Warmoth neck on my fender jazz Jaco

[cocoune]

Hey,
I study jazz bass guitar at school. I'm using a squier jazz bass modifed. It sounds great and its only 300 $ But i play jazz and its all maple body and neck so... I have a the jaco's fretless bass (not the relic one) and it sounds so great. Im considering buying a warmoth neck to put on my jaco's bass. I dont know how it works tho and i want to be sure that i have the right neck with the right specs. Can someone help me ? The body is made with alder so i guess a standard maple/rosewood 20 fret would be great ?

Thanks alot.

 

[BlueTalon]

Warmoth 4-string jazz necks are direct replacement for Fender and Squier necks. Just order whatever configuration you want, or order whichever neck you want from their showcase, and it should go right in. Use your old hardware to mount your new neck.

You're probably going to get a 21 fret neck though, that's their standard. And yes, it will fit just fine.

Oh, one thing you need to be aware of -- the backs of the headstocks are not drilled for the tuner mounting screws. So you either need to be prepared to drill those holes yourself or have a tech do it.

One more thing. I don't know what your budget is, but in the showroom, the cheapest finished maple neck with rosewood fretboard is $265. You can get unfinished maple necks for around $180, but Warmoth doesn't warantee them without a hard finish (oil doesn't count). One of the advantages of getting a finished neck is that it already has nut installed, which is an additional cost with most unfinished necks.

If you are a little flexible on the appearance of your bass, you might consider a roasted maple neck for $220.

 

[cocoune]

Thanks for the info. I have a budget for a neck, not just for a new bass. I need a good instrument, i dont have 1500 $ but 500 can be fine. I already have my killer bass, just need to be fretted. I would say that i want to buy the best neck possible, finished. I think maple/rosewood is the best for me, low mid etc.. Its hard for to compare tho. I mean something its the same woods but 100 $ difference i dont get it. And is it worth to buy the «best» like thos at 450 $

 

[BlueTalon]

$500 is way more than enough to get a good neck. How much you spend depends entirely on what you want. Do you want pearloid blocks? or are cream dots good enough as fret markers? Do you want birdseye maple, or is plain maple good enough? Do you prefer your frets to be fatter or thinner? (The frets don't make a difference in the price unless you want gold or stainless steel.) You aren't getting an inferior neck if you spend less to get fewer options.

Personally, if I get anything from Warmoth, I'm going to get something not offered by Fender or Allparts, so I'm going for Invalid Link Removed at a minimum, and possibly something else like Invalid Link Removed or Invalid Link Removed (both of which are available for under $300). But that's just my preference. I like being a little different.

Also, if you're doing this, I recommend getting some good Schaller or Hipshot tuners to go with your new neck. You don't want to be relying on Squier hardware if you're spending the money to upgrade. Besides, it will make selling the Squier neck easier if that's what you choose to do.

 

[cocoune]

Well, ill pay if its sounds better. I dont want to pay for any esthetics things. I think a bass neck is beautiful wathever. Im considering standard or vintage frets. Whats the differences between roasted and all this stuff ? Is it worth to get the AAA wood ?

Well ill pay if it change the sound for better. Ill take maple and rosewood for sure with my jaco's body.

 

[BlueTalon]

Roasting the maple does three things. I makes the wood more stable (so the maple doesn't have to be finished to be under Warmoth's warranty), it reduces the weight, and it gives the neck a darker brown color. The color is aethetic, the weight doesn't impact the sound but it could affect playability. But ultimately, it's a matter of taste and preference.

The AAA grade maple in the neck-builder is for appearance only. It is beautiful wood, but it's not going to sound any better than plain maple. According to Warmoth, quartersawn maple is more stable than plain maple: "Quartersawn Maple offers the same bright tone and fast feel as flatsawn Maple, with increased stability." So if you want to get the best available maple for your new neck, that's where I'd spend my money.

I recommended high-quality tuners not because of looks but because of function. Better construction and tighter tolerances in the tuners means more precise and locked-in tuning.