Help! Is this a shim, or a standard neck component?

[Bass Invader]

Early this year I acquired a second hand 2005 string-through-body Stingray, one of only 450 made by EB for their Japan distributor. A fantastic bass.

Since getting it, I've noticed that to eliminate fret-buzz above the 12th fret, it's necessary to set unreasonably high action. It was almost as if the heel of the neck was sitting higher than it should be, causing excessive fret-buzz from the 12th fret up.

So I decided to remove the neck to see if there was a shim installed by the previous owner. Well I did find something under there - a small piece of very thin plastic placed over the lower two screws (see picture below).

I've never seen a shim before, and also have never removed the neck off a Stingray. I was wondering whether this is actually a shim? Or is this a standard component of a Stingray neck? Would removing it cause any problems? Or would it possibly solve this issue of upper fret buzzing?

Any help with this would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!

 

[Grand Wazoo]

I've had 2 SRays a 1990 and a 2000 (presently still with me) and neither of these had that shim. It wouldn't hurt anything if you try and re-fit that neck without it, for all you know it may cure that annoying buzz over the 12th fret and you would only need to adjust the trussrod once the strings are in tension again. Try it and see

 

[PeteDuBaldo]

It could be both!

I've taken apart Lukes & y2ds and on occasion found factory shims that looked like that one. I haven't had the chance to take apart a bass yet... Give it a shot without the shim and see how it goes.

 

[Colin]

I had a dodgy repair guy setup a non MM guitar years ago and he used business cards to shim the neck.

 

[strummer]

That looks just like a Telefunken U47.

A factory shim I think, all my ebmm basses have them

Fret buzz above 12th fret? Hmmmm, too much relief and someone tried lowering the action with the bridge saddles perhaps?

 

[the unrepentant]

My SUB has a shim like that. Unless you're uber confident with your setups, take it to a pro.

 

[bdgotoh]

That's a factory shim, I've seen a number of basses with them. They always worked better with than without for me.

Business cards make great shims, I've used them many times myself with excellent results.

 

[Bass Invader]

Thanks for the replies!

Maybe I'll just try putting the neck back on without this bit of plastic, and see if it helps me with my upper fret action problem.

Hmmmm, too much relief and someone tried lowering the action with the bridge saddles perhaps?

Well, when setting up this bass I would first straighten out the neck with the handy truss rod wheel, then adjust the saddles to try and eliminate buzz when playing above the 12th fret. As I say above, it would have to be very high to stop buzz on the top two frets.

After that, I would use the truss rod to eliminate any buzz between the 1st and 12th fret. This has always been my understanding of how to get good action across the board... although admittedly I have much less experience with doing this on a Stingray than I do with Fender basses. I could be going about it entirely the wrong way!

 

[Bass Invader]

That's a factory shim, I've seen a number of basses with them. They always worked better with than without for me.

Incidentally, under what circumstances does a bass have a shim installed at the factory I wonder? During the setup procedure, do they add shims to compensate for the minor differences between woods perhaps?

 

[gafman]

Any bass/guitar that I have owned that was fitted with a shim I have ended up removing. I believe the ones that I have removed though were not factory fitted as they never looked that purposeful, ie, they were usually strips of scrap plastic placed somewhere in the neck pocket. I even had one up against the butt of the neck, not against the back. Very strange.

 

[Big Poppa]

SHims are the beauty of a bolt on to get things just right...the final sanding of the necks and bodys are by hand and there aare also atmospherics shanges and being able to set it just right is part of the design

Now here is why I detest customer service threads. You get well meaning people advising you to reassemle the bass...If it didnt need a shim we would not have put one in. What strummer says is what your problem is. SO many times people who laCK EXPERTISE OF EXPERIENCE MAKE THE FIRST ADJUST MENT TO THE BRIDGE. IN 25 YEARS I HAVE NEVER ADJUSTED A BRIDGE OF OURS...JUST THE TRUSS ROD

You need to just reassemble it and let a good tech adjust it.

 

[the unrepentant]

I'm not saying you're wrong or anything BP (that would be an utterly stupid thing to say), but i think the reason a lot of people go to adjust the bridge is because you can't cause any irreversable damage by doing this. A lot of people can be very cautious with the truss rod, particularly if they don't know what they're doing, me included. Just my 0.02.

Though i'm sure if EBMM put a shim in there, it's there for a reason.

 

[Bass Invader]

Thanks for all the advice!

Now here is why I detest customer service threads. You get well meaning people advising you to reassemle the bass...If it didnt need a shim we would not have put one in.

Apologies Big Poppa for not sending this query directly through to customer service. Thank you for your advice and experience. I'll do just as you've suggested.

 

[Big Poppa]

There is no problem adjusting anything its just that by the time we get them they have gotten so whacked out that it just causes more work

 

[Aussie Mark]

Here's the factory shim on my 1966 Fender .....

 

[Bass Invader]

Wow Mark... that's a highly sophisticated piece of luthier technology you've got in there. It's like your neck pocket is a time capsule from 1966.

 

[oli@bass]

As I say above, it would have to be very high to stop buzz on the top two frets.

This is rather odd. You should not get buzz from the last fret at all. Except if the buzz does stem from the string rattling against a fret below the fretted position, i.e. at a lower fret. Maybe uneven fret wear which can be cured by a leveling and proper crowning. I'd take it to a good luthier.

In general: Recent Music Man basses (I can't speak for guitars) are extraordinarily well set up right from the factory. What you have to keep in mind is that the setup must aim for an average action which is comfortable yet allows for heavy digging without buzz. Depending on your playing style and preferred string type and gauge, there's room for improvement to suit your specific needs. You might be amazed what a good luthier can do if you tell him about your wishes, and let him observe your playing. This holds true for any brand and make of instrument... a manufacturer can never know your personal needs!

 

[nicjimbass]

Man, this is at least the second thread I've read recently that mentioned using the trussrod only for changing the action... is that an EBMM thing for the most part, or is it the case with any bass? I honestly never realized that was a viable way of making adjustments, for some reason. Just lack of education on my part, I'd say!

 

[Black Lake]

Man, this is at least the second thread I've read recently that mentioned using the trussrod only for changing the action... is that an EBMM thing for the most part, or is it the case with any bass? I honestly never realized that was a viable way of making adjustments, for some reason. Just lack of education on my part, I'd say!

EBMM truss rods have a huge effect on a good portion of the neck. A tweak of the truss adjusts from the nut to above the 12 fret, so this is important to set first. The action of the higher frets are adjusted with the bridge saddles, but only after the relief is set with the truss rod. Other manufacturers' truss rods do not seem to have the same range as EBMM (IMHO of course).

 

[oli@bass]

It's true for any bass setup. Given we're talking about quality instruments. Otherwise a chainsaw may be helfpul for ajdustments...