neck looks bowed from playing position

[TreetarDed]

when I'm in the position while I'm playing , the neck looks bowed but when I look down the neck, there's only a slight amount of relief. Is it supposed to looked slightly bowed from a distance or is my neck actually bowed? could it just be an illusion because of the strings?

[Phalex]

How's the action and intonation?

[TreetarDed]

action is fine and the intonation is dead on. I had to make a few minor adjustments to get the action where I like it and the intonation has been dead on since the day I got it with no adjustments.

[PBass101]

If you can't measure or feel any excess relief, then no excess relief exists and your neck is playing a trick on you.

[TreetarDed]

yeah that's what I thought I think it might be an illusion because the strings are closer to the fretboard at the first few frets than they are in the middle of the neck so it looks slightly curved.

[synaesthesia]

When I wear contact lenses the fingerboard always looks convex.

[PBass101]

I've learned to do setups based on what I feel and how well it plays for me, not how it looks. As long as it plays exactly the way you want it to, there's no need to get the milimeter ruler out.

[ByF]

Originally Posted by synaesthesia

When I wear contact lenses the fingerboard always looks convex.

If I don't wear my glasses when I play, the neck and strings look fuzzy.

Ed

[PJSShearer]

Originally Posted by ByF

If I don't wear my glasses when I play, the neck and strings look fuzzy.

Ed

Have another Beer - any better? Besides, who wants to look at the neck when you're playing anyway? - there must be something else worth looking at out in the audience .

[ByF]

Originally Posted by PJSShearer

Have another Beer - any better?

No, the neck doesn't look any better. The audience looks better, but not the neck.

Ed

[PJSShearer]

Originally Posted by ByF

No, the neck doesn't look any better. The audience looks better, but not the neck.

Ed

Worth a go though!

[XylemBassGuitar]

It sounds like you're satisfied that the neck isn't acutally bowed, but if you're still interested...

Hold down the first fret and the 17th fret at the same time, then look/measure under the 7th or 8th fret. Generally, you want about .010" of space between the string and the 7th/8th fret (you might need to get a set of feeler gauges to measure this, or a ruler with 1/32" divisions). Keep in mind that .010" is just a guideline, the right amount of relief is different from instrument to instrument. If you have more than about .020" of relief, the neck may have a little too much bow.

[JLS]

So, you like the way your bass plays, and the intonation is fine--am I missing something, here?