Wil Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 I've got a parts P bass with a mighty mite fretless neck. The body is from a mid 90s encore. The neck pocket is a touch too big, so its currently wedged in with some bits of card, and although its playable its not as nice as it could be. My question is, how easy is it to reshape a neck pocket to make it fit an aftermarket neck? I assume it would require filling with a block of wood and reshaping, not something I'd fancy doing myself. In which case, what's the damage likely to be from a luthier - has anyone had this sort of thing done before? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wil Posted March 11, 2010 Author Share Posted March 11, 2010 If I tried such a thing I'd probably end up with maple veneer glued to my face Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BottomEndian Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 [quote name='Wil' post='771708' date='Mar 11 2010, 03:21 PM']If I tried such a thing I'd probably end up with maple veneer glued to my face [/quote] Excellent. Please post pics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wil Posted March 11, 2010 Author Share Posted March 11, 2010 Good idea, that! Seriously though, I can only imagine I'd make it worse than before I started. I'm not particularly skilled in the woodworking arts. Polyfilla, on the other hand... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BottomEndian Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 [quote name='Wil' post='771721' date='Mar 11 2010, 03:30 PM']Seriously though, I can only imagine I'd make it worse than before I started. I'm not particularly skilled in the woodworking arts. Polyfilla, on the other hand...[/quote] Then simply build up the neck heel with Polyfilla. Honestly, do we have to hold your hand through the whole thing? Hold on though [serious thought for a moment] ... is this the neck I sold you last year? Just wondering... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wil Posted March 11, 2010 Author Share Posted March 11, 2010 [quote name='BottomEndian' post='771727' date='Mar 11 2010, 03:33 PM']Then simply build up the neck heel with Polyfilla. Honestly, do we have to hold your hand through the whole thing? Hold on though [serious thought for a moment] ... is this the neck I sold you last year? Just wondering...[/quote] Yeah, it's been on the bass for a goodly while. I'm just considering sprucing it up a touch so I can get the best out of it. Really nice neck - I'd like to do it justice. So, no one has had a luthier do this before I take it? Was mainly wondering if it was going to break the bank or not. I guess I'd better have a ring round. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanP2008 Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 If you are going to build up the neck pocket a bit, IMO you need something light but rigid (ie. not anything rubbery or flexible that would absorb or damp vibration). Polyfilla is not such a stupid idea, as it would be very easy to work, and then smooth/level out with sandpaper or whatever when it has dried. Once you have it as you want it, then you could apply some thinned varnish or even thinnned epoxy (so that it soaks in) - that would make it harder and more rigid again. You probably can't go too far wrong doing that... Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wil Posted March 12, 2010 Author Share Posted March 12, 2010 [quote name='AlanP2008' post='772692' date='Mar 12 2010, 12:53 PM']If you are going to build up the neck pocket a bit, IMO you need something light but rigid (ie. not anything rubbery or flexible that would absorb or damp vibration). Polyfilla is not such a stupid idea, as it would be very easy to work, and then smooth/level out with sandpaper or whatever when it has dried. Once you have it as you want it, then you could apply some thinned varnish or even thinnned epoxy (so that it soaks in) - that would make it harder and more rigid again. You probably can't go too far wrong doing that... Alan[/quote] Really? Well, if my crazy idea isn't so crazy, I might try that. I can't do the veneers thing as I lack tools, but I could certainly shape some filler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 [quote name='Wil' post='772700' date='Mar 12 2010, 12:57 PM']Really? Well, if my crazy idea isn't so crazy, I might try that. I can't do the veneers thing as I lack tools, but I could certainly shape some filler.[/quote] I thought of doing a similar thing to my project, i don't have anything more than hand tools and no workspace/garage at the moment. My idea was to cover the neck heel in thin film and screw it to the body, then get the right angle by using lengths of light elastic as mock-up strings. Once enough filler has been inserted into the gaps and has dried simply unscrew the neck and remove the film, hopefully the neck pocket would be snug. Does that sound like a stupid idea? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wil Posted March 12, 2010 Author Share Posted March 12, 2010 Sounds like a clever idea to me! Now, off to B&Q... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry norton Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 (edited) Chances are it won't make any difference to your sound. An Encore isn't that valuable either and taking it to a luthier will cost you a fair few quid as (if they were any good), they'd have to cut a piece of similar wood to go into the pocket and then re-route it. Then you have to think about refinishing I'd charge 60-80 quid just for the woodwork. On the other hand, If you really hate having a gap, you could smear a bit of car body filler around the neck pocket where the gap is, cover the end of the neck in cling film and bolt it in. Wait 20 minuites for the filler to harden then take the neck back off, trim the oozed out filler back with a knife then colour it in with a felt tip pen. Job done, and better than Polyfilla EDIT; Sorry lemmywinks, I didn't read your post properly, you're absolutely spot on there mate! Edited March 12, 2010 by henry norton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wil Posted March 19, 2010 Author Share Posted March 19, 2010 (edited) Right! Well, after I had a good read through the excellent thread on neck shimming, I decided to whip the neck off. It turns out the gap wasn't as bad as I thought - it was more a case of my poor shimming job causing issues (I'd shimmed the length of the neck pocket, which meant I needed a fairly big shim, as opposed to shimming at the body end of the neck pocket to change the angle of the neck). So, freshly shimmed, the gap was small enough for me to live with. I cut some clear plastic from a blister pack of straplocks and placed a strip of this on each side of the neck as I slid it back into the pocket, and the neck is now rock solid. It really has made a difference, I can feel the strings resonating through the body quite strongly when I pluck a note now, which I couldn't before. Sustain seems improved as well. Pics of the beast are in the gear porn forum, in case you're wondering what this particular sow's ear looks like. Thanks for the advice all! Edited March 19, 2010 by Wil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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