J&L Bass Custom Build

1 Piece Constructed Neck: Solid and Stable

The 1 piece-constructed neck is made from a single piece of wood, resulting in a solid and seamless design. One notable feature of this neck construction is the presence of a "skunk stripe" on its rear, which adds a distinctive visual element. Additionally, it boasts a teardrop-shaped "plug" on its headstock.

The advantage of a 1-piece neck lies in its stability. With no joints or seams, it offers excellent resonance and sustains, allowing your guitar to produce rich and vibrant tones. Furthermore, the absence of any separate fingerboard provides a smooth playing surface, facilitating comfortable fretting and effortless string bending.

2 Piece Constructed Neck: Versatility and Customization

On the other hand, if you're in search of a neck with a separate fingerboard, the 2 piece-constructed neck is worth considering. This type of neck features a distinct fingerboard attached to the neck, usually made of maple for its bright and articulate tonal characteristics.

The advantage of a 2-piece neck lies in its versatility. By using different materials for the neck and fingerboard, guitar manufacturers can achieve specific tonal qualities to cater to different musical styles. Additionally, the separate fingerboard allows for customization in terms of wood selection and aesthetics, giving you more control over the overall look and feel of your instrument.

For the most part, right and left-handed necks are self-explanatory.

The only real differences between a true lefty neck and a reverse righty neck are the location of the side dots, the way the nut is slotted for strings, and some back profiles. All of these depend on whether or not the neck is being crafted for right-handed or left-handed play.

20-Fret: Fender's vintage standard for bass guitars typically features a 20-fret neck. This is commonly found in classic models like the Precision Bass (P-Bass) and Jazz Bass (J-Bass) from earlier years.

21-Fret: On the other hand, Fender's Deluxe bass guitars often come with a 21-fret neck that includes a fingerboard extension. The additional fret allows for a slightly extended range and accessibility to higher notes.

22-Fret: Furthermore, we offer a 22-fret version neck, specifically designed to fit G&L style basses without a fingerboard extension. This option will not work with Fender Basses and is specifically designed for our G&L clients.

19-Fret: For players looking for shorter-scale bass necks, we provide a 19-fret version to complement short-scale bass guitars. Short-scale basses have a shorter neck length and will convert a 34" scale Fender Bass to a 30" Scale, otherwise known as a Conversion Neck.

Slab-style Fingerboards: Slab-style Fingerboards are approximately 0.25" thick at the center and are glued flat onto the maple portion of the neck. This style involves using a solid piece of wood for the Fingerboard. The wood is typically chosen for its durability, tonal properties, and aesthetic appeal. Slab-style Fingerboards are often used with a standard neck construction and allow for the installation of different truss rod options.

Veneer-style Fingerboards: Veneer-style Fingerboards are approximately 0.11" thick and are glued over the maple portion of the neck that has already been radiused. In this style, a thin layer of wood, known as a veneer, is applied over the neck. The veneer is typically pre-radiused to match the desired fingerboard curvature. This style is commonly used when a specific radius or curvature is desired for the Fingerboard. It's important to note that the 59 truss rod option is not available with a veneer setup.

We offer finger board edges in 3 varieties:

Squared Off
The fingerboard edge, from the side of the neck to the face of the fingerboard, is square-shaped. Some feel this is too sharp, others prefer it this way so they can do their own rolling of the edges.

Semi Rolled
We roll the edges of the fingerboard just enough to break the sharp edge – without overdoing it – just enough to be comfortable. There is no extra charge for this.

Heavy Rolled
For those who prefer a more worn-in look and feel, the degree of roll on the edges is much greater. This is a labor-intensive process and subsequently includes an up-charge. Note: The Frets for this style of roll are beveled but not rolled to the extreme degree that the wood is, you would end up losing fret width and subsequently risk string slippage. 

German made Nickel Silver Wire: Our frets are made from 18% Nickel Silver, also known as German Silver. This material features a rich silver color that remains bright and tarnish-free over time. It provides dimensional accuracy, ensuring precise fret placement and a smooth playing experience.

EVO Gold Fret Wire: The EVO Gold fret wire is an alternative option for those who prefer a gold-colored look. This fret wire is slightly harder than standard nickel alloy but softer than stainless steel. It offers durability while maintaining good playability.

Stainless Steel Fret Wire: We also offer stainless steel fret wire in all of our most common sizes. Stainless steel is much harder than standard fret wire, resulting in increased durability and resistance to wear. It tends to brighten the sound of the neck, so it's important to consider this characteristic when selecting the specifications for your custom neck.

Our fretwork is meticulously done, ensuring smooth, level frets with beveled ends that are ready to play. We take into consideration string tension and pull, and the neck you receive should have a slight relief of a few thousandths of an inch without requiring a truss rod adjustment right out of the box. While our factory replacement necks typically do not require further fret tweaking, your setup needs may vary, and you may choose to have the frets adjusted by a professional luthier if desired.

We take pride in providing high-quality fretwork, and we believe that our frets are among the best in the business.

Black top dots: We typically use black top dots for maple necks. These dots provide a contrasting visual appearance against the light-colored maple wood and offer clear visibility.

White or imitation clay top dots: For darker boards, we offer white or imitation clay top dots. These dots are chosen to provide good visibility against the darker wood of the Fingerboard.

Abalone dots: We also offer very nice abalone dots for modern enthusiasts. These dots feature the beautiful and iridescent properties of abalone shell, adding an elegant touch to the Fingerboard.

Authentic clay dots: For vintage enthusiasts who appreciate authenticity, we provide authentic clay dots. These dots offer a traditional and vintage aesthetic, reflecting the classic style of older instruments.

Rosewood dots: As a tribute to vintage Charvel fans, we offer rosewood dots. These dots are made from rosewood, matching the Fingerboard wood and providing a cohesive and vintage look.

White Glow-In-The-Dark dots: Our newest addition to this category is our exclusive white Glow-In-The-Dark dots. These dots have a special feature that allows them to glow in the dark. They are particularly useful in dimly lit situations, helping you keep your place on the Fingerboard. These dots are favored by many professional musicians for their practicality and unique appearance.

These options cater to different preferences and styles, ensuring that our customers have a variety of choices when it comes to top dots for their Fingerboards.

Standard 2mm side markers: We provide standard 2mm side markers in a large variety of materials. These side markers are typically used for their functionality and serve as visual reference points on the side of the Fingerboard.

50/50 side dot placement: For 2-piece necks, we offer 50/50 side dot placement. This means that the side dots will be placed straight down the seam of the 2-piece neck, with half on the Fingerboard and half on the neck. This placement is reminiscent of the classic style used in the past.

Larger 3/32" dots: We also offer larger 3/32" side dots in black or white. These dots were standard on vintage Blackguard necks and are known for their larger size, providing better visibility on the side of the Fingerboard.

Luminlay Glow-in-the-dark side dots: Our newest addition to the side dot options is the Glow-in-the-dark side dots. These dots have a special feature that allows them to glow in the dark. They come in two colors: blue and green. The glow-in-the-dark feature ensures visibility in low-light or dark environments, aiding in keeping your position on the Fingerboard.

These various side dot options cater to different preferences, allowing our customers to choose the style, size, and material that best suits their needs and desired aesthetic.

Back Profiles - Measure in inches at the 1st and 12th frets. Adjusted to fit your preferred nut width.

We offer neck binding in three colors:

White: White neck binding provides a clean and classic look. It creates a visible contrast against the neck wood, adding a touch of elegance and definition.

Black: Black neck binding offers a sleek and sophisticated appearance. It complements various neck finishes and can provide a visually striking contrast, particularly on lighter-colored necks.

Cream: Cream neck binding adds a vintage touch to the neck. It has a slightly warmer tone compared to white binding and can create a traditional and timeless aesthetic.

Neck Finish Options

When it comes to neck finishes, we provide a range of options, each with its own advantages. Please review the following choices and select the finish that suits your preferences:

Raw

Some clients prefer to receive the neck "Raw" without any finish applied. This option allows individuals to apply their own finish. However, please note that necks purchased without a finish are covered under warranty for only 30 days from the date of delivery. Any issues resulting from atmospheric conditions, such as warping or twisting, are not covered for necks shipped in a raw state. Please keep this in mind when choosing the "Raw" finish option.

Thin Lacquer Sealer

Our preferred pre-finish treatment involves a very thin application of lacquer, resulting in a semi-gloss look and feel. This treatment serves as a sealant for the neck and is sufficient to honor our warranty. The advantage of this option is that the neck is ready for additional coats of lacquer, whether clear or tinted, if desired. Please note that there is a $20 labor cost associated with this process. We do not offer tinted applications for the thin lacquer sealer finish.

Oil

For this option, we hand rub two coats of our own special blend of oils and buff the neck to achieve a satin finish. This results in a smooth and fast-playing neck. Depending on the amount of use, the neck may require future applications of oil. We now offer a tinted application called "Amber Tinted Oil," adding a warm hue to the finish.

Aged Oil

With the aged oil finish, we apply one coat of a special blend of oils that darkens the wood, giving the neck an aged appearance. We then hand rub two coats of clear oil, creating an aged satin look and feel. This finish option is particularly suited for Birdseye Maple, but may not have the same effect on Regular Maple.

As our shop has become increasingly busy, we have decided to focus more on our core business of building custom necks and bodies. While we offer thin lacquer sealer and oil finishes, please note that we discontinued full lacquer finishing services on necks and bodies some time ago. However, we can recommend two shops that provide excellent neck and body finishing options:

MJT Aged Finishes:

They have a longstanding reputation and offer a wide range of finish choices. We have a special arrangement with them, and if you choose their shop as the shipping address during checkout, we can provide "Free Shipping" to them. For inquiries regarding their finishing services, please contact MJT Aged Finishes directly. We will not answer finishing-related questions pertaining to external finishers.

If you have any further questions or require assistance in selecting the appropriate neck finish, please contact us. Our team is here to help and guide you through the process.

Administrative Up-Charge

The administrative up-charge is a fee specifically designated for special circumstances and incidentals that are not covered by our standard order menus. It is important to note that these charges do not apply to regular orders. We kindly request that you refrain from using this option unless specifically directed to do so by Musikraft sales personnel. If you have any questions or require further information regarding this administrative up-charge, please feel free to contact us. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Order Change

At Musikraft, we begin production on your order immediately, tailoring it to your custom specifications. We understand that sometimes changes may be necessary. Please take note of the following conditions regarding order changes:

Change Achievable at Current Production Stage: If the requested change can be accommodated at the current stage of production for your neck or body, a charge of $25.00 will apply.

Change Requires Restarting Production: If the requested change necessitates restarting production with a new neck or body, a restocking charge of 25% will be applied to the purchase price of the item.

We strive to fulfill your customization needs while also considering the progress made in production. If you have any questions or need further clarification regarding order changes, please don't hesitate to contact us. We are here to assist you throughout the process.