Reducing the neck pocket size.

[Cuzzie]

OK peeps, advice if you could be so kind.

I picked up a bit of a broken P bass body, may well be Fender as the neck that came off it I was told was a ‘78 neck. I think the pocket is standard size. I got the body for postage cost only and fancy a go at repairing.

I picked up a really nice P bass Lyte neck for a good price and I would like to fit them together. (I did know it had a different heel width to a normal, but was a nice neck at a good price).

I would like to fit the 2 together but obviously I need to tighten things up a little. I know I will need to fill the original screw holes and match up to the neck.

Am I right in thinking that gluing a veneer would do the job and then sand/shape to size?

Any other tips, apart from get a neck that fits!

Obligatory pics...

 

[NancyJohnson]

If it were me, I'd bolt everything together first to see whether it intonates properly, which would obviate the necessity of filling holes in the neck and neck pocket.  If they're both genuine Fender parts, the holes should match up.

Beyond that, you're simply making good on filling the gaps in the neck pocket, sanding and staining.  Borrow some clamps.

Any decent woodshop should have a decent stock of veneers; I'd take the bolted together bass along and see what fits.  This would save you sanding time.

[Cuzzie]

Not a bad plan, the neck holes do not all match,  but 3 of 4 may

[Jabba_the_gut]

Whereabouts are you based? If you are anywhere near Gloucestershire, give me a shout and I'll sort the veneer for you.

[Cuzzie]

Bristol

i’ll pm you!

[NancyJohnson]

1 hour ago, Cuzzie said:

Not a bad plan, the neck holes do not all match,  but 3 of 4 may

Whaaaat?  This doesnt compute.

[AndyTravis]

4 minutes ago, NancyJohnson said:

Whaaaat?  This doesnt compute.

The late had an offset neckplate iirc

[AndyTravis]

The pic shows the offset.

as an aside though - and as much as it pains me to say...that’s not a fender neck.

[NancyJohnson]

6 hours ago, AndyTravis said:

The pic shows the offset.

as an aside though - and as much as it pains me to say...that’s not a fender neck.

 

I was looking at this on a very small phone. 

I'd concur with this not being a Fender neck from that period as well.  At that point Fender joints were a standard rectangular four or triangular (to accommodate their micro-tilt system.  Too many laminations and the fingerboard wouldn't overhang at the dusty end.

[AndyTravis]

22 minutes ago, NancyJohnson said:

I was looking at this on a very small phone. 

I'd concur with this not being a Fender neck from that period as well.  At that point Fender joints were a standard rectangular four or triangular (to accommodate their micro-tilt system.  Too many laminations and the fingerboard wouldn't overhang at the dusty end.

The screw pattern is correct - the construction is not.

id suggest this is an aftermarket neck which has been on the body of a bass lyte 

[Cuzzie]

@AndyTravis @NancyJohnson

 

Thanks for your thoughts and concern on the matter guys.

i knew exactly what I was buying when I got it (I was just writing with brevity as the main thing was to see if I could get it to fit the body, which I also have no idea where is from). According to the seller who is a luthier he had to re-work it hence the appearance.

Here is the original advert.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F123437813884

Needless to say I like the feel of the neck very much without it yet being on a bass. As it really is a first jump into repairing stuff (only done 1 bitsa from new parts) I am using this to learn, and it may turn out OK.

i also quite like ferrules as opposed to a plate so the screw position doesn’t bother me.

Edited December 1, 2018 by Cuzzie

[AndyTravis]

It does look nice 😉

[Paul S]

I had a Precision Lyte and the fingerboard did indeed hang over the edge of the neck.  But the body of a P Lyte isn't the same size as a P bass, it is Strat sized with the bridge right on the edge of the body, so some jiggery pokery will be needed, i think.

[Cuzzie]

The neck does indeed look and feel nice and yep I am up for jiggery pokery!

[AndyTravis]

9 minutes ago, Cuzzie said:

The neck does indeed look and feel nice and yep I am up for jiggery pokery!

Dirty boy 😉

[Cuzzie]

Born and bred Mancunian, it’s in my DNA - even I was too dirty for Manc, it’s why I had to leave

[Norris]

Certainly gluing some veneer inside the neck pocket is a viable option if it's a relatively small gap. If the gap is large though, it might be easier to fill the pocket completely with a block of wood and re-cut the pocket to suit the neck. 

I can't remember if I saw it on here or another forum, but someone did a lovely job of an oversized insert in a contrasting wood. It looked like it was designed that way and was a real feature of the guitar 

[AndyTravis]

33 minutes ago, Cuzzie said:

Born and bred Mancunian, it’s in my DNA - even I was too dirty for Manc, it’s why I had to leave

Mukeh bastud

[Cuzzie]

@AndyTravis aye lad

 

Filling the pocket and neck holes is also something I am thinking as it will allow me a blank canvas.

The body only cost me postage and whilst I want it to look good, I don’t mind if it’s a bit higgledy piggledy.

@Norris thanks for that nudge, i’ll Do some looking up when not being forced to Xmas shop....

[BreadBin]

33 minutes ago, Norris said:

Certainly gluing some veneer inside the neck pocket is a viable option if it's a relatively small gap. If the gap is large though, it might be easier to fill the pocket completely with a block of wood and re-cut the pocket to suit the neck. 

I can't remember if I saw it on here or another forum, but someone did a lovely job of an oversized insert in a contrasting wood. It looked like it was designed that way and was a real feature of the guitar 

Pretty sure that was @Jimothey

[Norris]

56 minutes ago, BreadBin said:

Pretty sure that was @Jimothey

Ah yes, of course

 

[SpondonBassed]

14 hours ago, Cuzzie said:

OK peeps, advice if you could be so kind.

I picked up a bit of a broken P bass body, may well be Fender as the neck that came off it I was told was a ‘78 neck. I think the pocket is standard size. I got the body for postage cost only and fancy a go at repairing.

I picked up a really nice P bass Lyte neck for a good price and I would like to fit them together. (I did know it had a different heel width to a normal, but was a nice neck at a good price).

I would like to fit the 2 together but obviously I need to tighten things up a little. I know I will need to fill the original screw holes and match up to the neck.

Am I right in thinking that gluing a veneer would do the job and then sand/shape to size?

Any other tips, apart from get a neck that fits!

 

2 hours ago, Norris said:

Certainly gluing some veneer inside the neck pocket is a viable option if it's a relatively small gap. If the gap is large though, it might be easier to fill the pocket completely with a block of wood and re-cut the pocket to suit the neck. 

I can't remember if I saw it on here or another forum, but someone did a lovely job of an oversized insert in a contrasting wood. It looked like it was designed that way and was a real feature of the guitar 

Maybe route an oversize pocket that follows the outline of the intended neck closely so that the insert is of uniform width around the neck root.

1 hour ago, BreadBin said:

Pretty sure that was @Jimothey

Yust.

Edited December 1, 2018 by SpondonBassed

[Pea Turgh]

22 hours ago, Cuzzie said:

Corr!! Look at the flame on that!!

[fleabag]

Nurse !!!!   Kleenex for Pete, now

[Christine]

How big is the gap? Will you be painting the body?

If it's small and yes another option would be to wrap the neck in clingfilm, wax it, screw it down in the correct position and fill the gap with epoxy. Dead easy and your guaranteed a perfect fit