GF body strikes again... or maybe Chinese neck

[filthyPierre]

So the Guitar Fetish body strikes again. Or maybe not.

For those who are familiar with my saga of the P-bass body and scratch plates I bought from GF that don't fit properly, here's the next instalment. For those who haven't, here's the original post -> http://www.buildyourownguitar.com.au...ead.php?t=7237

So I bought a finished neck from China and guess what? It doesn't fit the body. Am I surprised? Not really. Sigh.

Too wide at the heel:

Body neck pocket width: 62.5 mm
Neck heel width: 64.5

I measured my Jazz Bass Deluxe neck heel and it's 63.2 mm.

Not sure if a genuine P-bass neck is meant to be wider at the heel than a J-bass neck (they are different widths at the nut), so it looks to be that both the body and neck are not correct widths (both are billed as replacements for genuine Fenders). The body is probably closer to proper Fender width.

So I have two options - 1. widen the neck pocket on the body, or 2. make the neck heel narrower.

I'm not really sure which one would be the best thing to do. Not necessarily looking for the easiest thing to do. Which would be best, in your opinion?

Probably easiest to widen the neck pocket on the body, but run the risk of damaging the paintwork. Working on the neck is going to be difficult, as the fretboard will have to remain the same width, so it would mean shaving/scraping/sanding a millimetre or so from each side below the fretboard.

Either way, it will take some work.

Here are some shots of the neck. Not bad for 80 bucks (free postage, took about 10 days to get here). Nice satin finish in vintage yellow. Headstock shape is not quite your usual Fender shape, more like an early Strat than P-bass, but close enough.







For those wondering why I have this combination of ill-fitting parts - I wanted to make a bass out of parts that I didn't have to paint or finish. I already have a PBG kit in the making, and it's taking a while to work on the body prep. I figured I would just buy a pre-painted body in Surf Green as I'm quite fond of that colour. A finished neck, some hardware, and Bob's your uncle. LOL, as usual, things never turn out how you expect.

Yes I did look at what PBG had to offer as my first port of call. Their necks are unfinished and have a paddle headstock (presumably due to copyright on the Fender shape) and I wasn't comfortable having to shape it myself.

But I'm too far into it to give up now. I have some nice Bartolini pickups on the way which I always wanted in a bass.

Any advice appreciated as always. If anyone knows what the proper measurements of a P-bass neck pocket and heel are supposed to be, please enlighten me

Cheers,

Pete

[king casey]

G,day pierre. I'd be filthy too.
However I think it would be easier to sand the neck heel to fit.

cheers, Mark.

[wazkelly]

Nah, I'd be modding the neck pocket but by taking it very slowly, measuring 3 time before staring to chisel or sand things out. I reckon you need to maintain the integrity of the neck as a priority and the body can be delicately modified to make things fit better.

Cheers, Waz

[king casey]

I reckon you need to maintain the integrity of the neck as a priority
Cheers, Waz

Not advocating altering the integrity of the neck...just the neck heel.
All that's require is a tight fit in the pocket. The fretboard can be left the same width.
Besides, the O.P. seems to advocate a more 'hand's off' scenario else would have been better off rolling
up the sleeves and buying the whole kit.

To the novice woodworker, a few sheets of sand paper are a tad more user friendly than a chisel..

'If it was me'

cheers, Mark.

[stan]

always the way - try for an easy build - have to modify...

You could always take a fine bit off each... And find a way to test for straightness as you go

[wazkelly]

Neck alignment is the biggest priority and if neck pocket looks to be squared off in all the right places then maybe attack the neck heel to make it fit. If neck pocket is not centred properly then get that sorted first before attacking the neck heel otherwise things may end up messy.

[FrankenWashie]

always the way - try for an easy build - have to modify...

You could always take a fine bit off each... And find a way to test for straightness as you go

An easy build....I wonder what that's like??

If you've access to one, pop a laser level across both body and neck as you sand and test? Or if you need to go lower tech, taut string line across the assembly as a centerline and possibly two aligned either side to the edges of the neck for you to gauge if you are going wonky one way or t'other?

[king casey]

I got a Pitbull neck for a 'no name' strat copy body and it required some judicious sanding to fit.
Though I hate it when people say 'I can do it, therefore anybody can'...well maybe this numpty just struck lucky.
As I'd already asked the question about buying a body without a neck it seemed the resounding response was that the guitar necks are expendable. Necks are readily available from the Pitbull shop but not bodies.
If you are going to screw it up, the neck would be the cheaper option it seems.


cheers, Mark.

[filthyPierre]

Stan, Frankie, yeah I should have known. You'd think I'd have learnt over the years. LOL. Don't have a laser level unfortunately, but will ask around.

Waz, yeah if the body was unpainted, I'd be modifying that. Just worried that if it gets chipped I won't be able to fix it. But you raise a good point, I hadn't thought much about neck alignment. Looking at it now you've got me worried, it does look like the neck pocket is not straight up and down the centre of the body. Maybe I'm just seeing things where nothing exists, but will definitely take that into consideration.

Mark, thanks for the tips.... yeah it's an $80 neck so if I f#ck it up it's not that expensive a lesson.

Now just gotta get some time to sit down and do it.

Thanks fellas.

Pete

[Simon Barden]

In answer to an earlier question: P-bass and J-bass necks have the same neck heel width despite the nut width differences.