MusicMan Stingray Special 4H - Loose Truss Rod wheel

[Roy_Kato]

Good evening bass brothers, I really hope you are well and safe. I hope you can help me with this concern that is really giving me the nightmares.

I recently bought a MusicMan Stingray Special 4, a fantastic bass that probably doesn't need any introduction. The bass feels great and sounds like a dream, a true gem.

Now to the concerns: I obviously set it up to my liking, with a very low action (about 2.0 mm on the E string and 1.5 mm on the G string), and the fret buzz is minimal, not a problem so far.
But here comes the truss rod part.
I noticed that the neck at the moment is almost straight so I thought I could add a bit of relief, following also the MM FAQ on how to check...well guess what? The wheel is almost completely loose, meaning that I can potentially tighten only the truss rod.

Now the stock strings are 100-45, which is fine but I'm guessing that, one day, I may have to add some relief in case I want to change string gauge and therefore add some relief (anyway who wants a potentially flawed instrument, especially if it's new and so expensive?!).

Can you kindly advise about the above mentioned? This kind of broke my enthusiasm and I'm hoping is something "normal" since those instruments are fairly new, with whole new specs and so on (for example, the neck radius is 11", not sure if this counts). If I said some bs feel free to throw stones at me, as long as I don't have to return the instrument to the store.

Thank you so much and please stay safe

[4000]

Was it new? If so, I’d email the place you got it from. Alternatively, email Musicman direct. 

[Roy_Kato]

Hi, yes, brand new instrument. I both emailed MM customer service and the shop (I guess I'll get a reply in next 2-3 days).

I was googling a bit, and it seems that the "flawed" trussrods usually show the opposite problem: excessively bowed necks impossible to tighten, not the opposite like in my case
I also read somewhere that this can occur when the instruments are not being played and/or are stored in their hard cases for long times, therefore would be just a matter of waiting for the neck to settle overtime, somehow.

I decided to rely on your expertise here; maybe it's all in my head and there's nothing to be concerned about, but I can say that I definitely should be able to add relief on a brand new instrument (I guess....). Thank you..

[4000]

18 hours ago, Roy_Kato said:

Hi, yes, brand new instrument. I both emailed MM customer service and the shop (I guess I'll get a reply in next 2-3 days).

I was googling a bit, and it seems that the "flawed" trussrods usually show the opposite problem: excessively bowed necks impossible to tighten, not the opposite like in my case
I also read somewhere that this can occur when the instruments are not being played and/or are stored in their hard cases for long times, therefore would be just a matter of waiting for the neck to settle overtime, somehow.

I decided to rely on your expertise here; maybe it's all in my head and there's nothing to be concerned about, but I can say that I definitely should be able to add relief on a brand new instrument (I guess....). Thank you..

Yes, you should. But occasionally there are issues.

A small thing, I have no recent experience of Musicman rods, but I know the truss rods on my old Seis used to work in reverse.....

 

[Roy_Kato]

I tried to tighten, just to test if it works the other way around and it definitely does the job (which is good news I guess, and also confirms that the trussrod wheel works the "classic" way).
I also tried to loosen it to check if it would start working in "reverse", until I got to a point there the bullet was touching the body, hence I was simply about to remove the whole wheel. I put it back where it was.

I had a chat with a close friend/luthier from Italy, he said that eventually the instrument is build to have that amount of relief on a default string gauge (which is the stock 45-100), bearing in mind the modern shape and built that can handle very straight neck with no string rattlings. He also mentioned that a heavier gauge would eventually "test" if the neck is actually moving forward"

However, he also mentioned that a 2K instrument should allow me to increase or decrease relief to my liking but, again, someone who's more experienced than me can definitely have a better opinion than mine.

 

[4000]

There’s no question you should be able to do both. The shop, if bought new, should sort it out for you. 
 

 

[Roy_Kato]

I totally agree, and thanks for your replies. If they don't answer by today, I'll phone up straight away and sort this out.