Help, neck question!!

The grain matches up too well for it to be a different headstock, the line is too straight for it to be cracked and repaired, and the neck doesn't utilize a 13-degree angled headstock.

It looks like somebody just sanded off the original finish (common with glossy finishes) to me. The wood behind the part where one would actually play is dirty and grimy, which is another indicator.

 

+1. That's all there is to it. Nothing to worry about.

 

Some folks think it feels better that way, that's all.

 

If it's an Ernie Ball Music Man bass, that's just the dividing line between the oil finish on the back of the neck, and the hard finish on the headstock (including the back). That's the way it comes from the factory.

 

Yep, standard stuff for MM, you will love it!