40hz Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 I've owned my RB streamer (one of the very first dated sept 2002) since 2005. And only tonight have I adjusted the truss rod. In all this time it's played perfectly and buzz free with the same factory setup as it came with new, which is crazy considering some of the high end stuff I've had that needed semi regular tweaks. What's caused it to be so stable?! Not that I'm complaining. Anyone else with a wooden neck bass had this level of stability? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manton Customs Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 (edited) The reason for a stable neck is nearly always a mixture of things. Such as: wood selection and grain orientation (especially if a laminate). Where the bass lives is also important as is mass - a thicker neck will generally require far fewer adjustments. People knew this back in the old days which is why so many old guitars without truss rods have huge necks...and are still playable! Even the type of finish can have an effect on stability, so there are a lot of contributing factors. There are a few other little tricks that a luthier will do when building a neck to ensure stability also, but you won't find these tricks on a mass produced bass...sounds like you don't need them though Edited March 4, 2016 by Manton Customs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmorris Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 I've often reflected that my Westone Thunder ( Natural Finish / was '1A' but now has different pickup / electronics) hasn't needed any truss rod adjustment since I spent some time setting it up years ago. My other basses (including a few more Westones)may be as good but I probably wouldn't notice so much as the Thunder in question has the best nut and setup. Oddly the body does have some patches of deterioration where the wood is quite open grain and has softened/worn a bit but the neck is lovely. On the other hand my OLP MM2 seems to seek attention re relief adjustment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoonBassAlpha Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 I think if you have your action set low any small changes will be immediately apparent, whereas if it's medium to high you may never notice a change in the neck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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