Gecko neck pocket fit?

[MikeC]

Hello All: I have a Gecko bass that's been years in the making. Long story short: I bought the body first and then lost my job, so couldn't afford the neck. I'm now retired and have fewer bills so I have bought a neck and now want to test fit it. I know the sides of the neck pocket are not parallel, they are wider at the bridge end so I must position the neck over the pocket and then slide it down; like a dovetail joint to exaggerate a bit. But it still seems that the neck is too wide for the pocket. It's not by much, less than 0.08 inch, but that's enough to keep the neck from fitting in the pocket. Is this usual? I expected there to be a tight fit, but that the neck would slide easily into the pocket. What is your experience and if I need to do some fitment what are the tricks to shaping the neck pocket to that the neck fits?

Best Regards

 

[bagman67]

You'll want to form sandpaper around a hard block, and you are definitely on the right track modifying the pocket instead of the neck.  You don't want to remove too much material too quickly, or you'll wind up with too much space around the neck.  Use a fairly high grit woodworking paper, 220 or more, so you don't cut too fast.  If you need to sand the corners of the pocket, you'll want to use a dowel with a pretty small diameter, maybe 3/8", tops.  But start with just the sides and see how you do.  A couple strokes with the paper on each side and try to fit the neck.  Repeat as necessary.  Mask the top of the body if it's finished so you don't inadvertently eff it up.

 

[aarontunes]

First things first: are you certain you ordered the correct size neck for the body you already had?

Gecko 5-strings bodies and necks come in three sizes: Small, Medium, and Wide. Are you certain the body and neck you ordered years apart are the same size? I.e. if the body you ordered originally was a Gecko 5 Small, the neck must also be a Gecko 5 Small. The three sizes are not interchangeable.


If you are certain that both the neck and the body are the same size, then I would proceed with Bagman67's good advice.

 

[MikeC]

Thank you for the replies. I have confirmed my neck order was for a medium neck, so I'll have to remeasure it at the 24th fret to see if it is indeed a medium. I'll have to go back to find the body order or have Warmoth look it up for me. The neck pocket does have the letter "M" written in it, for what's that's worth.  But I will confirm both the neck and body before I start sanding.

My biggest worry about sanding the pocket is that the neck screw holes will misalign, but there are some things I can do to minimize that chance.

Best Regards

 

[bagman67]

The screw holes in the body aren't likely to make a difference if you are only correcting for a mere .08" - they are drilled overlarge so the screw threads don't catch in them. 

 

[aarontunes]

It's not unusual for neck pockets to require a little sanding/tweaking for best fit. A little TLC around the edges shouldn't effect the screw alignment. It's not a space shuttle...it's just a guitar.