Issue with Rockbass Neck

silddx

silddx

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I bought a RockBass Streamer Blackhawk a couple of years ago. I used the neck for another custom body I had made for it. I started noticing a while ago that the relief on the neck changes all the time. I can leave it in my studio and then leave it in my living room and it can become unplayable quite rapidly, with the neck back-bowing significantly. I took it to the Bass Gallery in London and he said the wood was probably not very dense was very susceptible to temperature changes and humidity.

Is there anything I can do about this?

Many thanks.
 
Hello, all bass necks do absorb and release humidity throughout their lives, some however have a tendency to do that more than others, even on expensive basses. Just to give you an idea or two, you could restrict the bass to one location with relatively stable climate conditions, and figure out its optimal setup for that location. Perhaps using it as a practice bass or something like that. Your bass should stay within limits, only needing seasonal minor changes to its setup like most basses do. Another option would be to refinish the neck and/or board with a material that seals the wood better against humidity changes, but I am not sure what your options are and how effective (or cost-effective) it could be. Perhaps asking a luthier would be your best bet for that scenario.
 
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Thanks for your suggestions, Jester. However, I've had many basses from fairly cheap to expensive German Warwicks and never had this problem. I'm a working musician and this particular bass was my pride and joy for a while as I designed the body and had it made for this neck. It was all high end hardware and East electronics, played and sounded wonderful. But the neck was the weak link. Leaving it for one day in my studio and it would back bow and would be unplayable on the first four frets. I don't even think of the concept of a practice bass. Any bass I have must be capable of live and studio work, otherwise it's a waste of space and money. I can't trust it, so I don't use it. I think I just got a bad neck. I asked Martin Petersen and he reckoned it was probably a waste of money upgrading to a carbon truss rod. I currently have a Streamer Chrome Tone. It's my dream bass, utterly brilliant, and no weird crap going on with the neck, it's been solid as rock.
 
How many strings is it? Just curious.
 
Aw man, I remember that thread very well, that was a super sweet build. :-) Does it have a different neck now?
 
jester said:
Aw man, I remember that thread very well, that was a super sweet build. :-) Does it have a different neck now?
Click to expand...

No, I parted most of it out, the neck made it pointless. If I can source a new neck it gets its life back :)

My Streamer CT is the ONE though, I adore it.
 
Besides your CT I think you 're in a good position, as the neck and neck pocket dimensions are very accurate in Warwick/RockBass land, plus you can find used RockBasses for very little money.
 
silddx said:
No, I parted most of it out, the neck made it pointless. If I can source a new neck it gets its life back :)

My Streamer CT is the ONE though, I adore it.
Click to expand...
It will be hard to replace the CT even with a new neck :)
 
jester said:
Besides your CT I think you 're in a good position, as the neck and neck pocket dimensions are very accurate in Warwick/RockBass land, plus you can find used RockBasses for very little money.
Click to expand...

True, I actually think I would rather have a German neck, preferably Ovangkol and Ebony, my favourite Warwick neck materials. But a neck on its own is a rare item. One day, one day ..
 
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