neck bow on a peavey fury

grassi55 · #1 09-08-2011, 06:32 PM

so i just purchased a u.s. peavey fury a couple days ago from gc (used obviously) and the bass has a pretty noticeable bow in the neck. ive tried messing with the tilt in the neck pocket and the truss rod as well but neither are fixing the problem. ive read an article saying that loosenning the truss rod and clamping the neck in the correct position for a day or so will fix this problem. any truth to this? or any other tips are greatly apreciated. i love the sound of this bass and dont want to have to return it.

testing1two · #2 09-08-2011, 07:19 PM

If it's worth keeping then it's worth a trip to the luthier. It could be that the truss rod nut needs a washer added so it can tighten more. But this is a case where inexperience can do more harm than good and potentially ruin the neck.

grassi55 · #3 09-08-2011, 07:28 PM

well then could u maybe help draw the picture with some explanation of do's and dont's? and what size washers work well and metal or rubber washers?

john grey · #4 09-08-2011, 07:41 PM

The gentleman's warning is that there are several idiosyncrasies that, if you are unfamiliar with them, can create more problems than it is worth than to seek out a professional and have him or her examine why this depth of relief is so deep.

A neck should often have a degree of relief (bow outward from strings) however it should be minor in that it's there to accommodate the spread of vibration of the plucked string.

There IS a level of diagrammed information in the Sticky re: setup and Truss-rod adjustment if you feel comfortable in attempting it yourself for the 1st time. it's at the top of the collection of threads in this section.

oldrookie · #5 09-08-2011, 07:44 PM

Check with MNAirHead. He's really good with the old Peavey gear.

testing1two · #6 09-08-2011, 08:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grassi55

well then could u maybe help draw the picture with some explanation of do's and dont's? and what size washers work well and metal or rubber washers?

My point was not to discourage you from your quest for knowledge or wanting to DIY to save money. My point was/is to say that where neck bows and truss rods are concerned, a visual inspection needs to be done for a proper diagnosis and that misdiagnosis and/or haphazard repair attempts based on blind diagnosis from an internet forum can possibly ruin the neck.

In terms of adding washers to the truss rod nut, here's some info on the process:

As the truss rod nut tightens it presses into the wood and that wood compresses over time and stops the truss rod from tightening fully. To fix this you need to add a spacer to compensate. That means loosening the strings, removing the truss rod nut and taking a trip the hardware store to find some washers that are the exact diameter of the truss rod nut with a hole large enough to slide over the truss rod.

The total thickness of the spacer depends on how much the wood inside the neck has compressed, but start with 1/16" thick. Slide the washer(s) over the truss rod and then reinstall the truss rod nut. Tighten the nut until the neck is perfectly straight. Then bring the strings to pitch and re-tighten the nut until you achieve the desired relief. If the truss rod won't tighten enough, add more washers.

**Staccato** · #7 09-08-2011, 09:01 PM

What oldrookie said...

Ask Tim, TB member - MNAirHead about the neck on your bass.

grassi55 · #8 09-08-2011, 09:38 PM

thanks for all of the replies everyone i apreciate all the love. ive gone ahead and removed the truss rod nut and proceeded to clamp the bass to a 2x10 and clamped the headstock to bend the neck a little under flat to compensate im gonna leave it alone for a day and check it tomorow or saturday when i get a chance. i will deffinately take your advice and get some washers however as the truss rod has become immoble so it cant hurt to use this process for future percaution.
the only reason im trying this process first is because im trying to teach myself techniques in luthurie so that i can fix annd repair instruments such as this as im far to poor right now to afford real high end proffesional instruments so this is a way for me to make them affordable. my dad being a carpenter and a furniture builder as well as a bow maker gives me confidence as well that with him overseeing me that i cant do to much damage.
but again thanks guys for all the help.

MNAirHead · #9 09-11-2011, 02:53 PM

Unless your Fury is something amazing... (example === not a black w/maple)

I'd return it under your guitar center warranty and get a better one.

A fury needs zero relief... you should be able to get 1mm action up and down the neck when properly setup.

------

That said... I'd pull the strings... loosen the truss nut... let it sit a while... then block it on a straight edge --- if you're not familiar with this process, it may be frustrating.

Fury are a great one.. sounds like you may have one that was abused.

MNAirHead · #10 09-11-2011, 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grassi55

well then could u maybe help draw the picture with some explanation of do's and dont's? and what size washers work well and metal or rubber washers?

Unfortunately getting arrow straight and rock solid takes some tenure...

The Jerzy Drzod manual (no don't have a link) is what you're asking for

grassi55 · #11 10-04-2011, 02:56 AM

after taking the bass of the clamps and tightenning the truss rod with a washer under the nut i was able to achieve a much straighter neck, still not perfect but very easily playable. oh and btw its not black and maple its white and maple with white pg (dont know if that makes a difference).

JLS · #12 10-04-2011, 09:56 AM

Quote:

ive gone ahead and removed the truss rod nut and proceeded to clamp the bass to a 2x10 and clamped the headstock to bend the neck a little under flat to compensate im gonna leave it alone for a day and check it tomorow or saturday when i get a chance.

? The way to do this, is to clamp the caul/straightedge, to the fingerboard, with a spacer at F1 & F15; clamp the neck into a significant backbow. I doubt that you'd be able to get the amount of backclamping needed to effect results, the way you're proposing.

Furthermore: if you're adding a washer (or not), replace the trussrod nut when the neck is backclamped, so that when you've restrung the bass, you can release tension, rather than add it.

**Staccato** · #13 10-04-2011, 09:58 AM

Congrats, hope it's a keeper!

lethargytartare · #14 10-04-2011, 12:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MNAirHead

...I'd return it under your guitar center warranty and get a better one.

This. If you got a damaged instrument, all the practice and learning in the world isn't going to result in you having a new bass -- which is what you paid for. However, get a different one without any issues and you can still practice and learn setup skills, and you'll actually get proper feedback on how the changes you make affect the guitar.

If you want to work on a damaged instrument, you can surely find cheaper ones on craigslist or ebay -- and you might get them into playable shape, in which case you've learned skills AND saved money.

Good luck!
ltt