String Tension..a MYTH?

[Mr_Sore_Fingerz]

If this is in the wrong forum, I apologize but I think it's in the right one.

A few weeks ago I was out of town and attended a Taylor guitar show in Orlando which was fairly large but had some excellent new products and such on display and being demoed. They were talking about their new electric guitar they are making and sooner or later the question of whether you should take off all your strings at once or one at a time to restring them came up. The Taylor rep. said, "It really doesn't matter either way...a good neck is a good neck and a bad neck is a bad neck. So if you take all the strings off a good neck, you won't have fret buzz or anything else along those lines, string tension having that kind of effect is a myth."

Surprised me quite a bit, but I figured since it was guitar that perhaps it could be true. So I couldn't resist putting my $0.02 in and saying "Yeah, but there's no way that's true for bass as well, huh?" Nobody else said anything but the rep laughed a little and said "No different". I left it at that and thought to myself "....yeah right..."

So according to this Taylor rep, my Ibanez SR500 and my Hi-Way one J-bass I just got have inferior necks because even changing the string gauge can require a little truss rod adjustment. Anybody else heard something like this? Are my bass necks REALLY that bad?

[mikezimmerman]

I'm afraid I don't see the connection. The Taylor guy didn't say "string tension" itself was a myth--that would be like saying that gravity was a myth! What he said was a myth is the notion that string tension has such an effect on the neck that it requires you to only remove one string at a time when changing the strings or risk warping the neck.

He didn't say anything at all about adjusting the truss rod to compensate for different string gauges, which seems to be what you're talking about.

Mike

[TrooperFarva]

Originally Posted by mikezimmerman

He didn't say anything at all about adjusting the truss rod to compensate for different string gauges, which seems to be what you're talking about.

+1

If you change string gauge, or even brand, your truss rod might require a slight adjustment. Leaving all of your strings off in the time that it takes to restring a bass won't have any effect on it.

If you took your strings off, and left them off indefinitely, while there was still tension on the truss rod, then you're asking for trouble.

[renejaime]

when changing strings yes you release tension on the neck but if you restring your bass with the same gauge strings the neck should come pretty darn close to where you had it set before.

If you are changing string gauges either going heavier or lighter that's just physics, the tension will change and a neck may have to be adjusted at the point.

[Slax]

Originally Posted by renejaime

when changing strings yes you release tension on the neck but if you restring your bass with the same gauge strings the neck should come pretty darn close to where you had it set before.

If you are changing string gauges either going heavier or lighter that's just physics, the tension will change and a neck may have to be adjusted at the point.

Agreed, I haven't until recently started restringing my basses one string at a time. I never had a problem before. I just like the one string at a time method now... my bass looks more "complete" during the diaper changing.

[bongomania]

Look at it this way: if removing all the strings would damage a neck, then how would it have been built in the first place? As the others said though, certainly some adjustments may be needed when changing to different kinds of strings- and that would be true even if you only changed the strings one at a time.

[Mr_Sore_Fingerz]

Originally Posted by mikezimmerman

I'm afraid I don't see the connection. The Taylor guy didn't say "string tension" itself was a myth--that would be like saying that gravity was a myth! What he said was a myth is the notion that string tension has such an effect on the neck that it requires you to only remove one string at a time when changing the strings or risk warping the neck.

He didn't say anything at all about adjusting the truss rod to compensate for different string gauges, which seems to be what you're talking about.

Mike

Sorry I didn't title it better lol

[bwv1013]

i always take all my strings off when re-stringing to give the fretboard a thorough cleaning. i've been doing this for years with no ill results. if anything my basses are in better condition than their age warrants.

[Mr_Sore_Fingerz]

Originally Posted by renejaime

when changing strings yes you release tension on the neck but if you restring your bass with the same gauge strings the neck should come pretty darn close to where you had it set before.

If you are changing string gauges either going heavier or lighter that's just physics, the tension will change and a neck may have to be adjusted at the point.

Yeah that pretty much answers my question. The release of tension affecting the bass neck was basically what I was getting at but I was in a rush (late shift at work when I started this thread).

Yeah the string gauges kinda goes without saying, I just shoulda worded the OP better =/

[Solarmist]

Originally Posted by bwv1013

i always take all my strings off when re-stringing to give the fretboard a thorough cleaning. i've been doing this for years with no ill results.

+1 - I sometimes do it like that for that same reason or to boil strings - never had an issue.

[waseok]

I wonder, are there necks that dont need adjustment regardless the string gauge? Except the graphite ones.

[Jools4001]

Originally Posted by bwv1013

i always take all my strings off when re-stringing to give the fretboard a thorough cleaning. i've been doing this for years with no ill results. if anything my basses are in better condition than their age warrants.

+1. Have done for decades on most of my basses, no neck problems at all. The only problem I've encountered is that when you take all the strings off a Ric the bridge saddle carrier falls out and it can sometimes be a swine to set the intonation up again, so I usually change the Ric strings individually

[Jazz Ad]

Originally Posted by waseok

I wonder, are there necks that dont need adjustment regardless the string gauge? Except the graphite ones.

Wishbass.

[KJung]

Originally Posted by mikezimmerman

I'm afraid I don't see the connection. The Taylor guy didn't say "string tension" itself was a myth--that would be like saying that gravity was a myth! What he said was a myth is the notion that string tension has such an effect on the neck that it requires you to only remove one string at a time when changing the strings or risk warping the neck.

He didn't say anything at all about adjusting the truss rod to compensate for different string gauges, which seems to be what you're talking about.

Mike

+1 I always take all my strings off, clean the neck, and then put on a new set. HOWEVER, I have owned basses before that had very unstable necks that would actually change when you took the tension off. However, those basses had stability problems with the strings on and off. Some wood necks are just like that, and if you unfortunately have a bass like that, taking one string off at a time can help.

[mothra2]

Originally Posted by mikezimmerman

I'm afraid I don't see the connection. The Taylor guy didn't say "string tension" itself was a myth--that would be like saying that gravity was a myth! What he said was a myth is the notion that string tension has such an effect on the neck that it requires you to only remove one string at a time when changing the strings or risk warping the neck.

He didn't say anything at all about adjusting the truss rod to compensate for different string gauges, which seems to be what you're talking about.

Mike

+1

[john turner]

the basses forum is for instrument specific issues. we have a strings forum for string issues, and a setup forum for setup issues.

this appears to be a setup issue, so i'll move this there.

[john turner]

also, i would not adjust the truss rod just from changing string gauges until i tried adjusting the bridge saddle height - that should be sufficient.

[3toes]

In my experience, removing all the strings at once is only bad in the case that you have a floating bridge (like on an arch-top guitar or upright/violin/etc.) or a floating tremolo.

[renniw]

Originally Posted by waseok

I wonder, are there necks that dont need adjustment regardless the string gauge? Except the graphite ones.

My graphite necked bass requires some adjustment from time to time....

[ehque]

Originally Posted by renniw

My graphite necked bass requires some adjustment from time to time....

And mine doesn't, but i LOLed at "wishbass".