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Got the notorious Warwick TWIST model neck

#22
Reedt2000 said:
No body paged @Bruce Johnson yet? Or linked to his scary neck repairs threads?

Anything can be fixed. Bruce has charged very reasonable prices to address neck horrors on very expensive basses. This one being an LX it falls in the "might be worth it" category (IMHO), depending on if you can get a refund (if you can, do it immediately), and how much you've got into it.

Likely needs the current fretboard routed off and replaced, straightening the neck wood in the process. But I'm no expert, will let guys like Bruce or @Freekmagnet chime in with their much better educated opinions 😅
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Well, I don't know if I can be too much help here, other than some general advice. Yes, a twisted neck like that can be repaired by a combination of heat-straightening and/or re-machining. I've done it on a few Warwicks in the past. My series of Scary Neck Repairs threads here on TalkBass document the process on various basses.

But I don't do repair work like that myself any more. I'm still here and have my shop and machines, but I'm completely booked on my new basses these days. Jeremy (@Freekmagnet) had been working with me for a few years, doing some of those neck rebuilds. But now he's moved on and gotten out of the Luthier business. I tried for years to encourage other Luthiers to take in Scary Neck Repair jobs, but sadly, I don't really know of anyone else to recommend.

Warpedneck.com is still around and doing well. They may be able to take the twist out of this Warwick, but you'd have to ask them.
 
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#23
Bruce Johnson said:
Well, I don't know if I can be too much help here, other than some general advice. Yes, a twisted neck like that can be repaired by a combination of heat-straightening and/or re-machining. I've done it on a few Warwicks in the past. My series of Scary Neck Repairs threads here on TalkBass document the process on various basses.

But I don't do repair work like that myself any more. I'm still here and have my shop and machines, but I'm completely booked on my new basses these days. Jeremy (@Freekmagnet) had been working with me for a few years, doing some of those neck rebuilds. But now he's moved on and gotten out of the Luthier business. I tried for years to encourage other Luthiers to take in Scary Neck Repair jobs, but sadly, I don't really know of anyone else to recommend.

Warpedneck.com is still around and doing well. They may be able to take the twist out of this Warwick, but you'd have to ask them.
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Thanks Bruce, I didn't mean to imply you're actively taking on these jobs, only that you've demonstrated it can be done, and done at relatively reasonable costs.
 
#26
pb9717 said:
Seller has to agree to accept the return. Which I’ve received zero response regarding.
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A general diagnosis, if it helps:

From the picture, the neck has developed a significant twist and a mild forward bow.

The reason it twisted and bowed is because the neck was poorly built. Look at the orientation of the grain/rings on the end of the headstock, near the camera. One of the principles of building strong, stable bass necks is to align the grain and rings down the length of the neck, approximately symmetrical and facing upward. On this neck, Warwick put it together wrong. The left side and right side don't match, and the right side is facing outward and downward. As the wood dries out, the neck bends and moves unevenly, and twists. Sorry, Warwick fans, but that's the truth. Warwick does a lot of good engineering and craftsmanship on their basses, but they missed it here. Several Warwick necks that I've rebuilt were the same way.

Anyway, some twist in a neck isn't really much of a problem, as long as the overall relief is in a workable range. The twist just means that the relief will be a little higher on one side than the other. If the relief is about right, the twist doesn't really affect how the bass plays.

The big question is: Where is the truss rod right now? With the strings off, in the picture, there's some forward bow and too much relief. If you tighten the truss rod, with the strings off, will the neck pull down to flat? Not taking out the twist, but just flattening out the forward bow. Without overloading or snapping the truss rod. Will it do that?

If it will do that okay, then you don't need to repair the twist. If you can get the relief down in the right range, and the fingerboard surface is reasonably true, then it should play just fine. Twist, alone, is mostly a cosmetic thing, not a functional problem. If everything else is okay, leave the bass alone and enjoy it.
 
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#28
Every Warwick owner who reads this thread is going to go home and check their headstock(s) for grain orientation...I will anyways.

Mr. Johnson - thank you for that education. there was alot packed into that post.

I always try and keep in mind the builder who makes the twisted necks as a feature on their basses.
 
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#29
scottycameron said:
Every Warwick owner who reads this thread is going to go home and check their headstock(s) for grain orientation...I will anyways.

Mr. Johnson - thank you for that education. there was alot packed into that post.

I always try and keep in mind the builder who makes the twisted necks as a feature on their basses.
Click to expand...

Here's an old thread that goes much deeper onto that subject, if you are interested:

Bruce Johnson

Thread 'About That Quartersawn Maple.....'

A client of mine (another Luthier) brought me this board today to make a Fender-like flat-headstock bass neck out of, for a customer of his. I'm milling the board to size and installing one of my truss rods in it.

The customer ordered the neck to be made from quartersawn maple because, as everyone knows, necks made from quartersawn maple are so much more stable. Right?

So, my client ordered this plank of expensive, top-grade quartersawn maple from a good reputable supplier. It's a beautiful board, hardly any little flaws, and nearly perfect quartersawn cut.

But look at how it's...
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#31
I had a few Warwick's in the past and almost all of them had issues with truss rod.There was some pressure on the neck's of everyone of them,some more some less,never had a expensive one,maybe they are better i guess.I am not a huge fan of their necks "story".
 
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#32
scottycameron said:
Every Warwick owner who reads this thread is going to go home and check their headstock(s) for grain orientation...I will anyways.

Mr. Johnson - thank you for that education. there was alot packed into that post.

I always try and keep in mind the builder who makes the twisted necks as a feature on their basses.
Click to expand...
Mines a 91, so surely it would have twisted by now? *goes upstairs to check *
 
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#33
I have been changing the strings and rewaxing my '02 SSII. I freaking love this bass. Looking at it now, with the strings off, my neck looks very similar. The bass plays fine though, which is weird. I will try to take some photos before and after, because I don't recall it having a twist with the strings on. Haven't noticed this in 20 years, and I freaking LOVE this bass...
 

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