Would you buy this neck or not if you needed one?

[lungimsam]

Allegedly Canadian maple and rosewood. Looks very well made but just don't know since there is no free return shipping and I don't know the seller. Does this look like a quality part to y'all in the know? Thanks for your input. At $229, next step up would be a $800 Lowe conversion neck but not gonna happen:

Medium Scale Bass Conversion Neck | Reverb

Medium Scale Conversion Neck to Fit Fender Spec Pockets. For Players who find larger basses cumbersome. Canadian Maple. Jazz Bass Nut width (38mm). Rosewood Fingerboard. Bone nut. Flawless Natural Satin Finish. Jazz Bassprofile. 14mm/11/16" tuner hole size. Perfect f...

reverb.com

Backstory:
Need a medium scale conversion neck for my beloved Pass so I can keep playing it. The normal long scale neck is just too much for my aging hands, which is why I favor medium scales and shorties since 2011.
But wanna still keep my Fender blue flower bass going.

 

[chazmo]

Looks nice, lungimsam! How does it attach to the body? Do you have to drill holes?

Anyway, good luck. Can't think of any reason *not* to make the bass a shorter scale.

 

[lungimsam]

It’s a bolt on. But I’ll Have to drill the holes but I’m up to the task! I have put two other necks on this bass in my efforts to keep it. I do fine with medium scale and short scale. My wife bought me this bass and I played only it the first 10 years I had it. We have been through a lot of good times together!
Looking at the pics of those conversion necks, those necks look nice and a satin finish, which I like.

 

[davismanLV]

Wait, are basses totally different from guitars? If you put a shorter scale neck on a guitar, the bridge is gonna be in the wrong place, isn't it? And need to be reset to the scale length? Am I missing something here??

 

[chazmo]

Wait, are basses totally different from guitars? If you put a shorter scale neck on a guitar, the bridge is gonna be in the wrong place, isn't it? And need to be reset to the scale length? Am I missing something here??

I don't think so, Tom... The neck should be built to be a certain scale length (nut to bridge) and fretted to intonate accordingly, right? Why would you need to move the bridge?

 

[lungimsam]

Correctamundo.
I checked into it already. For this neck no need to move bridge. Good point though.

 

[davismanLV]

The bridge is set based on scale length of the neck. As far as I know..... If you take the same body and put a short scale neck, the bridge is gonna be closer to the soundhole. If it's long scale, it'll be further away. This is just the mechanics of how it's done.

 

[lungimsam]

This is a “conversion” neck, designed to the existing bridge position. So the bridge doesn’t have to be moved. Apparently…gulp that’s what the maker says, anyway. Mmm. how much would shipping a neck back cost?

Other companies make these medium scale “conversion necks, too. Seems like three price points, depending on the makers: Under $100 (letter salad companies on Amazon), $229(this one), and 799$(Lowe Custom)

For now I’m just gonna wait and see if I can live with my Jazz neck on it until his next batch of tinted necks arrives in a couple months.

If these necks actually work, it would be fantastic. If not, I think I might get into some issues because I need to install and play to see if it really intonates well and works. He says they are good. I will have to clarify what kinda return I get if it isn’t good.

 

[davismanLV]

Well if the saddle is adjustable then fine, you intone it to the specific neck. I don't know about basses, so I was thinking fixed saddle. Kind of like an archtop then, you have to intonate the bridge to the neck.

 

[jp]

I like medium scale basses, too. IIRC, a number of the Fender Japanese basses are medium scale. I once picked up an Aerodyne that was a dream to play.

As long as the neck is what if claims to be, you can always return it if you don't like it. Once it's in your hands, you can examine the fit and finish, tell if it needs a fret dress, confirm the wood quality, make sure the truss rod works, etc. The price seems fair. I really like the headstock -- Fenderish but not silly.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Yes.

 

[chazmo]

This is a “conversion” neck, designed to the existing bridge position. So the bridge doesn’t have to be moved. Apparently…gulp that’s what the maker says, anyway. Mmm. how much would shipping a neck back cost?

Other companies make these medium scale “conversion necks, too. Seems like three price points, depending on the makers: Under $100 (letter salad companies on Amazon), $229(this one), and 799$(Lowe Custom)

For now I’m just gonna wait and see if I can live with my Jazz neck on it until his next batch of tinted necks arrives in a couple months.

If these necks actually work, it would be fantastic. If not, I think I might get into some issues because I need to install and play to see if it really intonates well and works. He says they are good. I will have to clarify what kinda return I get if it isn’t good.

I think you should try it. They should be able to fret the neck properly for whatever placement the bridge creates the scale length at. Given that it's designed as a conversion neck, it should be just bolt-on and play. Anything to make an instrument easier to play is good in my book!

 

[Teleguy61]

It doesn't say what the scale length is.
30"? 32"? Standard Fender is 34".
Also, don't be surprised if you have to have the frets filed, leveled and crowned.

 

[chazmo]

Great point, Teleguy61... Is there a definition for "medium" scale for a bass?

Anyway, @lungimsam , I looked up this company mentioned in the ad (Performance Music Company) and they're in Skokie, IL. You might try giving them a call or sending email to get the details.

(847) 338-1537

dlharriman@performancemusic.co

 

[lungimsam]

Not sure the inches scale but he said to use true medium scale strings. So it's gonna be really in 32" or thereabouts territory. I'll find out for sure when the next batch of necks come in.

 

[jp]

It says medium scale, so if that's what you want, it should be 32". Short scale is 30" and standard scale is 34".

 

[Teleguy61]

Danelectro Longhorns are 29.75" scale.
Now that's a short scale!