What to do with a Jazz Bass neck?

I did not really intend to become a builder, so it seems really odd to me that I have now completed two guitars, pretty much completely rebuilt a third, am working on a partscaster...and somehow just acquired a Jazz bass neck from Adam...

So far my most successful projects have been the ones where I started with a design that I liked mostly, but wanted to improve on features I did not like that well.

So what to do with the new neck? I am thinking I may try to build a better version of my very first bass. That was a mid-'60s Epiphone Newport...that looked and sounded just like these:

https://youtu.be/qAy_qW--QPs

https://youtu.be/o7sPAXyTUPU

Every once in a while I see Newports on Reverb or e-Bay and they make me nostalgic. But they run $1300-1800 USD... and I sold mine for a reason. I wanted standard scale neck and a pickup that did not sound like you were hearing it through a pillow. That said, I also always loved the batwing headstock and simplicity of the one pup, one tone, one volume design. Also, they were thinner than a Fender or T-bird, and quite a bit lighter.

So maybe I'll try to improve on the Newport? See if I can get that batwing headstock cut. Will start looking for material for a body. Maybe a Sentell "Unmucbucker" or "Bladerunner" pickup? ...maybe that will cure my nostalgia?

Well, it's really a P-bass neck as PBG don't do a true J-bass neck with, so it's going to be wider than the Newport neck. The Newport neck was also mahogany rather than maple, and a set neck rather than a bolt-on.

The bolt-on bit worries me, so I'd try to glue it in place rather than bolt it. You'd have to have quite an extended lip sticking out of the body to give a large enough area for a bolt-on to work otherwise the screws would be really close together. Also, with a thin body, that section under the pocket wouldn't be very thick, so a potential source of weakness. Gluing (given a tight fit) would add support at the sides as well as the bottom of the neck.

You should be able to cut the headstock to a bat-wing shape, though it will be a bit shorter than the Newport's.

Fairly simple to build your own mahogany body and all the routing will be on the top. Though note that there is a Strat-style belly-cut on the rear. Neck pocket routing would be the most difficult bit to get right.

Standard Fender-style cloverleaf tuners, though Hipshot minis would be my choice as with a full-scale thick neck (as opposed to the original short scale with the thin neck) and a thin body, it's likely to be quite neck heavy.

The Epiphone has a painted headstock by the looks, so I suppose you could try to extend the headstock for more of the Newport look. There will probably be enough removed elsewhere on the headstock to get you another inch or so, which might be enough to get the feel. I just outlined a standard PB headstock and the epiphone from photos, and I think you can approach the feel...
Attachment 33510

..I guess after that you'll probably be considering which case to squeeze it in :)

cheers, Mark.

Mark that is giving me PTSD. I still have not solved the case problem for my last build. Of course my actual Newport had a cardboard case....

I am a bit bowled over by the advice...complete with audio visuals ;-)

I don't really have in mind a faithful copy of a Newport, so I am not terribly concerned if it is not exact. Thanks, Jim, for the pics. I don't think I realized how long the batwing was. Not really a problem on the Newport, since it was a short scale anyway. I am not about to lop off part of my ES/Fender hybrid to get it to fit a case, but I probably won't want to add to the length of a Jazz neck and risk the same thing again ;-) I may do some sketching on the neck to see what I can come up with. Not ruling out adding a piece...but not married to absolute authenticity either.

The neck is 38mm at the nut. Some time ago I complained that there were no J-type necks...only P-type. For my sins, Adam patiently explained that I could get a Jazz neck, and that there would be no extra cost, but it would take several months to special order. That was fine with me, since I had planned to use the time to procrastinate anyway.

I thought about the pocket being too thin for a bolt on. Also that the short horn/long neck might create balance problems. If I do make it a bolt on, I might not want the body to be quite as thin as the original. I am going a lot from pics and from memory... I think I sold my Newport in 1978, and I think it's been that long since I had one n my hands.

The neck is going to be really different than the Newport in any case. Beyond the fact that they where mahogany, I've never seen one with a maple fingerboard...which I went with because I did not want the engineered rosewood. All the Newports I have ever seen have also been that sort of burgundy color...but I am thinking that I might use a solid cream color that I know they occasionally used....

On another topic entirely... This neck is completely raw. Should I seal it or put a coat of...something...on it to protect it while I mull and finish other projects?

Given that you've gone to the trouble of getting a true Jazz bass dimensioned neck, I'd have thought that you are really beholden to construct a Jazz bass with it. Use the neck from the JB kit to make a project bass.

With you being in Florida, with large variations in temp and humidity, I'd be tempted to give it a couple of coats of whatever finish you normally use, and lemon oil the board if it's not maple. It probably won't affect it if you don't, but better safe than sorry.

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Originally Posted by Simon Barden

Given that you've gone to the trouble of getting a true Jazz bass dimensioned neck, I'd have thought that you are really beholden to construct a Jazz bass with it. Use the neck from the JB kit to make a project bass.

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Well, if I am so obliged, the paperwork must have been left out of the box....

I am not much one for orthodoxy. I seem to like the feel of a Jazz neck, but the sound of a Precision pickup. I think I gravitated toward my G&L ASAT bass rather than a more common L2000 because the ASAT's neck is basically a Jazz with a slightly flatter radius. By contrast I got a decent Chinese Jazz clone...and once I got the neck set up right I really liked the feel of it too...but did not like the neck pup. So, I got a new pick-guard, did a little routing and put a p-bass pup in it. The ES/Fender hybrid has a J neck as well. I'd be tempted to put a J neck on my mid-'70s Precision as well if wouldn't lower the value. The neck is the main reason that bass is now semi-retired, and may at some point get sold to a collector. Too bad because it's light...just over 8 lbs, and it sounds good, I just prefer the J neck.

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Originally Posted by Simon Barden

With you being in Florida, with large variations in temp and humidity, I'd be tempted to give it a couple of coats of whatever finish you normally use, and lemon oil the board if it's not maple. It probably won't affect it if you don't, but better safe than sorry.

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That's sort of what I thought. I have some shellac flakes I have been thinking about trying...

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I dunno, I'm rather with you. The Jazz bass neck is the right neck, no matter what the rest of the instrument looks like.

I have not yet put any finish on the neck, but noticed something this morning. The fingerboard is slightly convex when viewed length-wise. It doesn't seem twisted or anything like that, but slightly off-flat a bit. I can make it flat by tightening the truss rod just a little bit. I am guessing this is nothing to worry about. But since I don't have a guitar or anything to put it on at the moment I wondered what I should do? For now it is in "storage". Should I take the tension all the way off and just allow it to be a little convex? Or should I put just enough tension on the truss rod to keep it flat?

I'd just leave it as it is at the moment. You'll probably find that it will be a bit convex once you put it together and set it up with a low action (but then take the strings off). I normally find that a neck set flat before stringing, will normally take about 1/2 turn clockwise to get it roughly in the right place with strings on.

It should be a dual action truss-rod, so you should be able to give it both convex and concave shapes if you want to.

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Originally Posted by Simon Barden

I'd just leave it as it is at the moment.

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Thanks! One less thing to worry about.

I was stuck in a very boring meeting for a couple of hours today. The lovely thing about a Zoom meeting is that people can't actually see what your hands are doing... In my case my mind wondered to headstock shape. Here's what I am thinking about. A little fatter and not as long as the Epiphone batwing...but similar idea. Wondering what folks think...

Attachment 34539

I am also starting to think seriously about finding a paulownia body for lightness. If I do that, I won't want much that doesn't belong there on the headstock...

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Originally Posted by fender3x

Thanks! One less thing to worry about.

I was stuck in a very boring meeting for a couple of hours today. The lovely thing about a Zoom meeting is that people can't actually see what your hands are doing... Wondering what folks think...

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I would be wondering what everybody else's hands were doing.

cheers, Mark.

I like the Epi batwing headstock.

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Originally Posted by king casey

I would be wondering what everybody else's hands were doing.

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They are sketching headstocks. Now you know.

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Originally Posted by Simon Barden

I like the Epi batwing headstock.

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Me too. Not a faithful representation, but I am sort of liking it. I am thinking I might try to do a black headstock, but not sure how to do a decal that will show up...