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Do Graphite Necks Move?

#21
A graphite neck won't move because of humidity or temperature, so the necks that have truss rods have them for individual set up preferences. Once you set the relief in a graphite neck you should be good to go for quite some time unless you drastically change the tension of the strings in which case you may need to readjust the neck relief back to your favorite settings.
If the neck is bolted to a wood body I'd be much more concerned with how much the neck cavity expands and contracts due to humidity and how much the strings expand and contract due to temperature, neither of which is hardly noticable.
I have an all graphite Rainsong acoustic electric bass that is nearly 15 years old, the neck has never been adjusted in spite of the significant seasonal temperature and humidity swings we get in here in the midwest.
 
#22
john nam said:
Is it true that graphite necks really don't move regardless of the temperature and humidity? If so, how would the neck accommodate for different tension strings and why would bassist always prefer a Modulus with a truss rod? Do they just move less than a wooden neck?
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I've had a Modulus TBX 6er for many years now with neck-through that can't be adjusted and has never needed adjustment. It's simply PERFECT all the time!

On the other hand, the reason for a truss rod is people prefer different amounts of relief. On mine you either like the relief it has or else. As it turns out I like it, but if I didn't I'd have to buy a different bass.

I do have a lot of basses with wood necks that are quite stable, but unlike the graphite, they do need occasional adjustment from time to time and don't maintain setup over the years.
 
#23
Different experience than most here.

First of all, I work for a manufacturer, so take that into account - however, I'm not going to speak ill of anyone's products, and WE use graphite reinforcement in our necks, for the record, with great success.

I played a Zon Sonus Special 5 fretless as my primary bass for 5+ years, loved it to death. It even influenced quite a few of my personal choices on my present basses, very strongly.

It played great, and sounded great, and was VERY stable and reliable. However, stating that it WILL NOT move at all is misleading. Under extreme conditions, I did notice some setup differences - not enough to cause major problems, but it did change the playability.

The most noticeable experience I had was when I traveled to NYC from Orlando in August of 2003. I had no issues at all going from Orlando to NYC, but the day the band I was with traveled back to Orlando, we played an outdoor gig in VERY high heat/humidity (think 100F 90% humidity), and there was a noticeable up bow in my neck by the time the gig was done. Once I got home and checked it after a couple of hours in a/c, that bow was no longer there. It didn't significantly affect the playability, but it was enough to both feel and see the difference both before and after. It went right back to where it normally was and I had no other issues with it due to that one event.

No material is 100% immune to being affected by environmental issues. However, some - particularly graphite/composite necks - are more resistant to any movement.
 
#24
Do Graphite Necks Move?
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Yes they do.

Gard said:
No material is 100% immune to being affected by environmental issues. However, some - particularly graphite/composite necks - are more resistant to any movement.
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+1.

My modulus Q6 has an extremly stable neck and I had to adjust the truss rod only a couple of times in the last 5-6 years.

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My Status S1-6's neck is not that strong but it's stronger than almost any wooden neck I've ever had. However, I replaced the graphite neck with a wooden one! :D (Don't worry, the original graphite neck is in a temperature/humidity controlled room :D).


Here's the graphite neck:

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And the bass with the 3 piece maple/ebony fb neck:

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#25
Do graphite necks move

Not really (which is a elusive answer)

Let me explain.

Modulus - neck can be 'set' so you can adjust them (ones with the relief system) However if you not change strings brands or gauges, that neck should not move. (I have owned many and still own handful). However if your change string gauges they can. Over a couple of years you might start to notice a little movement.

Status - On the 2 that I own, I noticed that once you install it...Status kind of take a few days to adjust and will bow a little. However once you re tweak the neck once they will basically behave the same as a modulus.

Moses - Will move and are very unstable with heat.
 
#27
Zooberwerx said:
Some older Steinbergers did develop excessive bow over time.

Riis
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Yep. I can say from experience that my xp2 got badly bowed. I got it in late 86 and when I was looking to trade it in at we buy guitars in 93 no one would touch it. I didn't realize it was bowed until then. That was before I knew about set ups and sighting a neck plus I was into that twangy Geddy Sunday at the time. But yeah, cheeseburgers bow.

But I have had several since and they have all been great o I guess I got a dud.
 
#28
My '91 Modulus Q5, no truss rod, has been solid as far as I can tell over the years; I've never had an issue with that bass at all nor have I had to adjust the bridge other than intonation when I put on new strings. It has been played on stage outdoors in temps from the low 40's F to over 100 F with no discernable difference in action.
 
#34
I've owned three early 90's Modulus basses with no truss rod. The graphite doesn't move but the phenolic used on the finger board expands and contracts with temp change. In a hot environment like an outdoor stage in direct sunlight, it expands and pushes the neck straight .in cold it contracts and pulls more bow in the neck. I have a 94 sweet spot 5 string that is developing more bow in the neck than when it was new. I have no experience with the new ones with the truss rod .
 
#36
My Vigier Passion with a 90/10 neck hasnt moved in the 10+ years I've owned it.

My MM Cutlass has never moved either, but it did experience some trauma. When it was delivered UPS left it on my front porch. It was Minnesota in January, the temperature was -10 (f) and sat there all afternoon. I let it warm up in the box for a day inside but when I opened it (after waiting very impatiently) the fretboard had partially seperated from the neck. It ended up being a easy fix but still give an idea of what extreme temps can do.
 
#37
Of course graphite moves and some have truss rods for fine tuning relief to a customer's preferences. But it is stiffer than any wood out there, so it takes MUCH more increased tension to produce the same amount of flex as a wooden neck.

All the fibers are well sealed, saturated and coated in resins, so there is nowhere for any moisture in the air to invade the fibers of the neck.

So is it true that they are much more stable than a wooden neck? Well, much depends on the specific necks we are talking about since there's no manufacturer to my knowledge that offers both in otherwise identical necks. But if the necks were identical, yes, graphite would win the stability category every time I believe.
 

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