Neck fitting

[Alan]

Hi Guys

Got a quick question, just noticed that when I fit the neck into the pocket the back edge does not fit flush. I've seen so many comments that say "don't cut the neck". Is this going to be a problem when I come to glue the neck, or does the gap just get filled in with glue. Thanks

[WeirdBits]

It's not really an issue, the pickup will hide it and it won't affect the strength of the join.

The key aspects are neck alignment (relative to centreline), scale length, neck angle (relative to bridge height) and that the heel is fully seated in the bottom of the pocket. Check and re-check those first and then you'll be in a position judge if you need to do anything with the neck heel and/or its seating.

[wazkelly]

Best to check scale length first in case the neck needs to move more to the right in above pic. If so, all good as not so sure the heel end is designed to sit flush up against the body.

If scale calculations indicate neck needs to move more to the left in above shot suggest you sand the heel and never cut. Sanding takes longer and gives you more time to periodically check things out whereas once a cut has been made, if in the wrong place it is all too late.

[Alan]

Thanks Guys, I will double check everything. Regarding the scale length, I don't think this should be a problem as the bridge does not fit in a slot, it sits on the top of the body, so I think I should be able to position this to suit.

[stan]

Thanks Guys, I will double check everything. Regarding the scale length, I don't think this should be a problem as the bridge does not fit in a slot, it sits on the top of the body, so I think I should be able to position this to suit.

Yes you will and if all the alignment stuff mentioned below is fine then you are good

[Alan]

Thanks Stan, feeling a bit less nervous now. Have measured nut to 12th and can see roughly where the bridge will sit with the same measurement. E and G string seem to sit nice and centrally on the fret board, so all looking good so far.

[stan]

line it all up right and you'll be good to go mate

[wazkelly]

With a lot of Bass guitars, and particularly Rickenbacker, the Bridge sits right on the end of the body therefore scale length is a very, very big deal. If the neck has been set too far south there may not be enough adjustment left in the bridge saddles, particularly A & low E, to intonate properly and this causes it to sound out of tune in various positions up and down the neck.

Here is a pic of mine to demonstrate just how far back things sit. Also worth noting where the 20th fret lines up on the body as a reference point but being a kit copy it may be slightly different.

[Alan]

Thanks Wazkelly, I'll bear that in mind when I get to fit the neck and bridge. Will probably put some pictures up with some more questions before I fix anything just to make sure I'm getting it right.