Yeah, they won't bend. But they'll stretch.
thats how they get to 35" scale isn't it? lol.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Bent neck from hanging on the wall?
- Thread starter Zephrant
- Start date
thats how they get to 35" scale isn't it? lol.
What I've seen at GC is that they hang some of the basses very high on the wall. Heat rises and if they're there for a very long time, you'll get lots of fret sprout. That I've seen but not a bent neck from just the hanging on the wall.
- Mar 1, 2005
- 3,101
- 385
- 62
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Crook Custom Guitars
Yeah, they won't bend. But they'll stretch.
Yeah. That's why I have my short scale hanging on the wall now. I figure in a couple months it'll turn into a long scale.
- Mar 1, 2005
- 3,101
- 385
- 62
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Crook Custom Guitars
It could be well over a year before it becomes a long scale, largely based on the type of wood in the neck that the color of silk wrap on the strings. In the mean time, you will have to be content with a "medium scale" 32" after only a few months...
I've heard Les Paul owners worry about wall hangers causing their guitars to stretch. One guy even had a Lester that would end up sharp every time he lifted it down from the hanger.
Perhaps the GC repair tech meant 'hanging on the wall for too long' in a less literal sense. If the guitar was made with green wood, was not well finished or saw a large shift in climate over the its duration 'on the wall' then the frets may begin to sprout. Fret sprout is not uncommon, but I fail to see why the first three would pop out from being hung up on the wall, other than that it was there long enough for some external influence to take effect.
Maybe I read far too much into it and the tech was talking rubbish. Hardly an unknown phenomenon.
Sounds more to me like the guitar was dropped from the wall at some point. But they aren't going to say, Oh, yeah, it was dropped. Can he email you some pics that you could post here so the experts can assess?
Surely the strap button would be compressed into the wood, or the finish would be damaged?
The ESP B-155 is hardly their flagship model, so my guess is they just didn't build an especially good example in the case of the one OP was eyeing up.
The tech talking about pulling frets and re-planing the fretboard seems like overkill. How hard is it to reseat some frets then level, crown and polish the remainder to match? You would probably be able to improve on the ESP factory setup, which I imagine is less than amazing, and wouldn't need to bust out the woodworking tools.
Good point! I am most surprised that the tech says he "sees it all the time". Surely if hanging guitars are on the wall was damaging to the stock, someone would have cottoned on by now! After all, that stock is their money. If a guitar can't hang on the wall for a year without significant damage, that is a pretty major issue, I would think.
I called them back yet again, and he offered to sell it to me at "cost" plus tax and shipping. That turns out to be $129 + $14.04 + $20, or $163.04.
He would only go with a one week return window, where I can drive it back to my local GC and get a full refund though.
So as soon as I get it, I'll post some pictures, and you can help me decided to keep/repair, or bail.
I'm hoping the damage is not too bad. He said the high frets don't affect playability, but it is "there". Not sure what that means, but maybe it's not beyond a simple fret leveling.
I just got the tools for fret leveling for xmas, and just worked on my Peavey Millenium BXP today ($100 CL deal, as it needed a tuner, pot cleaning, rewiring, fret work...) It turned out much better than it was, but I realized that I do need a better crowning file.
Thanks again for all the help-
He would only go with a one week return window, where I can drive it back to my local GC and get a full refund though.
So as soon as I get it, I'll post some pictures, and you can help me decided to keep/repair, or bail.
I'm hoping the damage is not too bad. He said the high frets don't affect playability, but it is "there". Not sure what that means, but maybe it's not beyond a simple fret leveling.
I just got the tools for fret leveling for xmas, and just worked on my Peavey Millenium BXP today ($100 CL deal, as it needed a tuner, pot cleaning, rewiring, fret work...) It turned out much better than it was, but I realized that I do need a better crowning file.
Thanks again for all the help-
Got it delivered today. Spent an hour adjusting it, and it is not bad. Fret 2 is a little high, and a few others are just a smidgen off.
I'm letting it settle in with the new adjustments for a day or two. It definitely needs some fret work though.
I see no real evidence of a bent neck, at least not to the bare eye. I've not pulled the strings and taken measurements yet. I'm guessing if I relax the truss rod all the way with the strings off, I should be able to tell easier.
The nut slots seem low to me. I'll have to figure out how to measure it. It is such a crap piece of plastic, maybe I'll just replace it. Very little clearance on the first fret, even with enough relief and the action set high.
Pictures tomorrow, when the sun is up.
I'm letting it settle in with the new adjustments for a day or two. It definitely needs some fret work though.
I see no real evidence of a bent neck, at least not to the bare eye. I've not pulled the strings and taken measurements yet. I'm guessing if I relax the truss rod all the way with the strings off, I should be able to tell easier.
The nut slots seem low to me. I'll have to figure out how to measure it. It is such a crap piece of plastic, maybe I'll just replace it. Very little clearance on the first fret, even with enough relief and the action set high.
Pictures tomorrow, when the sun is up.
I'm still not sure what us going on. It looks to me like the slots in the nut are too low. Very little clearance over the first three frets, even with a high setup.
Fret two is a little high, but only a tiny bit (less than 5 thousandths). I could file it down, but not until I decide if I want to return it or not.
It finally occurred to me that maybe I needed more relief, and lower action. Working on that now, and things are looking promising. Let me take some measurements, then I'll post some numbers.
DiabolusInMusic
Functionless Art is Merely Tolerated Vandalism
OK, looking better now. With a Capo on the first fret, and holding the string down at the 18th fret, I set the truss to factory spec., at .015" at fret 9.
Then I set the action to factory spec., (no capo) at 0.125" on B, dropping down to .078" on G (or as close as I could get with the feeler gauges).
It feels much better already, although there are several frets that need filing still, the worst one being #2.
Then I set the action to factory spec., (no capo) at 0.125" on B, dropping down to .078" on G (or as close as I could get with the feeler gauges).
It feels much better already, although there are several frets that need filing still, the worst one being #2.
First: I've never, ever heard of an instrument being damaged by hanging from a wall. And even if it did some how affect the neck, I absolutely can't envision it affecting fret heights more than leveling could correct for.
If it were me, I'd make a new nut. Then take a fret rocker to it to see how many wonky frets there are:
Invalid Link Removed
From what I can see in your pics, it looks like the frets have plenty of "meat" left on them for a decently aggressive leveling if needed.
So, in sum: spend $5 on a new nut, give it a fret level, and I would be really, really surprised if that doesn't set everything right.
Then give yourself a pat on the back for scoring a sweet bass for less than half price. Even if you had to *pay someone else* to do the work, you would probably still come out way ahead. This is very simple work and should not cost much.
If it were me, I'd make a new nut. Then take a fret rocker to it to see how many wonky frets there are:
Invalid Link Removed
From what I can see in your pics, it looks like the frets have plenty of "meat" left on them for a decently aggressive leveling if needed.
So, in sum: spend $5 on a new nut, give it a fret level, and I would be really, really surprised if that doesn't set everything right.
Then give yourself a pat on the back for scoring a sweet bass for less than half price. Even if you had to *pay someone else* to do the work, you would probably still come out way ahead. This is very simple work and should not cost much.
