DJZ-4 Kit issues

[quelsemme]

Hey guys,
I wanted to ask you what you thought of this neck fit?
There is a gap between the lower cutaway and the edge of the neck, when I hold it in straight. Will this be okay once I screw in the neck? Without bolting it on, the neck is able to move around the socket (vertically, in playing position).

I get the feeling that drilled and bolted in, it'll be as stable as anything else, but I'm wondering. This is my first build, so I don't exactly have the tools to create such a thin shim.

Images and video here

In addition, one of the tuning cogs is stripped and doesn't work, and I got an extra set of jazz pickups and an extra plastic nut (to go with the bone nut I ordered, and the plastic nut already on the net).

I contacted PB about a week and a half ago, and again 3 or 4 days ago, but haven't heard anything.

[Simon Barden]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

The defective tuner is clearly wrong, so Pit Bull should get you another one (or set) ASAP. They are a small part-time outfit so it can sometimes take a little while to answer emails. They've been very busy the past week getting out a very delayed shipment of kits to people before Christmas, so I expect they'll be catching up on admin shortly.

A neck pocket gap is very common. Don't forget that you've got no finish on the neck, so a few coats of poly, acrylic, nitro or Tru-Oil etc will add some width to the neck and help fill the gap. You don't want it tight before you add the finish or you won't get it in!

Also, a little wiggle-room helps to adjust the neck angle slightly so the strings run down the neck nicely and not to one side. positioning the bridge isn't a hard job, but it's easy to be 1/2mm out and being able to angle the neck slightly before tightening the neck screws up normally allows you to compensate for any slight misalignment.

I put together a bass from various used components that had a significant neck pocket gap but the neck screws held everything firm and it got swapped for another bass with an ex-pro bass player friend of mine and he had no issues with it at all.

If you ever need to find a very thin shim, then use a piece of thin veneer, as these are typically 0.6-0.7mm thick and you can gently sand them thinner if necessary. Maple veneer makes good shims. I buy marquetry veneer packs from time to time as they are relatively cheap.

I don't know about the DJZ kits but the other Pit Bull JB-style kits have non-standard sized pickup housings. The four mounting lugs are slightly smaller and in a slightly different position to real Fender or other replacement pickups. So your aftermarket pickups will probably need some work to fit in the bridge pup body rout and in the neck pup pickguard hole. Sounds daunting, but if you've got a Dremel or similar rotary tool, then the larger-sized sanding drum will allow you to enlarge the cutouts in both the body and the pickguard.

[Simon Barden]

Also remember that these kits are pretty much at the very bottom end of the kit market and they are made using templates and hand routed, not CNC machined, so you aren't going to get perfection. You can buy it, but it costs!

[quelsemme]

Also remember that these kits are pretty much at the very bottom end of the kit market and they are made using templates and hand routed, not CNC machined, so you aren't going to get perfection. You can buy it, but it costs!

Thanks Simon!

I'm certainly not complaining, just looking for solutions more than anything. You've certainly given me some options.

As for the pickups, I imagine the extra set were just packed by accident. I guess I'll keep them for another potential build.

I'll wait on a reply for the replacement tuners, but there is a lot of sanding and staining to be done between now and then, so I'm not too hurried. I can use the broken one for measurements.

[Simon Barden]

Ah, it sounded like you'd bough some aftermarket replacement pickups as an upgrade. I wasn't expecting two sets in the kit!

Good luck with the rest of the build.

[Rodc]

Hey guys,
I wanted to ask you what you thought of this neck fit?
There is a gap between the lower cutaway and the edge of the neck, when I hold it in straight. Will this be okay once I screw in the neck? Without bolting it on, the neck is able to move around the socket (vertically, in playing position).

I get the feeling that drilled and bolted in, it'll be as stable as anything else, but I'm wondering. This is my first build, so I don't exactly have the tools to create such a thin shim.

Images and video here

In addition, one of the tuning cogs is stripped and doesn't work, and I got an extra set of jazz pickups and an extra plastic nut (to go with the bone nut I ordered, and the plastic nut already on the net).

I contacted PB about a week and a half ago, and again 3 or 4 days ago, but haven't heard anything.

That's very strange, when I email them I get a response no later then a hour. That's correct re the extras, if you order a upgrade whether, it is tuners or pickups etc you will get the original that came in the kit.

[Simon Barden]

They’ve recently had that very delayed shipment come in, so I expect they’ve been working flat-out to ship outstanding orders before Christmas, with other admin tasks suffering.