I'm noticing a change in the fretboard...

[bigbajo60]

...of my '07 American Standard Jazz V. Notes played on the last five or 6 frets (depending what string I'm on) are "fretting out" on the 20th fret. I've been getting around this progresive situation with truss rod tweaks and action adjustments, but now this condition has finally gotten to the point where the bass is about to get totally unplayable.

I had heard of some "hump" that some Fender necks can develop around the upper frets... is that what this is? If not, can anyone tell me what is actually happening to my bass? And, of course... does anyone know what I can do to fix it?

Or should I just sell it and aim at getting a Sadowsky?

[soulgaard1]

Hard to tell exactly

Sounds like you need to tighten the truss rod.
I would take the bass to a luither to get it looked after. He will tell you what you need to do.

[XylemBassGuitar]

Sounds like your best bet would be to raise your action or have your frets levelled by a luthier. Unfortunately, the truss rod usually doesn't do much for the upper positions of the neck.

[JLS]

Originally Posted by bigbajo60

...of my '07 American Standard Jazz V. Notes played on the last five or 6 frets (depending what string I'm on) are "fretting out" on the 20th fret. I've been getting around this progresive situation with truss rod tweaks and action adjustments, but now this condition has finally gotten to the point where the bass is about to get totally unplayable.

I had heard of some "hump" that some Fender necks can develop around the upper frets... is that what this is? If not, can anyone tell me what is actually happening to my bass? And, of course... does anyone know what I can do to fix it?

Or should I just sell it and aim at getting a Sadowsky?

You have a classic, "ski jump"--that happens, more often than not. Forget fiddling with the trussrod, it doesn't work for this.

First, I'd go back to where you got it, and firmly request it be made good, under warranty; this shouldn't have cropped up, in a year's time. Got it online? Oh, well...

Option #1: have the upper frets leveled/recrowned--it sounds like you're past that option.

Option #2: partial refret & planing of upper fingerboard--can leave the ski jump area noticeably thinner, mainly an aesthetic consideration.

Option #3: I've done some serious clamping/heat treating to get these out. Usually requires fret leveling/recrowning, and not an exact science.