Bass guitar neck

Brow

Hey folks, recently when I play my bass some notes dont really hold their key, it notes gives off a rattle as the note rings. Someone suggested that the thrust rod going through the neck of the guitar may have to be adjusted. Is he right with this? I know how to access it I just want to know if you think he;s right and how do you know youve solved the problem? I fear the neck snapping if I go too much!

Rigsby

It is possible that the neck could be slightly bowed. This could be remedied by a truss rod adjustment. If you 're not sure what you are doing, you should read up on it first. The web site I listed below contains a lot of info on this ( click on "bass guitar forum" and the info is in the stickys ) The important thing to remember if you are adjusting the truss rod is : only a quarter turn at a time ( i.e. from 12 o'clock to 3 o'clock ) then let it settle for up to 12 hours.

The site is : www.talkbass.com

Dord

Brow wrote:

Hey folks, recently when I play my bass some notes dont really hold their key, it notes gives off a rattle as the note rings. Someone suggested that the thrust rod going through the neck of the guitar may have to be adjusted. Is he right with this? I know how to access it I just want to know if you think he;s right and how do you know youve solved the problem? I fear the neck snapping if I go too much!

Hi Brow,
It sounds like your bass could do with a setup. If you've never done a setup before I'd recommend you don't start adjusting the truss rod youself. I'd suggest you bring it into a guitar shop who can setup the bass and hopefully correct these problems.

I don't know whether you're in Dublin or in another part of Ireland, but if you're in Dublin I recommend Music Maker on Exchequer St., they normally do setup's during the week (monday's your best chance of getting one.) make sure you ring beforehand to see if they'll have time.

For the future, possibly you could ask a friend who plays guitar/bass and knows setups to show you. Or maybe someone on boards who's near could show you?

(not affiliated with musicmaker or spongebob in any way shape or form)

Doctor J

There are plenty of setup guides in the instrument resources sticky, they're for guitar but the same basic principles apply when it comes to adjusting a neck. Read them, examine your bass neck and see what's not as it should be.