Makeshift Vice for Backbowing Neck?

[rogerbmiller]

So, I bought a bass with a badly upbowed neck. The bass has a WORKING truss rod to which I gave many turns. This did straigten the neck some, but it had been so bowed for so long, it is "trained" to be upbowed.

I have been in this situation before, and what I have done to create the effect of a vice is 1) removed the strings 2) lay the bass propped up at a slight angle with the neck face down on an elevated pillow 3) rested books on the bass body to give slight and constant pressure to encourage the neck to back bow.

This has worked in the past for other basses of mine with thinner necks . Between the pressure and the truss rod, things normalized. But this current bass I need to work on has a very thick neck (it is a wooden Steinberger copy) and might need an actual vice.

Since hiring a luthier to bend this back would cost way more than the bass, I'd like to set something up myself. Is there anything I can do in my house without having to buy special tools (other than vice clamps), a workbench, etc. Any ideas are appreciated.

Thanks.

Roger

 

[anonymous278347457]

you could rest the body on something and clamp it down and then rest the neck on something slightly higher and clamp it down.


just dont do it too hard so pad everything out with pillows or something and give it time i guess

 

[PaulSimonon]

Just throwing an idea out there, but you could make a frame to clamp both ends of the neck to with a threaded rod running through a beam or whatever over the top of the neck that you could, using a caul to protect the board, just screw down to provide the right amount of backbow.

Seems like it should work pretty well and be pretty simple to construct.

 

[erikbojerik]

Does the neck come off? I'd loosen the rod all the way, clamp it to something super stiff (like a 2" angle iron from Home Depot) with the frets against the flat surface, then leave it in the trunk of your car all summer (heat don't ya know... ). In the fall, bring it inside, tighten the rod just barely, then remove the clamps and tweek the rod as needed.

Kinda the reverse of how to ruin a guitar's neck.

 

[rogerbmiller]

Does the neck come off? I'd loosen the rod all the way, clamp it to something super stiff (like a 2" angle iron from Home Depot) with the frets against the flat surface, then leave it in the trunk of your car all summer (heat don't ya know... ). In the fall, bring it inside, tighten the rod just barely, then remove the clamps and tweek the rod as needed.

Kinda the reverse of how to ruin a guitar's neck.

Yeah, unfortunately it is a neck through. Though I do plan on leaving it in a humid environment-- humidity seems to flatten out my necks...

 

[anonymous278347457]

that might be a bad idea, seeing as it might warp it more on one side or something. But if you have the experience then you know best

 

[luknfur]

FWIW:

don't know if you've searched but there's been some other threads on this. In recall talked about steaming, etc.

If I was a luthier (which I'm not), I'd make some blocks and as indicated to fit the curvature of the neck and fretboard between frets, throw some felt (whetever) on their faces, then take a couple of straight 2x4's, sandwhich the neck and blocks, then clamp the 2x4's, tightening a litte every day or so and check the results.

Maybe using some shimming between the blocks and 2x4's to avoid cutting out a bunch of different size blocks as the neck takes form.

Back the rod all the way off.

That's one of the reasons I don't like NT's but you get the same thing with BO's in terms of neck issues, just easier to deal with and you can scrap it totally if need be.

----------------- Haven't been in here much lately but when I have doesn't seem like Hambone's been around?