Geddy Lee jazz needs constant truss rod adjustments

[NOLA Bass]

I had an early Japanese one. I sold it because the neck moved so much. I've been eyeing a newer one, but am looking at the US. I think the newer ones are a lot beefier than those very first ones like mine.

 

[Gianni "Orlandez" Orlati]

Sounds like a weak neck. Try strings with low tension.

Exactly this!

 

[Black Out Jazz]

Dave is my favorite curmudgeon

I want to work on a small block chevy motor with him.

Dave is my favorite curmudgeon

Watch this one, it's pure gold.

 

[fhm555]

This is a common problem with thinner necks that don't have reinforcement rods in addition to the truss rod.

I'd advise having a better aftermarket neck built or finding a different bass.

I would have to say IME with MIM J necks, they take time to settle but as they do they hold better. I have an MIM mutt. Body and neck are from different basses and pickups and bridge are aftermarket, and it’s my all weather combat bass I use when I’m playing outside, especially at night. Take it out of the case, set it in a stand where you are going to plat for 15~30 minutes, then tune it up and it’s GTG for the duration. When seasons change it will need a little tweak but string changes between are no worries about action. The neck came from the period when both pickups were the same size. I had regular pickups and it was cheaper to buy a used MIM body my pickups would fit than a set of pickups for the body I had. Over a couple years I played it a lot and it was steady from day one. My next MIM was not new, it was however one owner and less than a year old. It took a setup well and played really well, but would need a setup tweak every time I changed strings. The longer I had it the more stable it became and the less setup tweaking was required. These days a seasonal change will need minor tweaking. I had the same experience with a Highway One i got still in the sealed shipping carton. It took the better part of two years to settle.
If your MIM Jazz is new and all it needs is an occasional tweak, give it what it needs and jeep playing it. Not only does it keep your setup chops up, in time it will most likely reward you with a stable neck that just works in all kinds of conditions.

 

[Inconnu]

Well… a piece of wood remains a piece of wood and they are not all equal. My 22 year old fretless Jazz bass is an MIM. I nearly never have to adjust the truss rod. I bought another MIM Jazz once, a 60’s reissue, that I sold after a few months because the neck needed too much attention… and, I dare say my good old USA G&L needs more frequent adjustments then the Squier Affinity sitting next to it, on the same rack (ok, the G&L is a 5 string and it is over 20 years older then the Squier, but…). That said, yes the choice of wood will be better with higher grade instruments but, wood tends to have a mind of its own up to a certain point… now where are those old aluminum necks they used to do?

 

[sharpiemarker]

I have a 2006 Japanese geddy as my main player for the last 10ish years with a supper thin neck. I feel I’m adjusting it once a season. If I stay on top of it, it’s only a quarter turn either direction. It isn’t abnormally more then any other instrument I’ve had. Hopefully it’s just wood settling and drying out

 

[JW56789]

I have no idea which ones are the problem children, but . . . . . I'm a big fan of Dave's World of Fun Stuff on YouTube, and he has had more than a few with relief problems, to the point he's wondering what's up with them.

dave's world of fun stuff geddy lee bass - YouTube

 

[drumvsbass]

If youre skilled enough to notice the problems with budget instruments it’s a sign that you can justify the price of a quality one Imo.

Nicely put.

 

[80jazz]

I had one of the first GL J basses to leave the Japanese factory. It had constant neck problems.

My MIM I have had for a couple of years has been just fine.

If you are chasing this problem and want to keep the neck, I would put 2 washers on the rod. The next step would be lighter strings (assuming you are not doing this already. Had I kept my first one, it was probably headed for 40-95 or something lighter).

 

[DrBnz]

I have a CIJ G.L. and luckily I don't have that issue at all. I'm just curious. I know - dumb question - bear with me. Have you marked the nut / rod? I dunno how long those things are, but adjusting 1/4 turn - twice a week is way excessive. Not believable almost. Are you sure you're turning the nut? Is it backing off over time? Or are you actually moving that far / that often?... nah ... come on ..... really?

 

[dkelley]

Not to be a downer, but I’ve owned merely one Mexican instrument that wasn’t a wet noodle neck when it was made.

Making them to a price point means the wood isn’t dried properly always and the result is humidity sensitivity. I’ve had much worse Chinese acoustic guitars. MUCH worse in fact.
But just wait til that Mexican bass ages more than a few years and the make up comes off.
You get what you pay for. There’s a reason the touring artists with Mexican models play custom shop versions and you’ve begun to discover that they aren’t reliable (some are of course, like I said, I’ve bad one of maybe 7)

My advice is sell it and move on. The AmPer is a big step up in terms of the wood. Of G&L or Gibson. Laklnd. Hell even the world music Korea has gotten better than Mexico at the wood treatment.

and I don’t care what some YouTube guy says about squires or Mexican fenders. They aren’t professional grade. Paul Reed Smith is the only honest guy as he puts STUDENT EDITION On all the ones that won’t hack it.

If youre skilled enough to notice the problems with budget instruments it’s a sign that you can justify the price of a quality one Imo.

that flies in the face of my experiences. I've owned several and work with a guitarist with them, and the mexican necks have always been truly excellent. Literally identical in quality and stability to usa necks.

wonder if it's a location thing (humidity from mexico to your home affects it somehow?)

 

[IronLung1986]

A lot of people go gaga for thin necks. The flip side of a thin neck is....this - stability issues. The thing that's worrisome, though, is that it seems the thing is getting tightened constantly - not alternating between tightening and loosening. a couple times a year is normal for a lot of necks, weekly adjustments are a completely different thing. When it's always tightening, that's not a good sign at all. I'm a fan of light gauge strings for other reasons, but on a neck like this, it's one thing you can do to help the situation some.

I agree. I remember back when I first started playing all the old timers told me never to touch the truss rod because it could kill the neck. So for a long time I left it to professionals only. Then as I learned more I realized that truss rods were meant to be used, and have for many years felt very free to adjust them as needed. However, I have had several necks get into this pattern of continually needing to be tightened and eventually going bad on me, and it's caused me to become a lot more hesitant about tightening the rod. I can see now the sliver of wisdom in what those guys were saying.

The amount of wood on a neck absolutely matters. I think it's worth getting used to a slightly thicker neck for the stability. All necks regardless of thickness are going to move due to humidity, but thin necks are more susceptible to being pulled by the strings consistently over time and falling into the tightening trap.

I'm also of the belief that the best thing you can do with a new bass is keep it in the case for about 5 years and forget about it. Let it settle. It's not feasible and no one's ever going to do that myself included, but I suspect it's actually the ideal thing to do. New necks move all over the place just because they're new and you can burn a lot of your truss rod combating that. They settle down after a while and eventually don't need to be adjusted as much. I've had several basses that drove me nuts when they were new. My Stingray pissed me off so much I didn't even open the case for like 2 years. It felt different every time I played it. Then a couple years ago I took it out, it played perfectly, and hasn't needed any adjustment at all since then. It settled down. Now it's my most stable bass and for that one reason it's the only one I really ever play. No graphite rods in that neck by the way. But it's got some meat to it. Way thicker than any Jazz bass and probably thicker than most P basses that I've played too. So I do feel like neck thickness is more than just a comfort consideration. This is all anecdotal obviously. Few of us have the resources to study this stuff in any proper scientific manner, so we have to make do with what we experience.

 

[monti2889]

Here's my 2cents....with problem necks...it's best to not use the truss rod to move the neck into position. What I do, is...remove the neck from the instrument (if possible). Set up a clamping jig, that supports the back of the neck and allows you to clamp both ends of the neck. With the truss rod completely loose, use the clamps to set the neck into a straight or slight backbow position. Once set, tighten the truss rod just enough to hold the neck in position. There are a few videos of Dave (Dave's world of fun stuff), and Dan erlwine, on YouTube if you need a reference. Just be patient and take your time.

 

[jd56hawk]

I agree. I remember back when I first started playing all the old timers told me never to touch the truss rod because it could kill the neck. So for a long time I left it to professionals only. Then as I learned more I realized that truss rods were meant to be used, and have for many years felt very free to adjust them as needed. However, I have had several necks get into this pattern of continually needing to be tightened and eventually going bad on me, and it's caused me to become a lot more hesitant about tightening the rod. I can see now the sliver of wisdom in what those guys were saying.

The amount of wood on a neck absolutely matters. I think it's worth getting used to a slightly thicker neck for the stability. All necks regardless of thickness are going to move due to humidity, but thin necks are more susceptible to being pulled by the strings consistently over time and falling into the tightening trap.

I'm also of the belief that the best thing you can do with a new bass is keep it in the case for about 5 years and forget about it. Let it settle. It's not feasible and no one's ever going to do that myself included, but I suspect it's actually the ideal thing to do. New necks move all over the place just because they're new and you can burn a lot of your truss rod combating that. They settle down after a while and eventually don't need to be adjusted as much. I've had several basses that drove me nuts when they were new. My Stingray pissed me off so much I didn't even open the case for like 2 years. It felt different every time I played it. Then a couple years ago I took it out, it played perfectly, and hasn't needed any adjustment at all since then. It settled down. Now it's my most stable bass and for that one reason it's the only one I really ever play. No graphite rods in that neck by the way. But it's got some meat to it. Way thicker than any Jazz bass and probably thicker than most P basses that I've played too. So I do feel like neck thickness is more than just a comfort consideration. This is all anecdotal obviously. Few of us have the resources to study this stuff in any proper scientific manner, so we have to make do with what we experience.

Which means it's a good idea to buy a bass that sat around in the shop untouched for five years?

 

[powerpopper]

Holy poopie, that's a hell of a story. I did not see that happy ending coming. Seriously. Glad it worked out.

I had a similar experience and this is how I fixed it. I live in South Florida, however, I was visiting my brother who lives in Jackson, Wyoming. He had purchased a 2012 MIM Geddy Lee Jazz Bass with the intent of learning to play. He then placed the bass in an Ultimate Guitar stand (one of the neck hanging ones), the bass then sat there unplayed for the next 7 years. I am from South Florida so to me it felt like 1-2% humidity. The neck was bowed quite a bit, but I was able to straighten it with the Truss Rod.
After some other routine maintenance, he decided to give me the bass as he doesn't play it. The gig bag it came with was not to be found, so I bought a hardshell case so he could ship it to me in FL.
Once in FL the Truss Rod adjustments (always tightening) continued for a few weeks, but the neck would bow again in about 48 hours or so. It didn't take long until the truss rod was maxed out.
I can't remember if it was here on TB or it may have been the gear page but I found a thread regarding a warped AND twisted bass neck that was fixed using clamps and heat over several days. One of the thread responses claimed to be able to fix the neck using a technique his father taught him (who was a cabinetmaker). Anyway, his site was warpedneck dot com or something very similar. I took the neck off, backed off the truss rod (to reset its position) and shipped it to him (he was in Denton, TX) he called a couple days later and said he could fix it for $75. I gave the go ahead, and about a week and a half later I received the neck, I used a straightedge to check it and it was dead on straight. I put it back on the Geddy Lee bass and strung it up with .045-.105 EB Hybrid Slinkys. Next day it needed about an eighth of a turn to be perfect. Since then it has been quite stable, only needing the occasional adjustment.
The Geddy Lee MIM neck is thin to be sure, I had to tune down a half step for a song my band was trying and the neck moved a fair amount, returning to standard pitch corrected this quickly. So glad I spent the money I love that bass (her name is Claire btw). Good Luck to you!

 

[Citizen Nara]

Never had any issues with my MIJ.
I've always used 45-100 strings (mostly EXL or 7250) and avoided keeping it in a cold environment, even on tours, which probably helped.

 

[Acoop]

Are you in an apt or house? ... Instruments enjoy cooler areas not heat or direct sun. ... But it still shouldn't move that much. ... I bought a Japan Fernandez J-bass, for cost, off a dealer because the neck wouldn't stop moving. ... I spoke to the distributor in California, I live near Toronto, he wanted the whole bass sent down and I talked him into just sending the neck. When he got it he told me the neck liked California better and sent me a new neck that worked fine. ... Depending where you live that could be the problem. ... Necks are the most important part of a string instrument.

 

[Carlos Azevedo]

I have heard this is fairly common with these...YouTuber, Dave's World of Fun Stuff, repairs and sets up guitars and basses in a video blog type media...i recall seeing quite a few of these having to be set up quite often.
To be fair, they aren't the only ones with this issue, but i do recall seeing a commonality on these particular ones. (USA as well).
I have a bass that is in the $5K price range, and it too has frustrating neck movement. Consistent humidity in summer/winter does help, but I think its the nature of the neck itself - likely a flaw in the way it was made.

Edit: found one of his videos from a few years ago - this was a MIJ model...but at the 30 sec mark, he says its his 8th or 10th one he has done...


There are a few vids of him tweaking these...Cheers

Absolutelly, I was about to post a video of Dave, every single time he has one of those GL J basses he talks about how often they show up with the banana neck.

Just like others said, is a very thin neck with no reinforcement at all, I had one last year MIM and sold it not because of that, but in 6 months I had to adjust it 3 times (1st time it arrive looked like a banana, and 2 extra times). I was using the RS77LD flats by Rotosound and they have a bit more tension. Got a P bass MIM with a massive baseball neck and in 10 years, only adjusted it 4 times when traveling with it across Europe.

In the end if you like it... go for it, keep adjusting it hahahaha nothing wrong with it.

 

[Black Out Jazz]

I would have to say IME with MIM J necks, they take time to settle but as they do they hold better. I have an MIM mutt. Body and neck are from different basses and pickups and bridge are aftermarket, and it’s my all weather combat bass I use when I’m playing outside, especially at night. Take it out of the case, set it in a stand where you are going to plat for 15~30 minutes, then tune it up and it’s GTG for the duration. When seasons change it will need a little tweak but string changes between are no worries about action. The neck came from the period when both pickups were the same size. I had regular pickups and it was cheaper to buy a used MIM body my pickups would fit than a set of pickups for the body I had. Over a couple years I played it a lot and it was steady from day one. My next MIM was not new, it was however one owner and less than a year old. It took a setup well and played really well, but would need a setup tweak every time I changed strings. The longer I had it the more stable it became and the less setup tweaking was required. These days a seasonal change will need minor tweaking. I had the same experience with a Highway One i got still in the sealed shipping carton. It took the better part of two years to settle.
If your MIM Jazz is new and all it needs is an occasional tweak, give it what it needs and jeep playing it. Not only does it keep your setup chops up, in time it will most likely reward you with a stable neck that just works in all kinds of conditions.

"combat bass"

 

[fhm555]

"combat bass"

Never waivers when failure is not an option.