Huh?! P-Bass Neck Adjustment?

[andare]

Ultimately, it is. We speak with our pocketbooks. Until we refuse to buy basses without easily adjusted truss rods, they will be made.


Agreed. They claim the 9.5" radius is because that's what people want over 7.25". Well, people want easily accessed truss rod adjustment, too.

Yep and I actually prefer the 7.25" radius on both bass and guitar. I don't do Gilmour bends, or any bends really, especially on bass.

 

[bassplayerwanab]

Not that it'll make any difference, but I provided my feedback to the dealer regarding the truss rod adjustment. I plan to also send an email to Nash directly. Again, it may not make any difference but worth the try. Either way, I plan to have my luthier cut a notch in front of the screw so I don't have to take the neck off every time.

 

[BrooklynBen]

I'm eagerly following this conversation.

I inherited an Erlewine P Bass (photo Erlewine A attached).

I can't play it well because there is too much fret noise, which I think means I want to increase the "relief" in the neck.

There is no access to the Truss Rod (if there is one) via the head (photo Erlewine B attached), so I took off the pick guard.

I can see, under the pick guard, that there is a screw at the neck base, as there would be on a Fender P Bass (photo Erlewine C attached). And someone has been here before -- because there is a rough cut slot to give someone access to the neck screw without taking off the neck plate and the four bolt-in screws.

So my questions:

- Am I in the right place to make a minor truss rod adjustment?

- Can I do so without taking off the four Bolt On screws? Or should I capo the strings on and take the neck off to make an adjustment?

AND THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION:

- When looking at the base of the neck (photo Erlewine C attached) -- do I turn clockwise (tighter) or counter-clockwise (looser) to increase relief? Anyone want to guess how many degrees/turns I adjust the screw?

Thanks.

 

[andare]

I'm eagerly following this conversation.

I inherited an Erlewine P Bass (photo Erlewine A attached).

View attachment 4205865

I can't play it well because there is too much fret noise, which I think means I want to increase the "relief" in the neck.

There is no access to the Truss Rod (if there is one) via the head (photo Erlewine B attached), so I took off the pick guard.

View attachment 4205866

I can see, under the pick guard, that there is a screw at the neck base, as there would be on a Fender P Bass (photo Erlewine C attached). And someone has been here before -- because there is a rough cut slot to give someone access to the neck screw without taking off the neck plate and the four bolt-in screws.

View attachment 4205869

So my questions:

- Am I in the right place to make a minor truss rod adjustment?

- Can I do so without taking off the four Bolt On screws? Or should I capo the strings on and take the neck off to make an adjustment?

AND THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION:

- When looking at the base of the neck (photo Erlewine C attached) -- do I turn clockwise (tighter) or counter-clockwise (looser) to increase relief? Anyone want to guess how many degrees/turns I adjust the screw?

Thanks.

No need to loosen the bolts, let alone remove the neck. They butchered the body but you have direct access.
To increase neck relief you need to loosen the truss rod. Turn it 1/4 turn counterclockwise when looking at it, so from the heel (lefty loosey). No need to loosen the strings if you are loosening the truss rod. 1/4 turn increments are safe. retune and recheck after every adjustment.
To reduce neck relief, loosen the strings and turn the adjustment nut clockwise (righty tighty).
When you're done, allow a day for the neck to settle, then recheck.

 

[Mark 63]

Offset screwdrivers sometimes work for me