Can a twisted neck prevent a good set-up?

[Dantsofthesky]

I purchased a 2009 Mexican Fender P Bass secondhand about a month ago, and the seller said it had just been sitting in a hard case for a year unused. When I checked the bass out, it seemed the neck was a bit bowed, and assumed it just needed a good set-up. So I took it to a guy in Bristol, who was supposedly really good at setting up guitars and basses, and when I picked it up it had very low action, along with a lot of buzzing on some of the frets. So he quickly made an adjustment - it seemed he just raised the action and nothing else - then I was told to take it home and just "play it in" (note this is a used bass, not brand new).

A couple days later, after the action seemed to have gotten higher to the point it was almost impossible to play, I took it back to the guy. He told me come back in an hour and he would have a look at it. When I came back to pick it up, the same problems were there as before. I went away with it again and played it a bit more.

Today I went in again, as I was getting tired of having a bass and not being able to play it. He then told me the neck was twisted, and that I would need to "let him have it for 5 days at a time, several more times over the next couple months" and that "it would take between 9-12 months to get it sorted". He also said that it won't be able to get set up as "I would like it" until the issue has been sorted.

My question is:
Is this guy talking out of his arse, or does he know what he's talking about?
Also, can I get a good set up on my bass, even if the neck has a slight twist in it?

 

[Paulabass]

Is this guy talking out of his arse, or does he know what he's talking about?
Also, can I get a good set up on my bass, even if the neck has a slight twist in it?

He doesn't sound overly competent- Ask him WHAT he intends to do. The usual way would be de fret, plane, refret. That only takes one visit.
It depends how slight, and which way a neck is twisted- Sighting down from the nut, if it's slightly clockwise, often you you can set it up with a bit higher action on the bass side. It's a case by case basis.
If he says anything about steam or heat, go elsewhere. Heat-pressing has been discounted by most shops as being ineffective.

 

[Dantsofthesky]

He mentioned nothing about fixing the problem by any of those ways. He just said that he would need to see it over and over again for days at a time over the next 9 months for it to be sorted. I'm just disappointed that he's unable to set it up so it's playable in the meantime.

 

[DangYankee]

Is this the only guy you have taken the bass to? I would absolutely get a second opinion from another local tech.

I would ask around the forums/local shops to see if anyone has any recommendations for a good tech near you.

 

[aaronious]

You in Bristol, Conn or the UK?
Cause there's a guy in Texas who has worked miracles on two of my basses with warped and twisted necks. It cost $75 and is worth every penny.

 

[Gorn]

Whatever it might cost to actually repair that neck, assuming it's twisted, will probably cost more time and money than a replacement neck.

 

[Zooberwerx]

"So I took it to a guy in Bristol, who was supposedly really good at setting up guitars and basses" That...and "trusted / respected"...are always red flags in my lexicon. 9 months...really? Susan and I can produce our own future guitar tech in that amount of time.

Write this experience off and put it in the hands of somebody competent.

Riis

 

[unbridled]

Sounds like he wants to charge you for many visits or is trying some "trick" he heard of or made up over the years.

The only thing I can think of is that he's wanting you to basically do a reverse fret job through playing it and naturally wearing down high frets, which he would then compensate for with a set up. Why that would take five days is beyond me.

Steaming and/or heat can be mildly effective on older instruments without truss rods, but the effect goes away once the wood dries. It was thought that if something was steamed and then held in place in a proper shape with clamps as it dried, it would fix issues. It worked up until changing of the seasons.

Ask what he is planning on doing when he has it just for sh*ts and giggles and then find a new tech or neck.

 

[Arie X]

take it somewhere else. sounds like your current tech is hooking you up for a "recurring billing program"

in Bristol try Waghorn or Kinkade. Kinkade I've actually heard of since he put out a pretty decent acoustic building book a couple of years ago that i happen to own.

i hope your problem tech isn't one of these guys?

 

[Dantsofthesky]

I let someone else take a look at it - someone whose toured with a few big acts from the 80s - and he was able to make it play relatively well. He was the one who actually informed me the neck was quite twisted, and he was able to get it as straight as possible. This problem wasn't even mentioned by the guy I took it to to get set up the first time. When I brought it up to him, he said that I shouldn't have took it to someone else as it has now set him back in the process of setting the bass up over the course of time.

I'm tempted to just ask for my money back, take it to someone else, and if they say the same thing: buy a new neck.

 

[Dantsofthesky]

take it somewhere else. sounds like your current tech is hooking you up for a "recurring billing program"

He said that I wouldn't need to pay him any more money, as he'd keep working on it for free. He did this with another bass I bought new from him. I could understand that he'd want to keep working on a new bass as it changes as it gets played in.