Bowed Neck on Victor Bailey sig Jazz Bass

[JFN]

I just got a Fender Victor Bailey Jazz Bass from Musician’s Friend and the neck was quite bowed when I received it, to the point where the strings were so high off the neck it was pretty difficult to play. I took it to the local guitar tech, who is very good, and he did a set up and adjusted the neck, making the action more reasonable.

Now, a few days later, the string height at the end of the neck is relatively low, so much that the B flat on the first fret of the A string buzzes quite a bit. The string height further up the neck gets higher to where there is a very noticeable difference at the 12th fret and above from the end of the neck. The tech told me to bring the bass back if it needed further adjustment.

My question is, can the neck be straightened to the way it should be and is there any long term concern, or is it just a matter of tweaking it until it is right. I can send it back to Musicians Friend and get another one if need be. For the $$$ I paid, I don’t want something that will be a problem down the road, but I also don’t want to send back a perfectly good bass if the adjustments can be made eventually and everything will be fine. Thanks for your comments.

John

[geezer316]

when i got my j/bass from a dude in cali. the action was more suited for archery than bass playing,i had my luthier set up the bass and when i first brang it home it was great,after a couple of days it went flat(strings touching the f/board)now that i know a little about bass set-ups it seems when you adjust the truss-rod extensively it should be done slowly over a period of a week or so(it varies with the amount of adjustment needed)the slower you do it, the less likely it is to over settle,the wood needs time to settle in after each MINOR ADJUSTMENT,when you make a large adjustment without giving the proper time to settle in, this will happen its no biggie.
also i've noticed when you buy a bass from a certain type of climate,which is different from yours the neck will act a little funny,like if you live in MAINE and the bass was purchased from FLORIDA the weather and humidity is totally different,which will cause the neck to act up,especially if the neck was a little out of adjustment to begin with,after a couple of times tweaking it ,the bass will be fine after all its a fender is'nt it?

[nivagues]

If it's a new Bass....send it back.....IMO of course.

PS. Loosen the string completely. Loosen truss nut completely. After doing that, the neck should be dead straight!!!

[pkr2]

John, in my opinion Josh hit the nail square on the head.

A quick search using "truss rod" as the key word will point out a recurring statement. Let the instrument settle for a day or two and then make the final adjustment on the truss rod. The reason for this is that the neck will continue to respond to the TR adjustment for a couple of days sometime.

Since the action was exceptionally high to start with, a relatively large adjustment had to be made by your tech. Generally, the larger the adjustment, the longer it takes the neck to setlle.

A simple and fast trick to prove whether you just need a little more tweaking is to simply tune the instrument a fret high. If the action corrects itself or improves considerably, you have verified that the neck will adjust OK.

Higher tension on the strings (tuning sharp) has exactly the same effect as adjusting (loosening) the truss rod.

If you like the bass other than the set up issue, I would strongly advise against returning it until your tech has a chance to correct the prob. What you describe is ABSOLUTELY NORMAL for a new instrument.

By the way, I don't mean to be arguative but the vast majority of basses will not have a straight neck with the strings and the truss rod relaxed.

Hope this helps and congrats on the new bass.

Pkr2

[nivagues]

I don't mean dead straight literally!!! It should be straight. No noticable bow!

I'm fully respectful of other opinions.

It's simple... what have you got to lose....loosen strings...loosen truss nut...neck should be 'fairly' straight...relatively simple test...if the neck has a bow under those conditions then send it back!!!! How on earth can a neck be pulled into relief if it has a bow from the outset.

I've bought 2 Fenders in the last 4 years and both necks have been replaced. Not rubbishing Fender...they have good back-up...Fender also knows they have neck probs. Do not let a Teck stuff your neck...you'll void the warranty. Simple as that.

PS I'm not talking about Pro Tecks...the other ones!

[pkr2]

Originally posted by nivagues
I don't mean dead straight literally!!! It should be straight. No noticable bow!

I'm fully respectful of other opinions.

It's simple... what have you got to lose....loosen strings...loosen truss nut...neck should be 'fairly' straight...relatively simple test...if the neck has a bow under those conditions then send it back!!!! How on earth can a neck be pulled into relief if it has a bow from the outset.

I've bought 2 Fenders in the last 4 years and both necks have been replaced. Not rubbishing Fender...they have good back-up...Fender also knows they have neck probs. Do not let a Teck stuff your neck...you'll void the warranty. Simple as that.

PS I'm not talking about Pro Tecks...the other ones!

"I don't mean dead straight literally!!! It should be straight. No noticable bow!"

When you say DEAD STRAIGHT you are speaking quite literally.

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"I'm fully respectful of other opinions."

What I stated is not opinion. The fact of the matter, and niether my opinion or yours will alter that fact, is that a properly adjusted neck will not necessarily
be straight with the truss system relaxed!

After someone removes his strings and totally misadjusts his/her bass by completely loosening the TR nut, it may be a little late to say you were speaking figuratively.

---------------
"How on earth can a neck be pulled into relief if it has a bow from the outset."

Do a Google search or find the post where Smash requested info on the mechanics of the truss rod and you will find it fully explained.

The quick and dirty is that the strings pull the relief into the neck, the truss rod removes relief.
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"I've bought 2 Fenders in the last 4 years and both necks have been replaced. Not rubbishing Fender...they have good back-up...Fender also knows they have neck probs. "


Iwasn't aware that there was a recurring prob with fender necks. I'm not aware that there has been any significant change since Leo built the first production model in the '50s.

I'm sorry if I offended you by my disagreement with you.

Pkr2

[nivagues]

>>>I'm sorry if I offended you by my disagreement with you.

hey....I"m not offended pkr2. The purpose of a forum is for eveybody to have a say. I gave my 2 cents...I'm happy with that.

Cheers.

[pkr2]

Originally posted by nivagues
>>>I'm sorry if I offended you by my disagreement with you.

hey....I"m not offended pkr2. The purpose of a forum is for eveybody to have a say. I gave my 2 cents...I'm happy with that.

Cheers.

Good.