Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Mark the MD:

I just bought a CS on ebay that apparently has been around the block a few times. It sounds great, but the backbow in the neck, particularly on the g-string side, is like nothing I've seen. With only a tiny bit of tension on the trussrods, the seventh/12th fret relief measures (with the last and first frets held) about .005! That's with the bridge pretty high, too. I'm playing ROTOSOUND swingbass 45/65/80/105's, too. It plays great, but I get a bit of buzzing when I'm picking hard in front of the horseshoe pickup. Any thoughts on further adjustments to give the neck more of a natural bow? WITHOUT playing monster gauge strings, that is.

With out looking at this ,this is all conjecture.

So ...here is what I would do .

With necks with NO RELIEF ....some times you can physically push the neck into some relief .

This is very intimidating for everyone ...even the guy doing it .I have done this to several guitars years for years .This happens to every makers guitars or basses .Wood is a funny thing .It does this .

So what do you do to correct this ....bit your nails here it comes!

Lay the bass on a table ,and set the headstock on a book or two (not a paperback thickness ...a nice thick one ,like an Atlas .)

Give the headstock at least two inches off the table ,for room/space.Now WITH the strings on it (this will help to coax the neck ....gulp,lean on the fretboard in the center and push on it .Deflect the neck at least on inch.Yes at least one inch .....did it solve the relief problem ? Check it . Yes ....good thank God that is over !
NO!!!!! Damn!!!! okay then do it again ...this time press down harder...go two inches this time ...well? what happened?
You won't break the neck .....trust me on this one .

I have almost had to stand on some necks and then they moved.Some guitars that have Negative relief can be coaxed into relief this way ....but to 'cure' that ,you must pull the frets and plane the fretboard and remove the raised portion of the fretboard ,then refret .Sometimes the Don Teeter fret method should be used at that point .That would change the tension on the neck .

But this should do the job.

Once you are done and have checked the relief and it now needs to have the rods tightened,wait ....don't tighten then yet .Wait a day ...see if it reverts back .You could be experiencing a thermostatic reaction .
If the bass stays in one environment (you leave it at home ) then it will be easy to spot.
If you are using the bass (gigging or jamming etc.) then the neck will start to move ...Watch it and report back .

Now that you have read this and your heart is racing ....have a beer ....don't drink ?
Watch some Tex Avery cartoons ...that will give you a different perspective on everything ...it could help.

Now THAT'S the kind of solution I like!! The ol' "hit it with a hammer" approach! I will definitely try this. I was thinking of a "forced curvature method" of SOME sort. This is a really straight forward approach, which I appreciate. Hell.......this will be fun for the whole family. I know what my wife will be thinking, though-- "......I hope he breaks that stupid neck. Then, I hope he breaks the bass's neck!". I'll let you know what happens. I think both beer and Tex Avery cartoons are in order for this level of risk-taking! Thanks.

The easiest thing to do is heat the neck up with a regular lightbulb, while clamping the neck to a surface like a table, bowing the neck the way you want it. After it's been heated for a few hours, let it cool, still clamped, preferably overnight.

Works 95% of the time and usually holds position just fine. We use a special fixture and heater mainly for convenience- a table and lightbulb works fine.

Thanks very much, John. I have attempted the maneuver outlined my Mark with some success. The neck seemed to move through a preferred (quasi-normal to the fretboard surface) angle, leaving the G-string side still a bit flatter. Some relief came into the E side, however.

Thanks for the suggestion-- I'll try it tonight. Leaving it static, under tension for awhile makes good sense. That should add enough bow to allow some final trussrod adjustments, I would hope. Thanks for your unequaled accessibility, John!

Brian