Author Topic: Weird weather and serious neck issues (Read 170 times)

hifiguy · « **on:** June 30, 2011, 02:47:39 PM »

Here in Minnesota we had a dry late winter and have had a VERY wet spring and early summer. As a result, the neck of my SCSS has developed a noticeable bow. I backed off both truss rods an entire half-turn but no luck. It is still buzzing like a beehive and fretting out all over the place.

I had to adjust the necks of my other basses (hotrodded '91 FoJ Jazz, '09 Schecter Elite 5) to deal with the very high humidity we've had here, but the Schecter required only 1/8 turn to be perfect and the Jazz about 1/4 turn.

There is still available space to back off the truss rods some more, but this has got me a little freaked. The bass did the same thing a couple of months after I bought it in '99 and it had to be returned to the Mothership for a heat reset. I hope that will not be necessary again.

Any advice?

terryc · « **Reply #1 on:** June 30, 2011, 03:15:51 PM »

where are you keeping it..outside???
Here in the UK we have the most changeable weather and my MK has not moved at all!!!

adriaan · « **Reply #2 on:** June 30, 2011, 03:24:50 PM »

Here's a recent thread on what you can do when you find the trussrods don't leave enough room for adjustment.

dannobasso · « **Reply #3 on:** June 30, 2011, 04:20:22 PM »

I often have to let it go all the way loose and with my herd it takes a while to get to all of them, guitars included. These puppies are very forgiving but you gotta tweek em! Thank goodness they are so easy to adjust. With the arrival of summer they all need to be let out. The only one thats totally stable is the Status MK5. (but thats neck through graphite) So relax and adjust and have a stock of strings for changing if need be.

hifiguy · « **Reply #4 on:** July 01, 2011, 08:48:38 AM »

No, not outside, Terry. But isn't the humidity in the UK pretty high and constant? I mean, you're never all that far from the sea.

In the midwestern US we go from an ambient humidity of 20-30% during the fall and winter months to as high as 70% in the spring and summer, as it is now. Constant humidity is no problem, high or low, it's the extreme changes that seem to make wood go a little bonkers.

hifiguy · « **Reply #5 on:** July 01, 2011, 01:45:24 PM »

Thanks, adriaan - I will try those suggestions over the long weekend and see how it works out.

I knew someone here would have some insight!

David Houck · « **Reply #6 on:** July 04, 2011, 05:26:40 PM »

My bass needs major adjustments twice a year with the seasonal changes; and then I regularly make minor adjustments throughout the year. But then I apparently play with a lot lower action than a lot of folks; so just a little change in humidity can have me adjusting the truss rods.