Cure for the Bends?

GP

I have a late 60s 'FrankenFender', i.e. a CBS Jazzmaster made from warehouse spares. The neck is date-stamped Jan1964 and is beautiful, though the join is abysmal (huge gap). Despite this (and other quirks) it sounds beautiful.

I'd like to lower the action but the strings choke on bends due to the 'vintage' camber of the fretboard. I've read that some people have the top portion of the fretboard flattened out a little, then re-fretted, to allow bends with a lower action. I'm considering doing this but it's not a slab fingerboard, it's one of those ones with a thin rosewood veneer that curves round. I should think this is going to make a partial re-fret a little more difficult.

Has anyone here had this procedure carried out? Am I right in thinking it's going to be problematic? I don't care about resale value as it'll never be sold (it's been my main guitar for 18 years), plus I want something (even) more playable.

linerinthecoat

you should leave early fender necks as they are. You could get a good price for it if you sold it. Then perhaps get a new jazzmaster neck...

Aug

he just said that he wasn't interested in selling it.

GP: I've actually done this myself. But, it was on a Gibson...not sure if this will apply, but here goes:

I adjusted the truss rod several times of a period of 2 weeks to pull the neck closer to flat, then I just did a standard refret. It's quite a process and takes lots of work and patience.

Of course, depending on the camber, you may or may not be able to accomplish what you are after...you'll just have to determine that for yourself. But, if you want to be walked through the refret process, just say the word.

linerinthecoat

Augustus_McCrae said: he just said that he wasn't interested in selling it.

I meant sell the neck only since it seems to be giving him trouble, and there's no point to hacking up a perfectly good 60s fender neck.

DDK65JAG

Maybe it's just me, but I think it makes more sense to just buy a new Warmoth neck, install it for playing. Keep the Jazzmaster neck original.

You'll be $$$$$ ahead in the long run. Heck, you could buy a used Squier

Strat neck in a profile you like more (non-vintage) pretty cheap.

Just my $.02.

GP

When I mainly played jazz gigs I used heavier strings and had the action a lot lower and it felt beautiful. I'd like the same feel again, but also would like to be able to bend strings.

I love the neck and have no intention of selling it. In the early 90s I took it to an expert and had the frets profiled + truss rod tweaked so that there's no choke when bending, but it still means the action is higher than I'd like it. The next step would be to undertake the work I mentioned in my intial post. I don't want a replacement neck, it probably wouldn't feel as good. I don't care about resale value, I love this thing and will never sell it...just want to improve on what is already a great axe!

Rick

if you have a distance of 2mm-3mm between the bottom of the strings and the top of the 17 fret, i don't see how you could be choking off. unless you're using 8's and bending up about 2 whole notes.

also, make sure your strings aren't just hitting the end of an intonation screw