curing excessive back bow?

[Bassmingo]

Some of you may have seen my thread on my rescued riverhead unicorn headless bass. well this bass was in a garage for a few years, without strings. I attempted to put strings on it the other day to check the neck and was saddend to discover theres some serious back bow. loosening the truss rod doesnt help. i''ve left it strung up and tuned way above pitch in the hope that after years with no tension, a bit of tension may help shift it, but i'm not confident. it is unplayable, with the strings sitting on the neck.

what are my options? is this an expensive fix? its a 3 piece male neck by the way, currently unfinished.

[blipndub]

There was an article in Bass Player (I think, The Effects Issue) with and article by Dan Earlwine on how to correct a bowed neck. Basically he straightened the strung neck with blocks and clamps and then adjusted the truss rod.

[blipndub]

Here's a video of what he covered in the article.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2HGn7c9_uo

[()smoke()]

depending on the severity, it's possible to correct it with a few methods, and dan erlwine covers these in his books, and although i haven't checked the provided link, probably does a good job explaining it there too...i've corrected mild cases by stringing to pitch or even a 1/4 step up and leaving, as you describe, but more severe cases can require clamping, and sometimes applying heat...if it's a one-way truss rod, it won't correct this situation, only the reverse...i had a custom-built guitar that would adjust no further than dead flat, and after leaving it strung for a few months without any improvement, decided to abandon it for something else...if it would have had a 2-way truss rod, it wouldn't have been an issue

[Bassmingo]

hmmm i have a feeling this isnt going to work, i'm going to talk to a few people about the heat/clamp method. but i've a feeling thr truss is only one way.

[Jim C]

I was once told by a repairman that many times a back bow on a Fender can be temporarliy correctd by using a jig with pressure, heat, etc, but that the wood retains a memory and eventauly the bow will return.
Is this accurate?

[Foamy]

Originally Posted by Jim C

I was once told by a repairman that many times a back bow on a Fender can be temporarliy correctd by using a jig with pressure, heat, etc, but that the wood retains a memory and eventauly the bow will return.
Is this accurate?

Maybe it'll remember how it was back before the strings were taken off and like it once it's put back there? (seriously) I like how we personify our instruments and materials in this forum.

[blipndub]

I have say I've seen some corrections made by putting the damn thing between two chairs, kneeling on the neck and tightening/loosening the truss rod. Not recommended but same principals as jigging/clamps.