String gauge and neck tension

[joeman583]

Do heavier gauge strings cause damage to the neck because of the increased tention? I play most of the time in standard tuning and sometimes in Drop D tuning. I use either 45-105 or 50-105 gauges. I know that the string gauge is a personal preference thing, but I don't want to be causing damage to the neck because of to much tension. Anyone have any suggestions?

[lonote]

That is why truss rods exist. When you change to a bigger gauge, you typically increase string tension which causes the neck to bow. The truss rod allows you to straighten the neck. Basses are designed that way so you don't damage the instrument by simply using heavier strings.