Replacing the neck of a '75 Jazz bass

[Humph]

Hi guys,

I picked up this bass in a trade a number of months ago, but unfortunately when I left it for a set up a few months later, I discovered the truss rod was damaged and was recommended to get a replacement neck.



The bass is not all original anyway, so I'm less concerned with 'preserving the originality' and more concerned with having a wonderful Jazz bass.

My thought is to buy a part for part replacement neck. Which seem to be rarer than hen's teeth at the moment, so I'm wondering if it would be better to convert to a 4 bolt neck? (I've heard the 3 bolt necks are not the best anyway). But then more questions follow... Rosewood neck? Maple? Fretted? Fretless? Truss adjuster at the headstock?

I'm also considering upgrading the pups and pots, currently there isn't a massive amount of gain from them, and certainly not an even amount from the individual pups compared to both on.

So, what would you guys recommend for upgrades to make this an all singing J? I'm partly on the fence about putting in a fretless neck as well, since I have 2 5 string basses that are fretted. That decision will wait until I've tried out a few fretlesses anyway as I may not get on with them

[TrevorR]

Have you considered geting a luthier to repair the neck and replace the truss rod? May be more straightforward than sourcing a 3 bolt replacement part/convert the body to 4 bolt.

As far as upgrades are concerned... I see it already has a Badass bridge, always a first port of call. If you are thinking of going active I am a big fan of the Audere active circuit. I added one to my Frankenjazz and it is a really nicely voiced active circuit. All the fight tonal flexibility in all the right ranges without anyo fht esilly unusalbe extremes of some lesser quality systems. [url="https://www.audereaudio.com/Pro_JZ3.htm"]https://www.audereaudio.com/Pro_JZ3.htm[/url]

[Humph]

I had thought about including an on board preamp, but I own a MM and a Warwick, both with active electronics (albeit the W has a passive pull switch) so I was going to keep this one passive. However, that system looks pretty great. I like that it still allows the bass to be played passively.

The guy I used for a set up does a lot of luthier work to basses but he did say a new neck would be in order. I may ask him what the cost would be to replace the truss though. Wouldn't there be a risk in damaging the old wood of the neck though?

Edit: He says the replacement of the truss rod would be risky and costly. And he wouldn't be prepared to do it haha. New neck it is!

Edited August 21, 2015 by Humph

[chevy-stu]

I bought a replacement neck for my 74' Jazz from a guy in the US who deals in vintage bas parts.. It came well wrapped and fits perfectly... 3 bolt may be harder to find.. (saying that there are 3 on US eBay at the moment)

Edited August 21, 2015 by chevy-stu

[SubsonicSimpleton]

You might want to get a second opinion about repairing the trussrod - not all luthiers are equal in terms of skill and experience, and if every luthier refused to touch challenging jobs, then no-one would be able to get vintage instruments repaired.

For a neck heel adjusted trussrod, it is possible that the anchor is situated underneath the block inlay at the first fret, if it is then there is no need for invasive surgery, it might be possible to do all the necessary work under the inlay - here are examples of how this process casn be carried out on a non block neck.

http://guitargarage.blogspot.co.uk/2008/01/one-way-to-repair-fender-trussrod-63.html

http://www.guitarrepairshop.com/repairtrussrod.html

If you do a google image search using the term "fender trussrod replacement" there is quite a lot of information and documented repairs on valuable vintage fenders.

If you choose to go this route, make sure that you check the reputation of the person doing the work really carefully - of course the economics of the situation need to be considered as well, but whatever choice you make, don't assume that your existing neck is worthless firewood on basis of a single opinion.

[NancyJohnson]

Sometimes the internet throws things up. I spoke to a tech guy once who said you need to apply a lot of heat to loosen the glue and use a pallet knife to ease the fingerboard away to access the truss rod. Here you go:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgiZkN3bl3Y

[Humph]

Thanks for the advice guys. I checked with my luthier and also got a second opinion on the truss rod. It would definitely be too risky and costly to repair.

I've got some aguilar pickups ordered for it, and am currently deciding between the Audere and a John East preamp. I've also got my eye on some necks on eBay, so I'll potentially put a maple/pearl combination on and make it a little more Marcus-esque

[Manton Customs]

What is the issue with the truss rod? This may be the appropriate fix depending on the issue [url="http://www.stewmac.com/Luthier_Tools/Tools_by_Job/Truss_Rods/Truss_Rod_Rescue_Kit.html"]http://www.stewmac.c...Rescue_Kit.html[/url]

If you need a new neck, we can do that for you too . But it wouldn't be cheap being handmade.

Edited August 28, 2015 by Manton Customs

[mikeswals]

This seems like a mess of a money pit. So far you havent told us what the issue with the truss rod is.
If the bass isnt original (from your pic I can see a body refinish, a new bridge and pickguard), and you are already wanting to buy new neck, pickups and electronics, I'm thinking "what for"? It will no longer be a 75 if everything bolted to the body is replaced. My advice is sell it off or part it out, and go buy a different Jazz Bass.
If you want it as a vintage 75, then get a real luthier to fix the neck, and have the original pickups rewound if they're weak.