Does my neck have warp or twist?

[Alex123432]

Apologies if this is the wrong sub forum.

 

I’m wondering if any experts might be able to spot if my bass has any warp or twist to it. I’m not an expert of these things but I’m having a lot of problems with trying to get the low-ish action I’ve always had. Basically the middle of the fretboard has a lot of fretbuzz and on some higher notes. I’m thinking of getting a fretless neck instead as this is now a spare bass. Got a brand new fender which plays beautifully all set up low. Ideally I want the same on this one so wondering if it’s time for a new neck. Had this and played regularly for about 15 years. Is it probably worth chucking or could it potentially it sell for a small amount on eBay etc? It’s got some marks as per pictures… I think for now I want to know if it’s warped or twisted beyond repair and worth keeping or binning?

 

thanks

Edited August 17, 2023 by Alex123432

[Doctor J]

A taut string is basically a straight line. Hold the E string down at the first fret and last fret and observe the gap between the bottom of the string and the tops of the frets along the neck. Repeat the process on the treble side with the G string. Do you notice any difference between the two sides?

[biro]

Yes, this is not something you can just eyeball. (You can to some extent, but you'd be looking at different things and it is difficult to photograph it.) Assuming the frets are somewhat level, or in any event level enough (which should be the case), use the strings to figure that out. Bear in mind that that, while not necessarily ideal, having a slightly different relief on the two sides of the neck might be normal, as there is generally a difference in tension, and some necks have been engineered to have more relief on one side. So long as it stays the same, a twist of that kind can be fine. 

 

If you have fretbuzz in the middle of the neck, you might have one of the following: 1) nut is too high, so the action is excessively low to compensate; 2) same, but addition of neck not being straight enough; 3) ski jump (or the lifting of the final part of the fretboard), which sometimes happens on fender necks.

[Rayman]

I actually have a bass here with a twisted neck, albeit only slightly. Warwick basses seem to be susceptible to it.

 

In your case, from the pictures, I do not see a twisted or warped neck.

 

The above advice is good.

Edited August 17, 2023 by Rayman

[Lozz196]

Are you a mostly low fret player, if so it may well be that you’ve got a bit of fretwear on the lower frets, action set to suit those so when you venture further up the less worn frets are generating some buzz.

[Supernaut]

Sounds like the neck had too much relief. 

[KingPrawn]

As above. It's difficult to assess through pictures you need to apply some basic kit to find out what's going on. Has anything happened to the bass, that may have caused something? Extremes of temperature, truss rod messed with? it may well be a simple relief issue if it's just in the middle of the neck. 

[tauzero]

From the pictures, there does seem to be a bit of a hump around the 8th or 9th fret, but I wouldn't swear to it.

[Rexel Matador]

Looks to me like a fret job and/or trussrod tweak would probably sort it - hard to tell without getting one's hands on it, but I very much doubt it needs binning. The neck relief is visible in one of the pics so it might be a bit too much - if that's the case, tightening the truss rod might be all that's required.

That said, I think I can see a bit of fretwear too, so if the trussrod adjustment isn't enough, a level crown and polish might be in order.

Edited August 18, 2023 by Rexel Matador

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

The photos give no useful information. If the relief appears to be set correctly and it still seems wrong, I would take it to a trusted luthier and ask for a diagnosis. In my case that would probably be Martin or John at the Gallery in Camden.

[GuyR]

If ever you are not sure, a modest outlay with a decent tech/repairer is a sound investment. Almost always they will be able to sort out the issue. As above, bass Gallery, feline in Croydon, plenty of others.

Certainly have it looked at by a professional before selling cheaply.

[Alex123432]

Thanks all, will take it in to be assessed 

[ezbass]

On 18/08/2023 at 00:05, tauzero said:

From the pictures, there does seem to be a bit of a hump around the 8th or 9th fret, but I wouldn't swear to it.

I can see that too, but as the neck isn’t under string tension, it’s probably the truss rod relief causing some back bow.