What to use as a neck Shim?

[Bassgrowl95]

I just switched to an high mass bridge on my Fender P-bass and since the bridge it both thicker then the original and with larger saddles i need a shim at the body end of the neck pocket to get decent action.

Never shimmed a neck before, is it anything i need to think off? and what would work well as one? I have heard about using sandpaper, playing cards and such. I only need a pretty thin shim i belive.

 

[bholder]

I would swing by the local hardware store and get some thin cut maple, 1/16" or so, as wide as the pocket. Almost maple veneer...

 

[robd]

piece of a business card works fine

 

[David A. Davis]

I use metal shim stock (pack). A variety pack will have different thicknesses. Metal will transfer vibration more efficiently.

 

[Gaolee]

I used pennies and a nickle to shim up a neck back when. It worked just fine.

 

[RattleSnack]

(Arguably) anything will work - sound gets transfered through neck screws.
Business card did the trick for me.

 

[Watchootognbout]

A piece of .062 brass sheet.Cut to fit the neck pocket shape.And holes drilled so the bolts can go through.

 

[Johnny Crab]

Card stock(about as thick as a business card) works here.

 

[dabbler]

(Arguably) anything will work - sound gets transfered through neck screws.
Business card did the trick for me.

^ This is true. I have used many things, all worked fine. But my favorite was a cut credit card. Rule of thumb, whatever thickness shim you put in the body side of the neck pocket will increase the height the string needs to be at the bridge by 3X that.

 

[Ramleg85]

index, business or playing card should be fine.

 

[bucephylus]

index, business or playing card should be fine.

Ibid

 

[Fat Steve]

I recently built a frankenbass using an SX body and a Squier neck, and had to shim the neck significantly using a neck plate from an old parts bass. Worked great.

Neck plate shim

• Fat Steve
• Jan 29, 2015

 

[bassbenj]

I use metal shim stock (pack). A variety pack will have different thicknesses. Metal will transfer vibration more efficiently.

But has the down side of the neck joint slipping around easier. I've used both business cards (or card stock) and maple veneer. For small adjustments business cards are quick and dirty but tend to crush under the neck joint tension. But the crushing means they conform to the wood of the joint better and make for a very tight stable neck joint. The veneer doesn't crush like the cards but doesn't grip the surface of the neck joint wood as well either.

Most anything works. The "traditional" neck shim is supposed to be a bit of matchbook cover from a dive bar.

 

[Jipley0]

I've always had good luck with these.

 

[Hopkins]

I always use a short strip of emery cloth because I have roles of different grits on my work bench. The truth is just about anything will work, vibration transfer is not a concern.

 

[Juststanley]

business card.... .010
credit card......... .030
dime............... .053
penny.......... .0598
quarter....... .069
nickel......... .07677

How much shim do ya need..??

I have used the credit card and pennys (1959 wheat...birth year...lol)

 

[gjbassist]

I have shimmed a few necks using a section cut off from a plastic rewards card like the ones given out at retail stores.

 

[EthanTheHeathen]

I recently cut a piece of sandpaper to the dimensions of the pocket, then cut several more pieces decreasing in length each time and then glued them together to make a sort of stair-step/wedge-shaped shim so that there wouldn't be any empty space in there. Worked well!

 

[Doug Parent]

hardwood veneer purchased at a craft store. Easy to cut with scissors. Use a hole punch to make holes for screws to pass through. Because it's real wood veneer is sounds better than plastic cards. (I'm kidding) Sometimes you need two layers to do the trick. If you take your time cutting the right shape you might barely even notice it's there. I think if you need more that 2 or 3 layers then something is really off and I'd reconsider why a shim is a good idea in the first place.

 

[guitardr]

I routinely use a business card. If it is not thick enough, fold it in half. It's all about finding the right angle so the saddle aren't buried or raised up too high.