Super fun Jazz Bass Problems

[Dave Vader]

Finally got my latest bitsa project together last night, Jazz body, silly reshaped headstock neck, MIM pickups.
All seemed not too bad, neck has back-bowed a bit but I've loosened the truss, put the strings a bit # and left it over night to pull out.
Real problem is same as always, the neck heel is too deep, and the pocket is too shallow, so my pickups don't go quite high enough (at least that's what I assume) to get decent output. I might make some stilts for the pups (foam is super deep and stiff, just wood is too low).

On top of this, my neck pickup is not too bad, sounds quite nice, as does both up full. Trouble is, soon as I roll off a bit of neck to get a trebley slappy tone, it goes very thin and weak. Is this just the height? Is it wired up funny? Is it rw/rp (cos I hate that, and it will annoy me a bit)
No idea, any help on deepening my neck pocket/thinning the neck heel would be greatly appreciated, need to lose a good 4 or 5 mm overall, and I have broken my router.

[LawrenceH]

[quote name='Dave Vader' post='978223' date='Oct 5 2010, 12:33 PM']Finally got my latest bitsa project together last night, Jazz body, silly reshaped headstock neck, MIM pickups.
All seemed not too bad, neck has back-bowed a bit but I've loosened the truss, put the strings a bit # and left it over night to pull out.
Real problem is same as always, the neck heel is too deep, and the pocket is too shallow, so my pickups don't go quite high enough (at least that's what I assume) to get decent output. I might make some stilts for the pups (foam is super deep and stiff, just wood is too low).

On top of this, my neck pickup is not too bad, sounds quite nice, as does both up full. Trouble is, soon as I roll off a bit of neck to get a trebley slappy tone, it goes very thin and weak. Is this just the height? Is it wired up funny? Is it rw/rp (cos I hate that, and it will annoy me a bit)
No idea, any help on deepening my neck pocket/thinning the neck heel would be greatly appreciated, need to lose a good 4 or 5 mm overall, and I have broken my router. [/quote]

Err, buy a new router?

Forgive my ignorance but what does rw/rp mean?

[Dave Vader]

[quote name='LawrenceH' post='978860' date='Oct 5 2010, 09:40 PM']Err, buy a new router?

Forgive my ignorance but what does rw/rp mean?[/quote]

reverse wound reverse phase.
Often used in strat middle pickups so that the 2 and 4 positions are humbucking. Means that when you select either of these positions the hum becomes noticeable by it's absence, and your output goes super wimpy.

And buying a new router seems to be the best option, or sanding block and a knackered elbow.

[Dave Vader]

Have ordered a very cheap template bit from ebay, £5 to get my dear old router up and running again, hoorah. I can get the cavity on my RIckenfaker down to the right depth as well now, should make sound guys very happy...

[LawrenceH]

[quote name='Dave Vader' post='979125' date='Oct 6 2010, 09:22 AM']reverse wound reverse phase.
Often used in strat middle pickups so that the 2 and 4 positions are humbucking. Means that when you select either of these positions the hum becomes noticeable by it's absence, and your output goes super wimpy.

And buying a new router seems to be the best option, or sanding block and a knackered elbow.[/quote]

Ahh! Thanks for enlightening me. In that case I can't see how it could be that since it would surely be immaterial except when pickups were used in combination? More likely it's just a weedy pickup sitting too low from the strings. I jam my bridge pup right up close to the strings without problems and I remember it seemed to make a good difference to the bass response.

[Dave Vader]

[quote name='LawrenceH' post='979951' date='Oct 6 2010, 09:58 PM']Ahh! Thanks for enlightening me. In that case I can't see how it could be that since it would surely be immaterial except when pickups were used in combination? More likely it's just a weedy pickup sitting too low from the strings. I jam my bridge pup right up close to the strings without problems and I remember it seemed to make a good difference to the bass response.[/quote]

I am finding myself in agreement with that. Hope my routing skills are up to the task when my new bit turns up. And that there's enough heel left to hold the neck on, quite a thin body it turns out, might be down to about 18mm when I'm done.

[BOD2]

Re. the pickup problem. Are you saying that when BOTH pickups are on at the same time they can sound a bit weak but that each pickup is ok on its own ?

If so, then it could be that the pickups are out of phase with each other. To fix this, reverse the hot and ground wire of ONE of the pickups (it doesn't matter which one).

[Dave Vader]

[quote name='BOD2' post='980258' date='Oct 7 2010, 09:55 AM']Re. the pickup problem. Are you saying that when BOTH pickups are on at the same time they can sound a bit weak but that each pickup is ok on its own ?

If so, then it could be that the pickups are out of phase with each other. To fix this, reverse the hot and ground wire of ONE of the pickups (it doesn't matter which one).[/quote]

Until the height problem is fixed, I can't really guess at the phase, and if they have been rw/rp, that won't fix it anyway. Thanks for the advice though, it might prove useful once I get to that bit.

[7string]

You could try a woodworking scraper for working on the neck or pocket.

They're steel and cost about a fiver.

[Dave Vader]

[quote name='7string' post='981723' date='Oct 8 2010, 04:10 PM']You could try a woodworking scraper for working on the neck or pocket.

They're steel and cost about a fiver.[/quote]

I will ask my cabinet maker friend if I can borrow his. Seeing as the old snapped bit in my router doesn't want to come out, so buying a new bit has proved to be a fairly futile gesture.

[Dave Vader]

Advice for all out there with routers. If you have used WD-40 to remove an old broken bit from the collet, please ensure that you have cleaned all the wd40 out of said collet before using the router again. Other wise you end up with a chunk from the edge of your neck pocket (reshaped with file and sandpaper thanks god) a loud clunking noise and a missing router bit (think it's in the neighbours garden ) You also have to finish the job with a chisel.
I learn something new every time I pick that router up. Lucky this jazz is only a cheap project to see if I like the general ergonomics and sound of a J these days.
Should have it together again tonight. Neck join officially looks like sh*t now, worst I've ever done, so quite proud of that alone.

[Dave Vader]

Got it back together again, routed it out flat (ish) after finding the bit. But then had to shim the pocket as I had gone down too far. Doh!
Anyhow, not too bad so far. Bridge pickup was a bit tinny, so I tried the tonerider I had lying around instead. Better, but still tinny, is this a J thing? Even sounds higher when you clonk it with a screwdriver, so not just placement. Tried switching the phase, made no difference. All through identical pots for once as well... hmmm...
Will combine all these threads into a build thread soon, I have pictures (not a lot, but some)

[icastle]

<shudder> I'd go for the sandpaper and knackered elbow any day of the week...
My last foray into the world of using a router nearly cost me a finger and has left me with a decorative scroll edge...