just bought this (neck) placement of string guide? and suggested tuners

[hollywoodrox]

Hi , I just bought the tele style bass neck below for a VM P Bass project I am working on, its already drilled for 18mm tuners I was curious as this is my first project of this nature, is there any rule for fitting the string guide, how will I know the best place for it? is it always directly between the G and D string like on my vintage V4. Also any suggestions for black elephant ear style tuners I like wilkinsons but they seem very crowded on a tele headstock. also i will want to add a fender telecaster bass decal, i noticed the popular shops dont like to do ones with licensed names on them. Thank's for your help and input. best wishes Paul

[brensabre79]

Hey Paul
String Guide: not an exact science, just make sure the strings are in a straight line from nut to post. The closer to the nut the guide is, the higher the angle (compliance) and the strings will feel a bit stiffer. As a general rule, it's usually just behind the A string post.


Re: Tuners, it depends on what you want to spend. Wilkinsons are by far the best value for money ones I've come across. The traditional kind of elephant ears are actually massive. They are so close to the bottom edge (D string tuner) on the back, and nearly touching side to side. SO I wouldn't worry about the size issue. If you want a more modern look, Schaller, Hipshot, Gotoh etc. all do 18mm versions. But they cost much more than Wilkinsons.


Re: Decals, it's a tricky one, because there are copyright issues. Some people on eBay offer this service - even though they say 'custom' decals, you can usually ask for what you want. Personally I wouldn't go down this route unless it was for a restoration. Although I believe Fender will be changing their logo to this soon:

[hollywoodrox]

Thanks for your reply brensabre, most enlightening, especially string guide placement, appreciate it , thanks

[Jono Bolton]

I spotted that one on ebay and was very tempted by it. I passed on it though as it seems to have the squared off heel that most Tele Bass necks have and wasn't sure that it would fit in a standard rounded Fender neck pocket.

To answer your questions, I just had the string tree moved on my own Tele Bass neck as it was slightly too close to the G. The tech at the shop said she strung up the D & G strings and tried to position it exactly in the middle, marked the position and drilled the hole. Brensabre79 kinda covered it all really.

Late '60s-70s style tuners like the Wilkinsons should be fine, I have a set from a Geddy Lee Jazz on my P Bass and they do cover most of the back of the headstock but I like that look. I take a picture when I get home and post it for you to get a feel for what it'll look like.

[Jono Bolton]

There you go mate, looks fine in my eyes but I prefer the look of large tuner baseplates.

[hollywoodrox]

They look good jono, I had read of people having to grind some off that overhung butvthese fit like peas in a pod , cheers ps had me worried for a minute as I thought it looked rounded off enough to be ok, looking at a proper tele neck they are very square, someone mocked a template up a few posts up, cant wait to get it and my artec mudbucker

Edited June 21, 2014 by hollywoodrox

[Jono Bolton]

When I first got the neck it had been drilled for Hipshot HB-2s which are the same footprint but a couple of screw holes were slightly off, so I had them filled and re-drilled. With the original holes the base plates ran very close to the top of the headstock, but they were repositioned so they sit straighter and aren't too close to the edge.

[hollywoodrox]

Excellent, they look great