Whaaaat?

[Noks]

Ok, so I'm sure one of you out there will know what's going on with this...

Sometimes, when people are playing, they grab their bass body and their headstock and torque it to where it gets a weird "wah" effect...I tried to find a video, but I lost the one I was going to use... I hope you know what I'm talking about...So, if you do, my question is: How does that work, and, does it harm your bass?

[ProfGumby]

I've watched Stanley Clarke do that while playing....

I cannot comment on if it damages the bass.....other than to say I don't do that to mine....but then I am a re-learning hack compared to Stanley....

[Mark Wilson]

Well, they're literally bending the neck.
If it's done consistently, it'll DEFINITELY damage the bass.

[Deacon_Blues]

I've been doing it sometimes just for fun. I can't say it's been harmful to my bass (warwick corvette std 4-string), but common sense is applicable here - the more you bend it, the more likely it is that it will be harmful. The absolute max I ever bend is one whole step.

Instead of bending the neck you can play with the tuners instead. Works well for me, it's easier to do and there's no way you'll harm your bass while doing it.

[alexei]

just think about it...
there is a long bolt thats placed inside the neck, behing fretboard, that balances the tension of the steel strings... that's not news.
Have you ever calibrated a neck? i mean, tried to turn that long bolt from the head to slightly (barely apreciable by eye) curve or decurve the neck... that thing makes a lot of tension in there.

By bending the neck manually, you inflict eye-appreciable curvature to the neck. You won't imagine how much tension you apply on that long bolt inside the neck, behind the fretboard.

Remember that metal pieces manufactured in every industry sometimes has micro "passive" fisures that do not harm the piece, but when you normally force them, you will end up acumulating too much stress in the material and that micro fissure quito from being "micro" then your bass breaks and you will end up throwing it away.

i recommend you do that by FX pedal or detuning... fretless basses do not have that problem.. just move your finger a little away from you and there you have...

just my opinion. Cya guys

ps: excuse my english, its not my native lang. :P

[jenich CZ]

I do that all the time and bass is stil in one piece

[Alvaro Martín Gómez A.]

I've done that during fifteen years (here's an example) inspired by Jaco and as far as I've noticed, my basses are always OK (Well, I think it's because I've never tried anything as extreme as this, for instance).

[Jayhawk]

Billy Sheehan does it (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2_QxiCKlAE at the 1:48 mark) but his bass is custom made for it, so I don't think I would.

[alexei]

Originally Posted by jenich CZ

I do that all the time and bass is stil in one piece

of course, the chances of breaking the bass are very little, but not zero.

i only have 2 basses, my main 6 and an old cheap 4 that i barely use, and for now i cant afford to break my main. I could not buy another right now. Still saving to buy a piano for my girl

Anyway, i dont think those 1 note detuning worths it. It doesn't feel nice to my ears, but that's just me.

Peace

[uethanian]

heh i was doing that with an old classical guitar today. i'd never do it to my baby.

[Mark Wilson]

Originally Posted by uethanian

heh i was doing that with an old classical guitar today. i'd never do it to my baby.

[gnergaard]

Once in a while I do that to get the natural harmonics nearer to the nut to be in tune (they're always ever so slightly flat).
it doesn't take much pressure to do this on my Lakland. No problems so far but we are talking about bending the note less than a quarter tone here- nothing flashy or extreme.

[Gegatso]

I've done it forever with no damage, but as was posted -- not much pressure...not to mention that it only has the "wow" effect if you do it once, so it's not something that I'd call a regular practice.

[the_fonz]

i just bend the strings
i love my little Skerik too much to bend his neck

[30hrz]

I think this was a Billy Sheehan thing. I think he asked Yamaha to design a bass that could take that abuse.