G'day all: Dumb question, but if you have a timber neck on a bass perfectly adjusted will the bass still slip in and out of tune with temperature and humidity changes? My Fender American Standard Jazz was amazingly stable after it came from my favourite Luthier but since another has serviced it it is not nearly as stable. My Ibanez Sr755NTF was set up by me (by necessity not choice) and moves around as much as a quarter of a tone. The problem is that at this time of year the temperature can move up and down 50 F and the humidity swings a fair bit too. Can a neck be adjusted to be stable in conditions like this?
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The adjustments you make are to compensate for changes the timber undergoes as ambient conditions change. You just need to either cope with the the changes with air conditioning or by making adjustments when the neck moves.
That said, some necks will be more resilient to changes than others. People do multi-laminate necks or add less sensitive materials like carbon fiber or steel to the neck to make the neck more robust to changes, which can help to varying degrees. It is doubtful that it's your setup work that is the problem. The Ibanez probably has a very slender neck that is just not up to the task of fighting those humidity changes.
It is very worthwhile to hone your setup skills in any case, but it sounds like where you are, you will get plenty of practice, so get good at it and you'll always have an in tune instrument that plays and sounds good.
That said, some necks will be more resilient to changes than others. People do multi-laminate necks or add less sensitive materials like carbon fiber or steel to the neck to make the neck more robust to changes, which can help to varying degrees. It is doubtful that it's your setup work that is the problem. The Ibanez probably has a very slender neck that is just not up to the task of fighting those humidity changes.
It is very worthwhile to hone your setup skills in any case, but it sounds like where you are, you will get plenty of practice, so get good at it and you'll always have an in tune instrument that plays and sounds good.
Thanks for the answer! I was a bit curious about this but was also a bit concerned about the new Ibanez. I've tried to set up everything by the book but with a comfy action for me so its nice to be reassured I've not done something that could affect the bass.
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No. All wood will move with changes in humidity - it's the nature of wood. How much it does is a function of the density of the wood, the grain orientation, growth rate, curing time, curing method, etc. etc. etc.
If you want a neck that is nearly impervious to temperature or humidity, get a Steinberger, Modulus, Status or other Carbon/Graphite composite. My Steinberger can sit in its case for MONTHS and come out in tune. I can't hear a significant tone difference between wood and graphite necks, some say they can. The Kubicki laminated necks were also famously stable.
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I just pulled my Warwick, with a wenge neck, out of the closet after years of being there. I swear I think that neck is made of lead, not wenge. It's the only bass I own where I'm pretty sure I've never had to adjust the neck outside of when I first bought it about a decade ago. And I own lots of great basses.
Regarding the OP, a setup has nothing to do with a neck's stability.
Regarding the OP, a setup has nothing to do with a neck's stability.
As others have said, if it's made of wood, nope. Made of other stuff (carbon fiber, aluminum, etc.), I think the claim at least is "less so", but I don't have any personal experience. From what I read, even they need tweaking if things change though. Carbon probably the least.
having to make adjustments when the weather/humidity changes = no big deal! it's part of the fun! 
Yeah, I have a Yamaha that is the same. It regularly comes out of the gig bag with no adjustment needed after being in cars with notoriously varying conditions. The temperature will affect the strings, though. That's just the nature of the beast.
Except, perhaps, if the neck screws aren't properly tightened.
I have an impression that necks with lacquered maple fingerboar are much more stable than open-grain rosewood necks.
Keep in mind that the tuning of metal strings varies with relatively small temperature changes, regardless of what the neck does.
I’ve got a couple all weather basses that are like rocks, one of them actually lives in my old van and rarely needs any adjustment. I call them all weather because i put them on a stand where i’m going to be playing, let them stand 15~20 minutes, tune them up and they are GTG. I’ve done this as low as 39 and as high as 100 plus.
They are a couple of MIM J basses with rosewood boards.
They are a couple of MIM J basses with rosewood boards.
Wood and metal have different rates of thermal expansion with temperature. So, yeah, things are gonna need to be tuned because of that. Humidity is another issue. Roasted necks seem to cut down on the second one by a fair bit.
If you want a more stable instrument, perhaps you could take a cue from architecture. One of the reasons that glass and steel buildings are popular is that glass and steel have similar rates of thermal expansion. Your strings are steel. Make the body and neck out of glass, and thermally it'll probably be more stable. Since neither material abosbs much moisture, humidity changes should be less of an issue as well.
Of course, glass is about 5 times the density of wood. that might be an issue.
If you want a more stable instrument, perhaps you could take a cue from architecture. One of the reasons that glass and steel buildings are popular is that glass and steel have similar rates of thermal expansion. Your strings are steel. Make the body and neck out of glass, and thermally it'll probably be more stable. Since neither material abosbs much moisture, humidity changes should be less of an issue as well.
Of course, glass is about 5 times the density of wood. that might be an issue.
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For those who are interested.....
There is a classic mistake that is common when trying to deal with the movement of wood through humidity changes. The thinking is that if you put enough reinforcement in the wooden structure you can restrict the wood from moving as the humidity changes. It doesn’t work. A piece of steel fastened the entire length of the wood may keep the wood flat, but the internal stresses in the wood will cause it to crack, split, even shatter. In wood construction of any kind you must allow for dimensional changes related to humidity or suffer the consequences. And there will be consequences.
There is a classic mistake that is common when trying to deal with the movement of wood through humidity changes. The thinking is that if you put enough reinforcement in the wooden structure you can restrict the wood from moving as the humidity changes. It doesn’t work. A piece of steel fastened the entire length of the wood may keep the wood flat, but the internal stresses in the wood will cause it to crack, split, even shatter. In wood construction of any kind you must allow for dimensional changes related to humidity or suffer the consequences. And there will be consequences.
Don’t get me wrong, I love everything about wood, the look, the smell, the tactile sense of it, and, on acoustic instruments, the sound of it vibrating. But given its natural and inherent inconsistencies, not the best available material to make necks out of. Hard to wax poetic about a graphite neck, except maybe the “snakeskin” patterned Status necks, which I find quite beautiful. Ned Steinberger solved these inherent problems 30 years ago, too bad the tides of instrument fashion passed him by.
I have several instruments, some react to temperature and humidity, some don't.
I have found no logic in which one does and which does not. They are all all-wood, with similar neck thicknesses etc.
I have found no logic in which one does and which does not. They are all all-wood, with similar neck thicknesses etc.
None of them have graphite (or other) reinforcement?
How about any that are quartersawn?
I know what you mean, but luckily my bass with a wenge neck is very light.
My SRX (SR eXtreme) moved a little since the weather changed. I had to tune it up just a bit today, not even a quarter of a turn on the tuning paddles.
The other bass, with the Wenge/Bubinga neck hasn't moved at all, but it's in a better location (and it has titanium rods in it). The SRX (1 pc. maple neck) is right by the door & it stays kind of cold there.
Earlier I was playing my newish bass & thinking how happy I am that you can smell the wood.
How about any that are quartersawn?
I know what you mean, but luckily my bass with a wenge neck is very light.
My SRX (SR eXtreme) moved a little since the weather changed. I had to tune it up just a bit today, not even a quarter of a turn on the tuning paddles.
The other bass, with the Wenge/Bubinga neck hasn't moved at all, but it's in a better location (and it has titanium rods in it). The SRX (1 pc. maple neck) is right by the door & it stays kind of cold there.
Earlier I was playing my newish bass & thinking how happy I am that you can smell the wood.
As noted, it depends on the nature of the wood, construction of the neck and bass, and how frequent and extreme the climatic changes are.
I have a Ric 4003 that is pretty damn stable, stays tuned and relief stays put for a good long time, but even it will shift slightly every two or three years.
I have a Ric 4003 that is pretty damn stable, stays tuned and relief stays put for a good long time, but even it will shift slightly every two or three years.
I don't know. Any bass I've owned that showed that much movement due to temperature changes I got rid of. I've been relatively lucky in that those particular instruments were few, but for the ones that were problems I think it had more to do with the quality of the wood or the build itself. A proper instrument will move a few millimeters because it's supposed to (its wood), but it needs to reasonably maintain mechanically whatever adjustments are made to account for those changes. If my setup won't hold, it's not my setup, and I don't want anything more to do with it. Life is too short for that kind of headache.
As alluded to, if the temp goes from say 50F to 80F or vice versa the metal strings will expand or contract regardless of what neck is on the bass.