Dom in Dorset Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 I'm toying with the idea of building a bass using a Status Jazz neck. Anyone have any experience of them? How to they compare to say a Fender Jazz neck? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBod Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 I used one a few years ago. First - you've got to like the "graphite sound". Its bright, hard and brittle...unforgiving of sloppy playing...but also immediate and full. When you fit the neck you have to drill into the heel for the mounting screw holes. Its a thin moulding of epoxy with a hollow core, and you must countersink the holes to stop it cracking. It also kills a drill bit very fast and you must must must use the correct bit size for the screw they provide - there is no second chance (I doubt you could plug and re-drill, as there is pretty much nothing to plug). Same goes for the tuner mounting. They are well made, sound good (if you like it). Mine arrived with very level frets and a well cut nut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Rich Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 (edited) [quote name='BassBod' post='1344057' date='Aug 18 2011, 09:30 AM']I used one a few years ago. First - you've got to like the "graphite sound". Its bright, hard and brittle...unforgiving of sloppy playing...but also immediate and full. When you fit the neck you have to drill into the heel for the mounting screw holes. Its a thin moulding of epoxy with a hollow core, and you must countersink the holes to stop it cracking. It also kills a drill bit very fast and you must must must use the correct bit size for the screw they provide - there is no second chance (I doubt you could plug and re-drill, as there is pretty much nothing to plug). Same goes for the tuner mounting. They are well made, sound good (if you like it). Mine arrived with very level frets and a well cut nut.[/quote] I've heard that fitting them isn't for the faint hearted, although many people seem to have no problems. I thought the heel of the neck was layered up with various materials to give the screws something to bite into (rather than a hollow epoxy shell) but you'd still want to get them right first time. In theory all Fender necks and body neck pockets are the same size and shape, in practice some aren't... particularly some of the Japanese made ones. Might be worth checking the body with Status before ordering the neck. As BassBod said, it can sound bright, hard and brittle but with plenty of bass boost it can sound amazing. You get much more note definition than with a wooden neck, a graphite neck feels alive all over the fingerboard, no deadspots and better harmonics. You might find you need to clean up your technique a bit but it won't take long to adjust. Graphite necks aren't for everybody so you might want to try and give one a go before you buy. Edit: Not all Fender tuners are the same either so you might want to check they all fit before you start drilling. Edited August 18, 2011 by Fat Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBS_freak Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 Just to confirm, the heels are mostly hollow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris2112 Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 It will sound amazing, I'd definitely go for it if I had a jazz bass or a Musicman. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johngh Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 I've just bought a Status Jazz neck for my Marcus Miller Jazz body that I picked up. The whole shebang is going up to Jon Shuker as I'm not risking trying to fit it myself. The neck is incredibly light, should sound the dogs once its finished. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dom in Dorset Posted August 20, 2011 Author Share Posted August 20, 2011 Thanks for the advice, I was going through various options (including building a bass with Status neck) for aquiring amore serious bass. As it happened a US Fender Jazz turned up at a good price (Thankyou Sunfish), so for now it's problem solved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 Get the body first then get status to fit it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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