Geddy Lee Signature Bass with a Bent Neck

[@mlieser1230]

Dave, you never fail to crack me up! "The only person to play a tune on this thing is Robin Hood". I subscribed because you tell it like it is and you pull no punches and I've learned a lot from viewing your channel. Thank you Dave!

[@philnaylor3484]

I bought one of these basses in 2009, and I've never had a problem with it.

[@svart42]

Bought one too in 2008 but it's a banana now. I played it for many years and it was great but I hate the truss rod adjustment in the neck heel. Can't trust myself to adjust it there and having to unscreew/adjust/screw/check is daunting.

[@skrewflanders]

I've had two and they've both been great

[@alexlee419]

I may not be a rockstar technician, but thanks to you I'm a somewhat competent technician of my instrument. de bass

[@UncommonSense.]

Dave, I recently bought a new 'Old Stock' 2006 MiM Jazz Bass with a neck bowed in the same way as your G.L. there. The neck bolts/plate were loose, and had probably left the factory like that 12 or so years ago. My solution was the same as yours, although mine was more luck than judgement, and I'm being honest there. Just so you know, it plays like a dream after a new set of strings, a full setup and a couple of weeks twanging away every now and then. Thank god I got it right, and thanks for the informative vids dude :-)

[@TomTobin67]

You get a lot of those Geddy Lee basses. Time to play wheel of misfortune with the Geddy Lee basses.

[@brucepiland]

I fricking love my Geddy Jazz Bass. Then again, I live in California, where we don’t have crazy temp and humidity swings.

[@BungaEBiker]

I bought my GLJB just after christmas and I've had it in the shop three times. i'm soo glad its under warranty.

[@offbeatbassgear]

American one or one of the imported models? There's supposed to be some sort of graphite reinforcement rods in the US made ones they believe they corrected the issue...really doesn't explain why those upgrades weren't added to the imports.

[@Ryan-re7oj]

I have a '78 Hiwatt 4x12 cab that was once owned by a guy who played keyboard for Uriah Heep for a short stint back in the day. Also got to record with him in high school around 1997 at his studio in Listowel, Ontario.

[@davewalsh3885]

Love the Mainline shirt. Fond memories of following those guys way back when.

[@peterb7435]

This dude rules

[@tomc8165]

mick box,wow! i saw Heep early 70s on the Liverpool stadium,ken hensley,dave byron,gary thain,what a bass player he was and lee kerslake,played solidly for over 3 hours,fantastic band,it was great going to school a couple days after a concert,I couldnt hear a bleeding thing the teachers were saying,happy days

[@KirkLives]

Great instructions, as always. The commentary keeps me in stitches some days. Going to have to try a few or your tricks on my Geddy tribute. And pretty much all the others I have. Don't get Gooched again!!

[@stevebumstead9840]

Uriah Heap. One of my favorite bands way back in the day! Time flies. Thanks Dave.

[@SteveBlancoMusicianWarrior]

The USA Geddy Sig is a totally different level. My friend has one, and it's a very nice instrument.

[@NormDPlume-mc5dh]

Haven't seen Uriah Heep since 1975. First saw Rush in April of that year.

[@jacgrobbelaar2425]

Dave, your channel is better than most and definitely more entertaining!! I ALWAYS learn something and I ALWAYS end up chuckling at some funny shit you said!! Keep going!!! SOUTH AFRICA LOVES YOU! ;)....oh YES....I wish you were in S.A to work on my bass....wouldn't want to take it to anyone else!

[@michaelmetts5263]

thanks Dave

[@MarbsMusic]

I had one of these an simply loved it... but with the crazy weather in AR I felt like I was adjusting it every few weeks to keep it playing correctly. My frets and build quality were great and pocket was tight but the least little weather change seemed to affect it. I chalked it up to how thin the neck was, traded it for 93 LP studio that needed a little work and bought a StingRay HH, couldn't be happier with the Sting Ray, it's solid as a rock.

[@BoyleJr]

I almost bought one of these some time ago then I started to watch your videos and seen them consistently reappearing.went for a Nate Mendel p bass instead

[@1991stratplus]

Nice work Dave, you un-gouched it. Love your channel from Victoria BC.

[@PaulMiil]

A few years ago now, I had talked to this guy Jimmy Johnson when he was in town with Styx, he had worked for Rush back in the day as Alex's guitar tech and he told me about a Peavey bass he gave Geddy to play, Geddy loved the neck but didn't want to play a Peavey so Jimmy called Fender and they made the signature bass neck based off of the contours of the Peavey, which was thinner than the regular Jazz, closer to the 4001. That could be why they warp more than the average Jazz.

[@cheaneysaddles]

Dave, I always learn something and always get a good laugh. For your viewing pleasure!

[@khonsuthecore4788]

I got an Ibanez TRB80 with a warped neck for 50 bucks from my local music trader, fantastic guy. He said even he had no clue how to fix it. So I went to youtube of course and find one the funniest motherfuckers I've ever seen.

[@SBDavin]

Interesting that you used mylar for a shim! I never heard of it used as a shim. Thanks again, Dave!

[@Adamisgood24]

I have a 1970's reissue Fender Jazz bass, that looks the same as your bass, with Geddy Lee's signature on the headstock!

[@martymantx]

I'm stoked that I have tix to see Uriah Heep here in Dallas this April!

[@malumb6507]

Enjoyed it thanks Dave

[@fw1421]

Uriah Heep was one of my favorite bands to see in the early 70’s! Demons and Wizards is a classic!

[@offbeatbassgear]

And Magicians' Birthday!

[@subdude1234]

Look at yourself. What an album.

[@rattlesnakedaddy7566]

Cool looking basses, but give me a classic fat "U" p-bass shaped neck any day of the week.

[@johnvenditto2908]

A little DR strings tip for you Dave- the company instructs that you bend the string to a 90 degree angle about a half-inch before the cutoff which is supposed to keep the string from uncoiling or losing its tensile strength. Pretty sure they suggest you do it for all of their strings. I love em.

[@frankazack6701]

I had a 2007 "CIJ" Geddy, it was basically perfect.. only issue I had was the toothpick sized neck, I had to sell it, got a few "MIJ" 70's jazz basses with the fatter necks

[@tyecook9630]

Dave you're seriously helping me to keep somewhat sane in these trying times...

[@TedMabbatt]

Another great job! Hey not sure if you know, but with the DR strings, you need to crimp(?)/bend over the end just before where you cut it to prevent possible unraveling. They mention that on the inside of the box where nobody can see that. Just a head’s up! I use nothing but DR, best string and won’t eat your frets like Rotosounds. Last way longer too.

[@blue-tb2fd]

Rotosounds have a reputation for eating frets... said no-one ever

[@TedMabbatt]

blue well that was my experience. Also was the opinion of two guitar techs I talked to about them. But they don’t know shit right? LMFAO

[@pensnut08]

LOVE my GL.. Hate the BA bridge.. Hipshot going on. Why not? Already replaced the PUPs :)

[@d7rledez]

I was so piss off with stupid landscaping truck that block my car three times already. well just washing you video you make my day. i m laughing because i bought a used fender neck on ebay in 300.00 bucks now i read that is back bow from factory. maybe i returned. maybe is a banana haaaaa. Thank for all your videos and your time really appreciated.

[@bthalko]

Loving the Mckenna Mendellson Mainline shirt!

[@bthalko]

Heard them on the blues station up here in Ottawa about a year ago for the first time, was instantly hooked. Love it!

[@zdude335]

So what is the stuff in the yellow bottle exactly that is used to clean the fretboard?

[@johnvenditto2908]

That bass sounds great, btw

[@ARawFueledLife]

Dave have you ever gotten Geddy Lee's setup specs from Scully?

[@marshallgeorge3819]

Ok, as someone who just tinkers around on their own stuff, what does it mean when a truss rod is 'pinned' ? Out of running room on the adjustment nut / screw?

[@papaporkyl.l.c.2061]

Hangin to the right my guy

[@noseyparker6622]

How does not playing a guitar make the neck curve?

[@MrDanJF]

david williams string tension will pull the neck forward over time...

[@themanfromphoto]

I had a '73 Jazz that had a banana neck that was so bad that even the Twelfth Fret (when they were on Kingston Rd.) couldn't do anything.

[@samlelowitch]

Could the skinny taper to the neck be partly responsible for the issue? I wonder if adding Posiflex reinforcement rods to the neck would have been a good idea (though it's obviously too late now as the MIJ Geddy Lee Signature basses are no longer in production).

[@offbeatbassgear]

I believe that the US-made ones include some sort of synthetic reinforcement sections added to the truss rod, though I'm not entirely certain that that resolved the issue.

[@rickallen6378]

I had heard that the real Geddy Lee had a bent neck also.

[@eshepley]

I still love my MIJ Geddy. I did have to replace the neck due to slight twist, but Fender picked up the tab 100%. I also replaced original pick ups with DiMarzio Ultra Bass and had a push button installed that turns the pick ups into a humbucker. Still hate the hidden truss rod.....

[@dbvetter7485]

In the winter the frets ( on my Getty Lee Signature Jazz Bass) spout out the bottom, in the summer it’s just fine. Hmmmm, humidity?

[@zerb100]

The "big" companies charging $900.00 US for some of the biggest pieces of shit. 9 bills for a 100 dollar fiddle. You keep fixin em Dave! The Heep coming to my town in March. Gwana Love it. Cheers

[@neilmoran9988]

Uriah Heep was a Dickens character in David Copper field. He was a gooch indeed.

[@pcbullets8726]

Its too bad that these basses have the neck issues that they do. But as usual, you were able to do your Dave magic with it. Cheers!

[@onpsxmember]

Uriah Heep is the SHIT! I saw them a few years back and there was w.a.s.p. on the billing the CZ. I just took the trip to see them. Loved it. With the keys and everything. Later when the headliner came out, they told everyone to check them out and how much they were influenced by them.You can grab all Uriah Heep albums dirt cheap and it's good stuff. I had similar corrosion problems but with springs. Lots of companies choose the wrong springs in length and diameter of the screws. They get so distorted and pressed together that they'll never work as intended. You have to make it work for all sorts of strings, but if it is even shit with the strings from the factory? A bad material combination can fuck up an expensive bridge. And all that just to save a few cents. Check the negativity chart to choose

[@kennethwilliams7337]

Hey Dave, what is the pickup height supposed to be set at? I bought a 1998 "crafted from Japan" bass from my cousin and the pickup height is jacked. The strings hit the magnets on almost every note I play. Thanks.

[@DeadKoby]

Robin Hood bass... yeah I see those in pawn shops all the time.

[@sydrose13]

Lol @ chiquita banana signature model. My worn 60s jazz has one too :(

[@boojbah1]

Hey there Dave, Just curious...Did you swap out the engineered wood veneer for mylar when making neck pocket shims? Or do you use both? Regardless, mylar is a great tip. You continue to make great videos. Thanks, jimmy

[@HartungWx]

So is it mainly the Japanese ones? I'm considering buying a Mexican one but the fact that your seeing these alot is making me worried about dropping 800+ dollars

[@Kazahmish]

So Dave where is that picture of you and the bass player

[@zerb100]

Yeah What's up with that?

[@TheRobman]

they're in the Facebook group, pinned at the top

[@doughurley6388]

Dave, have you ever thought of selling t-shirts to help support your channel more.The first one could say DONT BE THAT GUY, on the front and Dave's world of fun stuff on the back just a thought i would definitely buy one and im sure thousands of others would also and there are lots more catch phrases you use i cant think of them though i will let you know if i think of more

[@SuperJiggawhat]

Premier Guitar has a rig rundown on Rush. All of Lee's basses have a rubbed oil finish on the back of the neck. As far as action, The neck is set up very straight, with extremely low string height and fast action. If you go to this link, you will see another happy customer of a fender bass. www.premierguitar.com/.../Interview_Rushs_Alex_Lifeson_and_Geddy_Lee

[@vintagevinylvets1187]

Would you change the bridge? If so, what would you recommend?

[@Big_Sierra]

Hipshot

[@rochaduffel]

Hi dave, do you use anithing else after the ronsonol to clean the fretboard?

[@kitfisto1924]

What I the Ronsonol for??

[@DavesWorldofFunStuff]

cleaning things

[@guitarporn104]

Dave,if you can find out geddys string action,that would be awesome ,i always wondered that.

[@guitarporn104]

Dave's World of Fun Stuff ,wow, that's awesome, thanks for your awesome videos..😊

[@jethroboot]

oh i like that drill string winder is that a bit?

[@TheRobman]

Yup, $6 on Amazon, one slot for guitar tuners and another for bass: www.amazon.com/dp/B008BPI2OW/

[@offbeatbassgear]

They're really handy to have and they're only about eight bucks, I have a couple and they're channel cut for guitar and bass

[@jamiebellizzi1615]

Hey, I was hoping someone could help me with this. I'm having a problem with my jazz bass when I reattach the neck. It seems as though the screws are not going into the neck but rather pushing it up. What ends up happening is that the action at the last fret is less than the action at the 17th. The relief is ok so I know it's not that.

[@offbeatbassgear]

Are you using one of those adjustable luthier's clamps to secure the neck to the body? The use of one of those will keep your neck seated in the heel/neck pocket. They're not too expensive and work extremely well for that sort of thing. Also: Try running the neck bolts along a bar of soap, it's odd sounding, but it does help to get the screws to seat a little easier. Just a tiny tiny touch of soap helps a little bit, and start seating the bolts corner to corner, not both in the front then back.

[@jamiebellizzi1615]

bcrich581 I'll give that a shot. Thanks so much

[@offbeatbassgear]

Also make sure that you're equally seating all four neck bolts, i.e., one quarter of the way in on each, then a bit more then more so that all four are sunk equally as they bind the neck into the body so that all tension is close to even as the bolts are seated, if that makes sense.

[@Riverdeepnwide]

bcrich581 yes! Progressive tightening. OP make sure your screws are the original length in the correct front/rear position, too long and you're into pushing the neck up away from the body or coming through the fingerboard. There are sometimes short and long screws in one neck. The pocket must be clean, only a shim if required as we see Dave use here.

[@offbeatbassgear]

Another good point, river brings up a good tip: get in the pocket and just brush out any debris with a small brush so you don't have an embedded shim piece or other leftover detritus in there, and thanks for bringing up "progressive tightening" as I couldn't get that term to surface in my brain to save my life.

[@kmcd1000]

Me too. Left.

[@salmonline]

[@jspanos500]

Why does Fender still make necks with the truss rod adjustment at the wrong end? It's one of life's mysteries.

[@YesuAiNimen]

Mostly because dipshit customers think that they want "vintage" type features. I too have worked on guitars professionally since I was young. Heel adjusted truss rods fucking suck. My experience has seen that PRS and Music Man are among 2 of the best for easy AND accurate truss rod adjustments. I know this will piss off some purists, but Fender is and always has been a poorly designed POS....ALWAYS.

[@JamesFerrerosa]

Love ya videos

[@JamesFerrerosa]

Dave's World of Fun Stuff sounds good biscuit hahah

[@doughurley6388]

oh gouched would be another good one

[@segatortoise5455]

Davey are you sick of seeing these yet?

[@vintagevinylvets1187]

Dave's World of Fun Stuff LOL😂 Can’t hate you for that!

[@sdushdiu]

Does hitting the "Like" button help or make any difference?

[@FunkyMonkey-ip4xy]

sdushdiu Yeah it does. It makes it more likely to be a suggested video for a non subscriber.

[@sdushdiu]

Thanks. I always check the like button, but without the enumeration I wasn't sure of the significance or if it was of benefit to Dave....But anything to help Dave!

[@crisongs1]

u take a check? I'm not a fan of PayPal

[@Briman24]

Dave you forgot to show us the pic!!

[@Briman24]

Dave's World of Fun Stuff oh...ok thanks! Will go there and check it out!

[@woodyh4650]

Dear Fender, please install a dual action truss rod AND Carbon Fiber strengthening rods in ALL of your necks. I’m sure most people wouldn’t mind paying an extra 20 bucks for a more stability.

[@TheFULLMETALCHEF]

It was 80 here today Dave...lol

[@travisfrance5511]

I was at L&M and saw two lefty jazz. One fender MIM. One Squire MII. For whatever the reason, The Far East builds better then southern NA. And I saved $500 bucks. Ok, the electronics suck, and I'm changing them. Not gonna cost the name on a headstock.

[@bazjones7349]

my 69 strat that I bought new had the same pocket problem !!!!!!

[@fw1421]

Sounds like Fender guitars are getting almost as bad as Gibson when it comes to problems. Your thoughts on this?

[@offbeatbassgear]

At least Fender isn't five months away from bankruptcy, based on the articles that came out over the last two days related to Gibson's debt levels. Sad to hear really, even though not a fan of Gibson basses

[@thedondeluxe6941]

stan broniszewski Totally with you on Yamaha! I have the LJ-16 acoustic. Tested it against a Gibson J-200 that costs three times as much, and in my opinion the Yamaha sounded better. I've had it for half a year now, and it is super stable as well. Amazing quality.

[@bigearl5482]

A 70s style Jazz bass with a screwy neck? Pretty accurate copy of a 70s Jazz Bass then, in my experience...

[@stevieday7217]

Truss rod wheel of fortune lol

[@offbeatbassgear]

And first. The Japanese and Mexican Geddy Lee basses are notorious for this. I've seen three of these locally here with this issue just in my neck of the woods, but the US made ones seem to be a bit more durable.

[@woodyh4650]

bcrich581 I saw a used one here locally a few years ago. It wasn’t just a little bowed. It was holy Hades bowed!

[@freddiehubbard1460]

Where the heck did you find that shirt? Used to see Mendelson Joe (rarely) out and about my small Ontario town and am lucky enough to have one of his paintings on my wall.

[@stanbark007]

New bass owner here with a question: Should the string height @ the 17th be set to 5/64" all the way across the fingerboard? I love Dave's attitude of "you're working too hard" with incorrect string heights.

[@stanbark007]

Bingo! Cheers to you Dave. Keep up the great work!!

[@marcusjones1082]

Love Uriah Heep. Don't know about the string placement though. It still looks too far towards the G string.

[@jamiebales8394]

Of course the neck wood has shrunk, it's in Canada.

[@ThunderBassistJay]

Those necks really are an issue. It''s a f'ing pity, because I consider Geddy one of the greatest bassists of all times.

[@nathanseybold6679]

Even doing something as simple as adding graphite reinforcement of making the necks 3 piece would help. The least they can do is put a little disclaimer in the spec sheet...

[@ThunderBassistJay]

You're right, the design should be improved.

[@ThatGuy2042_]

As soon as Fender change any thing there will undoubtedly be a bunch of traditionalists that complain. lol

[@GuitarBassCigar]

Geddy IS one of the best bass players of all times and its a shame that his signature in painted on cost/corner-cutting gear. The USA-made version of the GL Sig Jazz is reported to be better than the MIJ variety.

[@AlexSosaBolivia]

You think that because some clown on KZbin says there's a problem then there's a problem? LOL

[@ronnielawson8276]

Ron seen all. Pretty much lol.

[@GuitarBassCigar]

"anotherJapanese GL Sig Jazz bass with a banana for a neck"...this must be a feature...because it seems to come with every bass. Just get a P with the U neck...and enjoy almost never having this problem

[@TheMitchbassman]

I run 40 to 100's on mine.. no problems

[@jaredmatthews9403]

Whaddayaknow another GL neck warpage lol

[@tomkirk6942]

This is one of the major reasons G&L’s are superior to Fenders imo.

[@ChuckGlyder]

I had mine for a year before I sold it. Neck wouldnt hold a set for nothin. Bought a Squier Vintage Modified that was 100 times better.

[@steverudolphmusic]

Haha! Robinhood, lol.

[@kenjimac2211]

Buy many files man? Your dragging them. Dulls em fast eh.

[@gravityalwayswins1434]

my 2006 mim jazz neck twisted like a propeller. tried to straighten it. firewood it became. total pos.

[@janneboman8573]

One luthier told me that all the good maple in the world has already been used. If you want a good neck, get an old instrument.

[@Barrow754]

There has to be some sort of fundamental issue with the Geddy Lee necks for you to be doing so many videos on the same issue

[@AlexSosaBolivia]

Nope. He's just trying to jack up his number of views by using Geddy Lee's name.

[@joeMW284]

If you're afraid to turn a truss rod you shouldn't own one of these. It's a killer bass if you're dedicated to keeping it up.

[@AlexSosaBolivia]

Exactly. These slackjaws hanging on Dave's every word are hilarious.

[@DrKFC69]

I adjust my truss rod at least once every month

[@blue-tb2fd]

Coldfacekiller CFK - what?

[@sellmeyoursoul6601]

shit thats thinner than my guitar neck at the lower frets, who came up with this crap

[@AlexSosaBolivia]

More fantasy. There's nothing Dave loves more than to spam artist names and models in his videos in an attempt to increase view count.