warwick neck problem

[eno50]

Hello fellow players,
I have just bought a warwick corvette and just happened to notice on the back of the neck where it is a three piece neck,i can feel a rise in the middle piece of neck wood, it's like the two outer pieces of the three shrunk and i can feel the seam all down the neck.
I thought for a second that the neck was cracked or split but is not.
Should i send it back to warwick( the neck) or do I just have it sanded down or what?
has anyone ever seen this type of thing before on the three piece necks.
Any advice please....
eno

[Relic]

My corvette had this same thing. I had it for years and played it to death and never had a problem with it. I don't know what causes it, whether it's by design or a flaw but once I got used to it, I forgot all about it to be honest.

[bassteban]

Different pieces of wood will expand & contract, as well as dry out &/or absorb moisture at slightly different rates, often causing previously-perfect glue joints & seams to become uneven(at the surface). Yours is almost certainly completely good structurally speaking as the middle of the gluing surfaces(inside the neck)is still holding together well(correct?). Not sure if sanding is the answer; I'd guess that it would fix the issue temporarily, & I'd certainly wait for more opinions & experiences, as well as talking to a qualified luthier(which I am NOT)before doing anything. My 98 Warwick has this, also my 01(IIRC)Stambaugh.

[eno50]

I don't think it is a crack ,I think it is a swelling along a join where the separate pieces of wood, I can feel an edge all the way down the neck and into the peghead about where the E string tuning peg (on the back side). Now that i discoverd it It is bothers me. If is a swell will it go down with weather change or waxing?

[bassteban]

My experience is that it will not go away on its own. Ken Smith cuts his wood to approximate sizes, then stores it for months(sometimes years)to let the wood 'settle in'(my term, not neccesarily his)- in other words, expand, contract, twist & warp; then he recuts it to get it all back to square & even before assembling them into his fine basses. Wood can move for a very long time after being cut- I've owned two KS basses(both several years old when I got them)& neither had the slightest noticeable edge at any joint- they were/are very stable.
Question: How quickly did your neck develop this issue?

[eno50]

Originally Posted by bassteban

My experience is that it will not go away on its own. Ken Smith cuts his wood to approximate sizes, then stores it for months(sometimes years)to let the wood 'settle in'(my term, not neccesarily his)- in other words, expand, contract, twist & warp; then he recuts it to get it all back to square & even before assembling them into his fine basses. Wood can move for a very long time after being cut- I've owned two KS basses(both several years old when I got them)& neither had the slightest noticeable edge at any joint- they were/are very stable.
Question: How quickly did your neck develop this issue?

I'am not sure, i just bought the bass used in great condition not a mark on her and I did not notice this untill I did a set up ( about 5 day with the bass)with my strings of choice,neck adjustment,intonate ect.. and I was waxing the bass with the supplied warwick wax and when I got to the back of the neck I noticed it and it has been buggin me to death ever since..

[bassteban]

Well it wouldn't hurt to have a good luthier look at it. There's also a Warwick forum(IIRC it's accesible via Warwick's regular website)- you might get more info there. My admittedly-far-from-expert opinion is that it is very likely annoying- particularly as you just bought it- yet not a genuine structural issue.

[Mr. Ray]

Fender has the same thing on their maple fretboards with the walnut skunk stripe on the back. If it has a bare wood or satin finish you can feel the seams on the back.