* first bass - I couldn't quite bear to part with it.

After seeing some positive reviews on his process, I sent the neck to Sky Guitars (warpedneck.com) for treatment last August, and received the neck back inside of a couple of weeks. Total invested was 1)- my shipping cost sending neck via UPS (to Texas if memory serves), and 2)- $105.95 to cover the fix and return shipping.

After bolting it back on and stringing it up, I can honestly say that the ski jump was 95%+ gone, with no wood removal apparent and no refret. Speaking with the tech who did the work, he thinks it's permanent fix.

Again, given how low I run my action at times, 95%+ for me might well be a perfect neck for a player that hits a little harder.

So far it does seem to be holding, but it will obviously be a "time will tell" thing.

For a stock Fender instrument, with replacement aftermarket necks readily available, it might not be worth investing in the fix, but for an oddball like my Yamaha it was 100% worth it to have it running again.

I'll of course be keeping an eye on it going forward to see if the problem returns.

That all said, for my money, I doubt that I would invest in an instrument with that kind of issue unless I was able to negotiate the price down to cover the cost of a replacement neck, but that's just me. Good luck!

- Kurt

 

I straightened mine and went back with medium instead of heavy strings.
After 5 years or so, it is holding up just fine.

 

Coincidentally, I tried out a '65 P bass years ago with severe ski jump, didn't buy it but for a different reason.