New Bass Woes

[bremen]

Well, just the one woe really.

 

Got a new Jet JJB300 as enjoyed by others here.  It was beautifully set up when it arrived but after a few days playing there's a fair few rattly frets and choked notes.

 

I'm wondering if, as it was set up the day it was posted to me, the truss rod had been adjusted and the wood is taking this time to follow the steel? I've never had a bass from new before, they've always had time to settle.

 

I've asked the shop if there's a warranty issue if I slacken the truss rod myself, waiting to hear, but is this normal behaviour for a new instrument?

 

Cheers

 

 

[simonlittle]

I’ve certainly had brand new instruments arrive perfectly set up from the factory that take a little while to settle down and then need a fresh set up after a week or two. There are a lot of factors that can affect the overall set up of a bass like temperature and humidity. I’d give the bass a couple more days to settle and give it a little tweak then see if it holds. 

[Doctor J]

More likely it's settling into your environmental conditions instead of the shop's. The truss rod is a user-adjustable part and the neck will probably need to be adjusted at least twice every year due to seasonal weather changes as the wood reacts differently to these changes than the metal strings pulling on it.

[fretmeister]

Adjusting a trussrod should never be a warranty issue - it's there to be adjusted by the end user.

[bremen]

Thanks all, very reassuring and the shop agrees. We agreed that border crossings can be a bit of a culture shock (torn from its Glaswegian roots and dumped in East anglia)