My Squier affinity jazz bass decided to bow on me this past Sunday, but not in anyway recognizable way. About a month ago there was a huge freeze front that lasted a set of weekdays with temperatures ranging from below freezing to a whopping 18 degrees Fahrenheit. Not having a way to keep it warm I put a blanket over my bass and left it on its stand. Sure enough around a month later the neck just now bowed itself from the fourth to the first fret. The action from the fifth fret down is consistently high and can't be fixed by adjusting the action. However, the first fret is so ridiculously tight against the fretboard and it just gradually eases up to that point of equilibrium. When I detune the bass the bow is magically gone, and being clueless on what to do I tried adjusting the truss rod either direction in one night. That proved to be useless for someone who didn't know that the neck needs time to settle, so I played with it some more and now the rod is free to turn either way with less resistance than before. Both nights that I did this ended with me leaving the bass in tune and I don't know what to do at this point. I have high Hope's in leaving it detuned until I take my lessons this weekend (as I try to do every weekend). My hope is that detuning it after every use will eventually restore the straightness of the neck, and seeing as how the humidity is +80% I don't know how the neck might react to anything I do. It's seemed to have conveniently bowed with the change of the season, so it's hard to say what Houston's weather will do to my Christmas present. I am getting lighter strings that will hopefully be here by the time the neck eases itself.
Hey buddy, if it helps, I ultimately replaced my neck on this bass, I replaced it with a squire p bass neck, it's not super straight with that neck either, but the bow is gradual starting at the 12th fret. I don't think you can get the fender bass necks straight as an arrow like a guitar. I used my strings for decades lol, that could have something to do with all this, but I doubt it. Good luck!
@@amateurism1 it's looking like the neck is easing itself back to normal. I came back home and saw that the tightness under that first fret wasn't as tight. I'm gonna give it more time and see what else happens.
My Squier affinity jazz bass decided to bow on me this past Sunday, but not in anyway recognizable way. About a month ago there was a huge freeze front that lasted a set of weekdays with temperatures ranging from below freezing to a whopping 18 degrees Fahrenheit. Not having a way to keep it warm I put a blanket over my bass and left it on its stand. Sure enough around a month later the neck just now bowed itself from the fourth to the first fret. The action from the fifth fret down is consistently high and can't be fixed by adjusting the action. However, the first fret is so ridiculously tight against the fretboard and it just gradually eases up to that point of equilibrium. When I detune the bass the bow is magically gone, and being clueless on what to do I tried adjusting the truss rod either direction in one night. That proved to be useless for someone who didn't know that the neck needs time to settle, so I played with it some more and now the rod is free to turn either way with less resistance than before. Both nights that I did this ended with me leaving the bass in tune and I don't know what to do at this point. I have high Hope's in leaving it detuned until I take my lessons this weekend (as I try to do every weekend). My hope is that detuning it after every use will eventually restore the straightness of the neck, and seeing as how the humidity is +80% I don't know how the neck might react to anything I do. It's seemed to have conveniently bowed with the change of the season, so it's hard to say what Houston's weather will do to my Christmas present. I am getting lighter strings that will hopefully be here by the time the neck eases itself.
Hey buddy, if it helps, I ultimately replaced my neck on this bass, I replaced it with a squire p bass neck, it's not super straight with that neck either, but the bow is gradual starting at the 12th fret. I don't think you can get the fender bass necks straight as an arrow like a guitar.
I used my strings for decades lol, that could have something to do with all this, but I doubt it.
Good luck!
@@amateurism1 it's looking like the neck is easing itself back to normal. I came back home and saw that the tightness under that first fret wasn't as tight. I'm gonna give it more time and see what else happens.
@@amateurism1 i have a fender neck and my neck is 0.20mm bow or 0.25mm
and i have other basses too but yeah