Neck pocket repair

[Robert.V]

My Baja has a slight imperfection on the pocket,
It was sanded down a little to much on one side and I was wondering if I can have the pocket routed flush.

As you can see in the pics I can just barely jam a .060 pick in the gap.

If I have it routed out .060 so its perfectly flat,
can I just turn up the saddles 0.60 and be done with it, or wil it ***** things up?





I really love this guitar, so I want it to be as close to perfect as possible,
Have to plug and redrill the pickguard screwholes to, there in crooked.

[FrankMc]

How does it play?

[Robert.V]

plays great,
just want to correct it for cosmetics.

[G Man]

I hate to say it, but I think any attempt to "correct" that will likely make the cosmetics worse with no appreciable gains in any other way.

Possibly make it harder to set up afterwards too.

[Rhomco Guitars]

Yes you can have it routed .060 deeper to level it up. You should have plenty of travel left in your saddles to adjust for it. This is a common mod to lower the neck deeper into the pocket. Better take it to a skilled luthier/repairman to be sure it is done correctly. He really needs a template to keep the router flat even though the bearing will trace the existing pocket.
Good luck on your project,
Rob

[hemingway]

I'm wary of trying to get things "perfect" on a guitar. Especially on a work horse like a Fender, with an adjustable neck, that's going to have gaps (although admittedly not that kind of gap). Chasing perfect might just drive you nuts.

[EsquireOK]

I might just leave that as it is, myself. Or, if you still have warranty coverage, drop it off at a service center and let Fender worry about it.

[Telepi]

So close, yet so far.

Did you just get it? Can it
be exchanged?

Yeah, I know it plays great.
All Baja' play great. You shouldn't
have to pay for it to be corrected.
That's not cosmetic, it's a slip at
the factory.

[J Lacey]

Maybe it's not the body, maybe it's the neck? It's a $750.00 guitar. These baja's have their own little perks, I know 'cause I have one as well. I'd play it and forget about it............Wouldn't wanna take a chance at chipping the finish with a route just to mill down .06..........

[BackNtheSaddle]

If it feels great, plays great, sounds great and you can learn to not let it bother you...

I'd just "Let it Be".

[Quarterpounder]

How about a custom fit shim? You could sand a piece of scrap to fit just the gap.

[waparker4]

Yeah or some glue 'n sawdust; or just leave well enough alone

[fender4life]

I'd probably leave it as long as nothing is wrong due to this. Let me tell you a little story concerning neck pockets. I have a 72 thinline RI. I love this guitar's tone, just absolutly love it. Recently i was a bit bothered by the fact that the bridge is just slightly off center. So i moved the neck in the pocket so the strings lined up. In doing this the neck no longer makes full contact with the upper side of the pocket. Net result? Well, remember i said how much i love the tone? It was average compared to how it is now ! It literally made it better to such a degree it changed the guitars tonal character a lot, and for the better. I feel like I may never touch my other guitars again, it's that good.

Moral to the story? Full contact can and does go both ways. So guitars may sound best with tight great neck to pocket contact. Others ma not, and the difference can be huge. You may repair it only to find the tone isn't as good. Theres only one way to know. If it were me i'd decide whether it's a great sounding tele or not as it is now, and if it is i'd leave it alone. Unlike my experience, you can undo yours easily. It will also change the string to bridge relationship, possibly for the good, possibly bad. All things to consider before you jump.

[huckdeuceman]

looks like a nice pick holder to me!!...I'd leave it!

[Telepi]

Originally Posted by BackNtheSaddle

If it feels great, plays great, sounds great and you can learn to not let it bother you...

I'd just "Let it Be".

I saw an old video with George playing his Tele in a studio rehearsal last year on you tube. Cool video, except for Yoko sitting there watching and judging. Watching and judging.

By the way, I changed my mind. If you're otherwise happy with the Baja; don't mess with it. Seems on Tele's, there's always something that needs attention. On mine, it was fret sprout. Filed and fixed in about ten minutes.

[Ronkirn]

I doubt if anything is seriously wrong... sometimes when the neck is installed, it will bind against the edge, or a wood "booger" will fall out of one of the screw holes and act as a shim... remove the neck, be certain the neck pocket an neck's heel are free from junk. Place the neck in the pocket and see how it sits... if good screw it down..

Run the screws almost all the way in.,.. then tighten those toward the pickup first then the other two... check to see if it's sitting flat..... re-setup... and play...

Ron Kirn

[tap4154]

You sure it's not the neck that's not flat, and it's fully screwed down?

In any case, I'd leave it be if it plays well.

[Robert.V]

Thank you all for the replies,
as I mentioned in the opening post, its purely cosmetic.
the edge, or bevel as you might call it only goes in a quarter inch at the most.
simple slip of the sanding pad or whatever they use in mexico.

there is nothing wrong with it, i was just wondering if its easily corrected,
just because whith a couple of minor tweeks, its will be a perfectly finished guitar.


@ Rhomco Guitars,
you say its a common mod to route the pocket a little deeper,
what would be the advantages and possible dissadvantages for this?

[Abu Twangy]

You *could* cautiously and slowly sand the higher surface using a piece of stick-on sandpaper on something stiff like a piece of strip iron. Some people like to aim for perfect neck pocket contact.

Not me, I shim with business cards or plastic scrap. Or ignore it if it sounds and plays OK

[Abu Twangy]

....and if in doubt, listen to Ron Kirn.