hamfist Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 I am in the process of possibly buying a bolt on bass from someone overseas. They are offering to send the bass in a state with the neck taken off from the body, as the shipping will be easier, cheaper and safer for them as the bass does not come with a hardcase. I am somewhat nervous about this as I would worry about not fitting the neck back on properly. Is it an idiot-proof procedure, just a few screws ? Is the torque on the screws critical ? I wouldn't want to strip the thread in the wood. Would appreciate your thoughts. Electronics I'm pretty good at but this aspect of guitars would be new to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul S Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 I am an idiot and have done it loads of times, so I guess it is idiot-proof. Screw back until tight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldG Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 As above - just don't overtighten! you may crush and crack the finish around the neck plate ( seen on a lot of fenders). Also find out if the neck has been shimmed and get a photo of it sat in the pocket - to help you get it back in the right place.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamfist Posted January 22, 2013 Author Share Posted January 22, 2013 OK, so roughly how tight ? Absolutely as tight as I can go, by hand with a smallish screwdriver, or significantly less than that ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldG Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 depend how strong you are - your username suggests take it easy.. Just nipped up and then just a tweak more works for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Rich Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 (edited) Depends on the neck, if it's been removed a lot of times the thread may be a bit knackered so go easy on it. For example, 60s Fenders have the truss rod adjustment hidden at the heel of the neck and the neck has to come off a couple of times a year for adjustment. After 50 years of that the threads can go a bit soft. Basically do it up reasonably tight and try it, if the neck moves around and goes out of tune when you knock the bass then tighten it a bit more. Worst case scenario: the thread gets stripped in the neck but this isn't too difficult to fix. Edited January 22, 2013 by Fat Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjones Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 Once you've fitted it I recommend you tune the bass up and let the neck settle for a while. After 24hrs you'll know whether you need to adjust the truss rod to get your preferred action or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle psychosis Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 (edited) Apologies if this comes across as patronising, but better to err on the side of caution... Make sure you tighten the screws up evenly. I've seen people assemble things by inserting one screw at a time, fully tightening it, and then moving onto the next screw. This always ends badly---better to get each screw started, then tighten them up evenly a few turns at a time. This way you should get a nice tight, even fit. Edited January 22, 2013 by uncle psychosis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldG Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 (edited) Useful tip for seating the neck: Refit as described above, when the strings are on and have some tension - slowly undo the screws ( in diagonal order) about a quarter turn, until you hear the neck 'click' back against the body. You can then centre the neck by aligning with the strings and re-tighten. The intonation will need looking at after this... Instant sustain and tone upgrade! I do this to all my standard boltie guitars and basses. Edited January 22, 2013 by OldG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 It is useful to thread the screws through a candle first, to get some wax on the threads. That acts as a lubricant and it allows to thread the screws back the way they were minimising damage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 Personally I wouldn't buy a bass that had been disassembled to post. I'd either pay for a cheap but good hard case to ship it in, or get the seller to reduce the price to allow for me to get a luthier to reassemble the bass with a full set up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbellishment Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 If it has short screws AND long screws be sure to put them in the right holes... unlike the "luthier" I gave my fretless to, to put dots on the neck edge! He put the screws in wrong holes (long screw in short hole) and the screw came up through the fingerboard! [email="B@stard"]B@stard[/email]! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Rich Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 [quote name='OldG' timestamp='1358851975' post='1945914'] Useful tip for seating the neck: Refit as described above, when the strings are on and have some tension - slowly undo the screws ( in diagonal order) about a quarter turn, until you hear the neck 'click' back against the body. You can then centre the neck by aligning with the strings and re-tighten. Instant sustain and tone upgrade! I do this to all my standard boltie guitars and basses. [/quote] Good advice, although I wouldn't try it on my '78 Jazz as the neck pocket is routed so badly I'd end up with a short scale bass. There's best part of a centimetre gap all around the end of the neck under the pickguard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOD2 Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 Some pictures here, if you scroll through the thread..... (ignore the first part about adding a shim) [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/49897-how-to-shim-a-neck/"]http://basschat.co.uk/topic/49897-how-to-shim-a-neck/[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldG Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 [quote name='Fat Rich' timestamp='1358862249' post='1946154'] Good advice, although I wouldn't try it on my '78 Jazz as the neck pocket is routed so badly I'd end up with a short scale bass. There's best part of a centimetre gap all around the end of the neck under the pickguard. [/quote] Ah...I did say this is for a standard set up. Obviously check before trying this on something you haven't fitted the neck to.... I'd be packing that gap to make a nice tight fit if it were mine... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wylie Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 [quote name='hamfist' timestamp='1358837760' post='1945733'] I am in the process of possibly buying a bolt on bass from someone overseas. They are offering to send the bass in a state with the neck taken off from the body, as the shipping will be easier, cheaper and safer for them as the bass does not come with a hardcase. I am somewhat nervous about this as I would worry about not fitting the neck back on properly. Is it an idiot-proof procedure, just a few screws ? Is the torque on the screws critical ? I wouldn't want to strip the thread in the wood. Would appreciate your thoughts. Electronics I'm pretty good at but this aspect of guitars would be new to me. [/quote] After reading all of the replies, I'd strongly suggest you also read 'How to Shim a Neck' on this site under 'Repairs and Technical' -- it's easily found at the top of the forum. Forget about the 'shim' part; the article has solid step-by-step instructions, with photos, for re-bolting a neck. tg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigjohn Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 At tip with the screws - I find putting some PVA wood glue on them is a really good thing to do. It doesn't glue the screws in at all, but creates a harder than wood thread for the screw to sit in and be screwed out of. Every screw I put in wood I do this with. Makes them much easier to remove, more difficult to damage by over-tightening and less likely to come loose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamfist Posted January 22, 2013 Author Share Posted January 22, 2013 Wow, so much good advice in this thread. Thank you so much guys !!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White Cloud Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 [quote name='Fat Rich' timestamp='1358862249' post='1946154'] Good advice, although I wouldn't try it on my '78 Jazz as the neck pocket is routed so badly I'd end up with a short scale bass. There's best part of a centimetre gap all around the end of the neck under the pickguard. [/quote] Ahem, I am not saying anything regarding Fender routing issues lol. Last time I had an angry mob with flaming torches at my house screaming "kill the monster". Some very good advice here regarding the question posed. I would not recommend the luthier option as this is total overkill. The beauty of bolt on necks is that they can be removed and then re-applied easily. Piece of cake. I would have no issues with accepting a bass posted in this way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Rich Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 [quote name='OldG' timestamp='1358863277' post='1946185'] Ah...I did say this is for a standard set up. Obviously check before trying this on something you haven't fitted the neck to.... I'd be packing that gap to make a nice tight fit if it were mine... [/quote] [quote name='White Cloud' timestamp='1358893465' post='1946866'] Ahem, I am not saying anything regarding Fender routing issues lol. Last time I had an angry mob with flaming torches at my house screaming "kill the monster". ....... [/quote] Despite having a comical neck pocket it's one of the best Jazzes I've played. Being a 3 bolt micro tilt it's got 1 proper bolt plus two normal neck screws and is cranked up really tight, doesn't seem to move around although maybe it's the pickguard doing all the work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingBollock Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 [quote name='BOD2' timestamp='1358862875' post='1946174'] Some pictures here, if you scroll through the thread..... (ignore the first part about adding a shim) [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/49897-how-to-shim-a-neck/"]http://basschat.co.u...to-shim-a-neck/[/url] [/quote] This was the guide I used when I shimmed the neck on my Westfield. It was the first time I had ever done it and I was nervous. This guide made the whole thing simple and has given me the confidence so that if I need to do it again in the future I wont worry about it. So many thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimbobothy Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 I've bought a bass off here with the neck off, I was surprised how small the package was when I went to pick it up from the depot! Least you would know the possibility of any major damage would be minimised that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 [quote name='jimbobothy' timestamp='1359049425' post='1949090'] I've bought a bass off here with the neck off, I was surprised how small the package was when I went to pick it up from the depot! Least you would know the possibility of any major damage would be minimised that way. [/quote] yeah, it's a good way to transport it if unsure about packaging. I took a bass, a Jazz, to Spain like that, in my luggage. Then I just reassembled it, and ready to play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3below Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 Do not be worried, it is very easy to do. The neck screws can take a remarkable amount of torque, you would have to be seriously hamfisted or determined to do any damage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 Most of the time you will round the heads on the screws long before splitting any wood ime, it's designed to come off for maintenance and adjustments so I see no issue, my black ray 5 had a fretless neck when it left California! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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