Where to set the neck HB-4S

[Tetra]

Hi, just wondering exactly where I should glue the neck in on my HB-4S.

If I line it up with the pocket there is a huge gap on the pick up. If I pull it up to the pickup it’s just past the edge, maybe 5-7mm.

[McCreed]

Hi Tetra.
I'm not familiar with that particular kit and PBG doesn't seem to currently stock it, so no pictures for me to reference, but the most critical aspect of determining the neck position is going to be the scale length. (the distance from the nut to the bridge - presumably 24.75" with that style guitar).

If you download the PBG Instruction Manual here: https://www.pitbullguitars.com/instruction-manual/
Go to page 7. I'm sure you will have additional questions, but this will get you started and explains the general concept and procedure of neck fitting/scale length. Once you've got that digested, give it a go and post back if you need more help.
Remember every build, whether a kit or scratch build, will be unique and come with it's own unique set of "hurdles"

Cheers,
Mick

[Dedman]

being that the bass uses a floating bridge, it isn't absolutely critical BUT do a mock build with the tail piece and tuners in place, the pick ups sitting in place and measure the scale ( 30 inch) from the back of the nut to where the bridge sits, as I said because you can move the bridge you should be able to set the neck to look neat and still be able to set the scale right.( use twine or fishing line instead of guitar strings) Also don't forget break angle needs to be set at the same time, again doing a mock up will show you where it needs to be.

[McCreed]

Oops my bad! Didn't know this was a bass with a FLOATING bridge!
Ignore everything I said...

D'oh!!!

FWIW, nothing came up when I searched HB-4S on the PBG site...

[Tetra]

being that the bass uses a floating bridge, it isn't absolutely critical BUT do a mock build with the tail piece and tuners in place, the pick ups sitting in place and measure the scale ( 30 inch) from the back of the nut to where the bridge sits, as I said because you can move the bridge you should be able to set the neck to look neat and still be able to set the scale right.( use twine or fishing line instead of guitar strings) Also don't forget break angle needs to be set at the same time, again doing a mock up will show you where it needs to be.

Ok, sounds good. That totally makes sense. Thanks for the advise.

Do you know of any documents that show the critical angles and measurements? I’ve looked but can’t find anything.

[Tetra]

Oops my bad! Didn't know this was a bass with a FLOATING bridge!
Ignore everything I said...

D'oh!!!

FWIW, nothing came up when I searched HB-4S on the PBG site...

Oops, just realized I swapped those last two. I was wondering why the auto link didn’t work.

[Dedman]

the pdf manual goes through how to set the scale( its the distance from the back of the nut to the bridge the Hoff basses are 30 inches) , Break angle, I'm not sure on as I am just about to build one of these myself, my first bass, however what I've done on guitars is : Wind the adjustments right down on the bridge, then with wool or cord string substitutes in place angle the neck so the strings are just off the fretboard, the angle should already be machined into the body so it will probably be sitting pretty flat in the cavity.It's generally only 2 or 3 degrees on a guitar, but as I've said I haven't done one of these basses yet. Maybe someone who's done one before can chime in........?

[fender3x]

If it's like most basses 30" is not an exact measurement. This also has a curved top and a trapeze tailpiece. So the recommendation t
to do a careful mock build to make sure how everything will fit is a good one.

If it were me I would put the neck as tight up against the pickup as possible for balance and for aesthetics.

To see where the bridge goes measure the distance from the fingerboard side of the nut to the center of the 12th fret. The pickup side of the G string saddle should be exactly the same distance from the center of the 12th fret.

With the bridge in place, make sure there is enough room for the trapeze and that the bridge is not at a weird angle because of the curve. It should be fine even with the neck touching the pickup ring, but it's a good idea to check anyway.

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