Your Opinions Needed: Jazz Bass Build Issue

[Latitude94941]

I purchased a body (Fender Japan JB62 Jazz Bass) and neck (Allparts JRF-B) as well as the other parts needed and took them to my guitar tech to build.

Tech is well known, well regarded, and I've used him for a long time.

When he first looked at the parts he told me that the neck pocket on the body didn't look deep enough for the neck. I thought that sounded a little strange since neck is Fender licensed replacement and body is genuine Fender. He said he wanted to put it together, put strings on it and then would let me know the score.

When he did he told me that the neck pocket would definitely need to be routed as it was not deep enough.

Fast forward to a couple of days ago when I went to pick up the finished bass.

The neck pocket now appeared to be too deep:

--The bridge saddles were bottomed out (I asked for the setup to be factory standard relief and string action).

-- The neck pickup (with pole pieces 1/8" away from bottom of string) was so far down in body that there was no place for me to rest my thumb--there was only about 1/8" of pickup cover showing above the body).

--Fret dots on side of neck were covered by pickguard (roughly half of dot was left visible).

I told the tech that I was not happy with this and he said that he would put a maple shim in place to bring the neck up.

My question to all of you: should I be satisfied with that solution? Or did something go wrong with the build and routing so that I would be justified in seeking a different resolution?

 

[petrus61]

It would be helpful to see some pics

 

[Latitude94941]

It would be helpful to see some pics

Thanks, Petrus61. I can't take pictures since I left the bass with the tech. I tried to be as accurate as possible with my descriptions. Is there anything else I can tell you that would help?

 

[petrus61]

I'm just trying to visualize the depth of the neck pocket. If he went as low as you say, it would have been more appropriate to consult you before proceeding with such a drastic move so you could possibly determine a different course of action (different neck?) before he went and potentially ruined a perfectly good body.

 

[AnalogKid4003]

Tell him he should have used a front shim first before routing the body!

 

[mapleglo]

If the fret side dots are covered by the pick guard, the neck is sitting too low in the pocket. Since the tech routed the pocket too deep, a shim is needed. I would not be happy. I'd want the body back the way it was. It's too late for that, so I would argue that they buy me a new body.

Good luck.

 

[Latitude94941]

I'm just trying to visualize the depth of the neck pocket. If he went as low as you say, it would have been more appropriate to consult you before proceeding with such a drastic move so you could possibly determine a different course of action (different neck?) before he went and potentially ruined a perfectly good body.

What I'm trying to understand is assuming it did need to be routed, why is it not now routed to the "correct" depth? My research shows that there is a standard Fender neck pocket depth (.625") for replacement necks. Shouldn't it just have been routed to that? Or is using a router an art so that it is not possible to be so exact?

 

[mapleglo]

What I'm trying to understand is assuming it did need to be routed, why is it not now routed to the "correct" depth? My research shows that there is a standard Fender neck pocket depth (.625") for replacement necks. Shouldn't it just have been routed to that? Or is using a router an art so that it is not possible to be so exact?

A competent craftsman can exactly set the depth of cut for a router. It's not so much an art, as it is a skill. This tech simply did not do a good job.

 

[Latitude94941]

If the fret side dots are covered by the pick guard, the neck is sitting too low in the pocket. Since the tech routed the pocket too deep, a shim is needed. I would not be happy. I'd want the body back the way it was. It's too late for that, so I would argue that they buy me a new body.

Good luck.

Thanks, Mapleglo. I am feeling the same way but I want to be fair and am hoping to hear from luthiers/techs about what is appropriate.

 

[mapleglo]

Just for reference, here is a stock MIM Fender Precision (OK, I swapped the bridge to a Babicz, but that has nothing to do with this). The side fret dots are clearly visible above the pick guard. This is a properly set up neck height in the body, as it appears from the factory, and as it should be.

 

[Latitude94941]

Just for reference, here is a stock MIM Fender Precision (OK, I swapped the bridge to a Babicz, but that has nothing to do with this). The side fret dots are clearly visible above the pick guard. This is a properly set up neck height in the body, as it appears from the factory, and as it should be.

Thanks for the picture. I have three Precisions here and the fret dots are all visible above the pickguard. But what I found more telling about the neck pocket depth was that the bridge saddles were bottomed out (with a standard bent plate bridge) to get factory standard string height.

 

[buldog5151bass]

I think simply the fact that he said the pocket was not deep enough, but now it is too deep, would indicate he made a mistake. If he took out too much wood, he ruined the body - a shim is not acceptable. Obviously I am talking hypothetically based on your description.

 

[mapleglo]

Thanks for the picture. I have three Precisions here and the fret dots are all visible above the pickguard. But what I found more telling about the neck pocket depth was that the bridge saddles were bottomed out (with a standard bent plate bridge) to get factory standard string height.

You're quite welcome. Yeah, if the saddles are bottomed out, and the side dots are covered, even just partially, the neck pocket is too deep.

 

[Latitude94941]

I think simply the fact that he said the pocket was not deep enough, but now it is too deep, would indicate he made a mistake. If he took out too much wood, he ruined the body - a shim is not acceptable. Obviously I am talking hypothetically based on your description.

Thanks, Buldog. I also felt that a shim was not acceptable, but wanted to hear from others. But--if a shim is not acceptable, what is a fair resolution for me to ask for?

 

[mapleglo]

Just to be clear, it's not that unusual for a shim to be used, even from the factory. There will be slight variations in neck route angles and other factors. However, a shim in these cases is used to set the neck/body angle - not because the neck pocket is too deep. If someone is routing a neck pocket for a correct depth, it should be the correct depth, and if a shim is needed, it's needed to correctly set the neck angle, not the depth.

 

[Latitude94941]

Just to be clear, it's not that unusual for a shim to be used, even from the factory. There will be slight variations in neck route angles and other factors. However, a shim in these cases is used to set the neck/body angle - not because the neck pocket is too deep. If someone is routing a neck pocket for a correct depth, it should be the correct depth, and if a shim is needed, it's needed to correctly set the neck angle, not the depth.

Thanks for that. When I asked him to address the bridge saddles being bottomed out (and pickups being too low in body) he threw in a shim to change the neck angle. That did bring the bridge saddles up off the plate, but I thought that I could feel the difference in neck angle. Something didn't feel right about it--but at that point I might have been imagining things. That's when he said he'd put in a full shim to raise the neck--and that's where I left it with him.

 

[mapleglo]

Yeah, in this case, you have 2 choices. Try to get them to buy a new body - which is likely not going to fly - or have them deeply discount the price of the work. I think it's pretty clear they routed the body too deep. It probably didn't need to be routed at all, just shimmed. There's nothing inherently wrong with a shim. As I said, you see them directly from the factory sometimes. But I wouldn't be happy with this situation, unless they made it worth the price.

 

[braud357]

A glued-in shim might fix the problem - bring it back to standard. Sounds like he routed it too deep !

 

[DavC]

you deserve a big discount ..!! there is really no excuse for that kind of crap ... especially when routing out wood , as you can't put it back ... he must have missed the class where they said " measure twice, cut once " .... it will permanently lower the value of your bass ..! having said that ... I'd just do the shim ... but once you find the correct height shim , could it be glued into place so it becomes more like 1 piece of wood again ..!??!

you probably would have been better off to have a go at the assembly yourself ...!! it is fun to figure that stuff out ...! then there is no one else to blame ...! which makes mishaps easier to own ...

 

[Manton Customs]

In answer to the question, yes as already pointed out he definitely did something wrong by routing it deeper, it was almost certainly unnecessary unless something was seriously off to begin with. The fact he ballsed this up so badly would make me wonder about his capabilities as a builder, or even a tech. Fender basses are literally some of the most simple instruments out there and assembling one from parts is a very simple job. I'm probably sounding a bit harsh...mistakes do happen to the best of us, but they need to be owned up to and he certainly shouldn't have given you the bass back in the state described.

A shim will solve the problem, but as it sounds like you have already observed it may well feel a little different if the angle is extreme. A near flat (but comparatively thick) shim with only a very slight angle is probably the way to go, but it's not really an acceptable option. So it's another new body vote from me! That's the first thing I would have offered if I was the builder and had made such a mistake on a clients bass.