Neck Flex?

[prater]

Accidentally bumped my headstock (Fender J Bass) into my amp yesterday while adjusting EQ, afterwards I was checking out the neck because I'm paranoid and noticed I can see it flex slightly if I push on it just right. Is this normal?

I know from playing guitar that I could always hear the flex if I did that while playing but I could never actually see the neck move noticeably.

This bass cost way more than any other instrument I've owned so far and I take really good care of it. Had it set-up professionally in November and I don't really want to do it again just yet.

 

[tabdog]

It is much easier to flex a bass neck
than a guitar neck.

Sounds OK to me.

Does it stay tuned reasonably well?

Has the play-ability changed?

If those things are OK, I wouldn't worry,

Tabdog

 

[96tbird]

So your concern is what? Doesn't your neck flatten out when you change strings? Even if just one at at a time?

It's important to remember wood is not steel. Consider a wooden long bow. The wood flexes as the bow is drawn; to string a bow you must pre bend it. A shorter bow will be more difficult to bend.

Although a bass neck is of much less flexible maple, some of the same flexibility remains. Being longer than a guitar neck, it flexes more.

 

[NoFretsNoWorry]

Flex is normal in all basses to a degree.

Flex being the overall bow or flex in adjusted neck curvature (via truss rod), or degree of flexibility when pressure applied to neck and you see neck movement.

The wood in any instrument changes with the weather literally, and this affects the flex in some woods. Winter dries the air, and the wood changes thereofore the flex will change some. So at times, you may notice a change in flex.

If you merely bumped (light contact) versus outright dropping the bass or having it slam to the floor, I wouldn't worry about it.

A bass with it's longer neck and higher string tension will show more visible movement flex than a guitar.

Otherwise adjusting the truss rod once or twice a year is not uncommon to compensate for a normal noticeable change in flex.

Things to watch out for are neck twists or slight rotations that cause fret misalignment. Those are caused by many factors: ignoring the bass for long periods of time, letting the bass dry out without oils from playing it (in some cases), dropping the bass, not keeping normal string tension on the bass over time, and more.

PEACE

 

[96tbird]

So your concern is what? Doesn't your neck flatten out when you change strings? Even if just one at at a time?

It's important to remember wood is not steel. Consider a wooden long bow. The wood flexes as the bow is drawn; to string a bow you must pre bend it. A shorter bow will be more difficult to bend.

Although a bass neck is of much less flexible maple, some of the same flexibility remains. Being longer than a guitar neck, it flexes more.