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What should I do about this bass neck?
- Thread starter WildStringdom
- Start date
Ric5 said:
If it is purely aesthetic, then I'm much less concerned. My biggest concern was that it would warp the neck over time, making it unplayable in 5 or 10 years. It is certainly playable now, so it sounds like I don't need to worry.
Still, I think I will try loosening the screws and gently adjusting the neck alignment myself to see if I can even it up a bit. Should get to it sometime this week and I'll post the outcome here.
Assuming all I do is loosen the screws and shift the neck in the pocket, will that mess up intonation or require a new setup aside from retuning? The thing is brand new and arrived properly setup.
+1 for this method.
Your neck will not warp because of its current alignment so don't give that another moment of worry.
The reason I would adjust it is because playing high notes on the treble side can cause the string to slip off the end of the frets - especially when doing pull offs or using vibrato. But not everyone plays there and not everyone uses those techniques so you may have no issue at all.
if thge neck is nice and snug i would move the bridge slightly. if not snug , loosen and tug as instructed above.
It's a hopless case. Sell it to me and that will help ease your mind about the whole thing
Just kidding, you've gotten some great advice. Relax & enjoy your bass
^That is some of the worst advice I have ever seen.^
You can see the bottom of the body (tail) and is obviously not a neck-through.
Get a long straight edge (machinist type ideal)
Get a ruler 6" with the finest increments you can find (metal ideal)
Caliper if you got one
Long ruler (metal meter or straight edge)
Take the bass to a tech, if not then.
Use a straight edge and check to see if the neck is bending by placing the Straight edge on the side of the neck, check both sides. If there is a gap in the middle or on both the nut and the heel then then neck is bad, I would ask for a new neck.
Next, check that the dots them selves are actually placed correctly. Not as likely but you'd be surprised, and judging from pic #5 either the truss rod slot was not cut properly or the dots were not drilled properly.
Next, check to see how the nut is cut, from center to center or equal spacing (string to string). Common to see with dot "misalignment" perception.
Next, check to see the overall alignment with the long straight edge on the side of the neck from the nut to the bridge, Is the taper equal distance from the center line?
Next, check to see the placement of the bridge, use center line.
Next, check the pickup placement using center line.
If the neck is indeed warping laterally then I would just ask for a new neck. Proper wood seasoning was not done, improper finishing was done, or just bad luck with a bad piece of wood. It will just get worse over time.
If a new neck can't be done, then there are steps that can be done. But none guarantee an ideal neck. In the extreme one can heat set the neck, to slip the glue joint, achieving proper alignment and reshape and re-finish.
If the neck is good, then something else isn't. Read above, check all the other possibilities for human error.
If the measurements all come out right then filling the existing neck holes with a hardwood dowel and re drilling for a fresh fit is the least expensive and easiest fix.
Do not futz with the neck pocket. If it was cut wrong then that is the builders responsibility. Taking away material in the pocket is a fast way to make everything worse and a loose neck pocket.
Do not just yank. That kind of BS needs to go away. It is glib off the cuff mouth caca. A temporary fix, that makes it worst by digging and stressing the metal bolts inside a softer wood neck.
Yanking on parts=square peg round hole! If it were my bass I would first take the strings off and inspect the neck pocket and make sure the truss rod works. Call the builder to verify what type of rod was used! If the rod works properly then I would get the straight edges out as Hapa stated!
Weve landed in Laputa?
Measuring is good. It is highly recommended. Especially with things that are not easy to see with the naked eye. In this particular repair, a blind man can see the problem from a helicopter in a fog bank. The neck is not set in the pocket correctly. The dots arent a problem. The spacing at the nut looks good. As far as pickup or bridge location, those are subjects are best to investigate after pulling the neck into alignment. Lateral neck warping is indeed rare.
When doing repair work, or any other investigation for that matter, it is most efficient to move from the simple to the more complex. Anyone who has spent any time at the repair bench has seen this problem many times. The simple solution, one that takes a minute or two, is to yank the neck into alignment. When that does not solve things then and only then do we proceed to investigation of more exotic problems.
Incidentally, on H,S,&R, personal attacks are not welcome. Please post angry retorts on a different forum. Disagree if you must but be polite.
Glib? Yes.
Wrong? Not by a long shot.
Measuring is good. It is highly recommended. Especially with things that are not easy to see with the naked eye. In this particular repair, a blind man can see the problem from a helicopter in a fog bank. The neck is not set in the pocket correctly. The dots arent a problem. The spacing at the nut looks good. As far as pickup or bridge location, those are subjects are best to investigate after pulling the neck into alignment. Lateral neck warping is indeed rare.
When doing repair work, or any other investigation for that matter, it is most efficient to move from the simple to the more complex. Anyone who has spent any time at the repair bench has seen this problem many times. The simple solution, one that takes a minute or two, is to yank the neck into alignment. When that does not solve things then and only then do we proceed to investigation of more exotic problems.
Incidentally, on H,S,&R, personal attacks are not welcome. Please post angry retorts on a different forum. Disagree if you must but be polite.
Glib? Yes.
Wrong? Not by a long shot.
- Aug 5, 2005
- 7,243
- 92
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: J.C. Basses
The strings already line up really well with the pickup poles. Moving the bridge will change that. I don't think it's the way to go.
Moving the neck is an easy and proper fix to a common problem (see the countless Fender threads about a similar issue). Phrasing like "yank" etc are making it seem like a more difficult or potentially destructive process than it really is.
Looking at the neck more closely, however, it looks like 1) the neck has no lateral warping, 2) the neck has no wiggle room, and 3) the neck pocket is routed about 1/8" too far to the bass side. I really don't think trying to fix it will be worth OP's time.
Thank you for that.
Yank might sound scary. How about pull? Tug? Nudge? Do those words make anyone feel better? Good. But feeling better won't fix this guitar.
Reality check: The neck on a bass guitar is roughly a baseball bat split in half. That half baseball bat is connected to a hardwood plank thicker and deeper than any softwood plank used to build a floor system in any house built in the last hundred years. Pretty tough stuff.
There's a reason why automobile repair shops don't allow the customers in the bays. The sign says insurance and that is probably true. But the other reason is they do not want the untrained person to freak out when they use the BFH or the hot wrench.
It's the same thing here.
Once again, loosen the bolts a quarter turn and give the neck a sharp tug, or a quick pull, or a large nudge. Whatever makes you feel good. When that doesn't work, give it a yank. Then sock the bolts home and play your guitar.
Thanks for the feedback everyone! I like the idea of using the straight edge to check for lateral warping, but unfortunately I don't have professional lutherie tools. If I can find my metal straightedge/ruler, I will give that a try but not sure it will do much good. I was trying to show the warping I thought I saw in the two pictures that are aligned with the bass and treble sides of the neck, but now I realize the deviation is almost imperceptible. So I guess the question is "how straight is straight enough?"
I plan to try the simple fix to see if I can loosen the screws and adjust the neck slightly. If it comes down to brute force, I just don't think I have it in me to risk damaging this beauty since I am inexperienced. Hopefully that will settle that debate. Though I appreciate both sides for posting their input.
If I can't fix it myself, it's going to the local tech to get an estimate. (Maybe they will just yank it as soon as I'm out of the shop, I'm not sure.) If a local repair isn't less than shipping costs, then I'll contact the luthier and ask him to fix it. Worst case scenario, I'm out $60 for round trip shipping.
Again, thanks for all the input. I'll keep checking if anyone has any other comments/suggestions and I'll let you know how it turns out in the next week or so.
I plan to try the simple fix to see if I can loosen the screws and adjust the neck slightly. If it comes down to brute force, I just don't think I have it in me to risk damaging this beauty since I am inexperienced. Hopefully that will settle that debate. Though I appreciate both sides for posting their input.
If I can't fix it myself, it's going to the local tech to get an estimate. (Maybe they will just yank it as soon as I'm out of the shop, I'm not sure.) If a local repair isn't less than shipping costs, then I'll contact the luthier and ask him to fix it. Worst case scenario, I'm out $60 for round trip shipping.
Again, thanks for all the input. I'll keep checking if anyone has any other comments/suggestions and I'll let you know how it turns out in the next week or so.
Turnaround
Commercial User
yeah, jeez!
this would have been a 30-second fix in my shop
What takes you so long???
I love these neck-set problems. Had a player come into the shop complaining about the string alignment over the pole pieces. I had him take the bass out of the bag and hand it to me. Then I turned my head suddenly to look out the window and said "Wow!". He looked too and while he did I "nudged" the neck. Then I said "You missed it" and handed him back his bass. He said "Is it fixable", I said "It's done - no charge".
What takes you so long???
I love these neck-set problems. Had a player come into the shop complaining about the string alignment over the pole pieces. I had him take the bass out of the bag and hand it to me. Then I turned my head suddenly to look out the window and said "Wow!". He looked too and while he did I "nudged" the neck. Then I said "You missed it" and handed him back his bass. He said "Is it fixable", I said "It's done - no charge".
You "nudged?"
Does that mean you have joined the ranks of the anti-yanks?
