How do I sight my neck for a bow?

[SnuffdaCrimeDog]

Ok my old Squire Bass has been sitting my attic for a few months and climate and stuff does vary up there, I dont know why I put it up there in the first place, but I have a Fender Jazz Bass now so maybe that half the reason. Anyway my cousin has takin a interest in bass and I offered to give him my Squire Bass and my old amp to start off with. Like I said I keep my bass in the attic and I think the neck may be bowed, but I'm not sure. Now, I know what angle to look down the neck, but I dont exactly what I am looking for. Can some explain were on the neck I should look and what I should look for, and would I be able to spot it, because I dont necesarrily have experience looking for things like that, but it would be nice to identify it for future reference.

[jwymore]

I usually sight down the neck looking from behind the bridge towards the nut. Look for curvature or twist in the neck relative to the straight line of the strings. A little bow (.010 to .020) is OK and even desireable (called neck relief). The other key is to just play the bass and verify that the strings don't rattle or buzz and that the action feels reasonable.

If you feel you need to make adjustments go to the Fender website and look under the Mr. Gearhead sction. You will find a fairly easy to follow bass setup guide there that can help you dial things in.

If the neck is damaged or bowed to much to fix then you can consider an aftermarket replacement through somebody like Allparts .

[Bassjunior]

The best way I know of is to hold down the E at the last fret on your board and at fret 2, then check how much clearance you're getting at the 12th fret. Most people will enjoy having enough space there to slip a credit card through. However, this is not best for every one. Just make sure to give a bit of relief so you clear the frets.

Good luck!

[guy n. cognito]

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