Help! Some thoughts on rosewood necks (BONGO5) are needed..

[vates]

Dear forumites,

I love almost everything about my bongo and it's my main stage bass at the moment. The only drawback is a very "whimsical" neck: it hates the environment of our rehearsal base* and I have to adjust the action of the neck every session. So I don't use it there no more. And it disappoints me a lot, because I want to hear and to feel the bongo during rehearsals as well. So here's the question: are these LE rosewood necks any stronger?

Thanks!

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* - A very wet environment. It's a basement and the vents are not doing very well so the humidity gets very high there, especially after overnight rehearsal sessions. The only bass that lives there perfectly is my Gibson with an all-mahogany neck (dead-stable). So I though that a bass with a neck of some other tropical wood might do the trick....

 

[DaPatrooch]

They would probably be a bit more susceptible to the weather because it's unfinished, but the regular Bongo neck is. What is it about the environment that is causing so much change?

 

[vates]

Thanks for your input! Regarding clarifications on environment and my concerns about tropical woods used please see the part written in small italic above.

 

[maddog]

I lived in Arizona (dry spring and fall with monsoon summers), moved to Oregon (very wet winters and dry summers), then Wisconsin (cold dry winters with moderately humid summers). The neck of my Bongo4 has been very stable throughout. Not sure of the issue you're encountering.

 

[MadMatt]

The problem might also be solved with an all Maple neck (maple fretboard). Different woods react to temperature and humidity changes in different ways. I might be possible that the Rosewood fretboard is reacting too the humidity and decreasing or increasing the inherent tension of the neck. You could also try oiling the fretboard. That may make it absorb less humidity. Be aware that will probably make the rosewood darker.

If that does not solve the problem... there is a sweet Mahogany necked one-off 20th 5 string in the MM online store. Music Man

Apparently it has been touched by Tony Levin

 

[strummer]

My rosewood neck Bongo is very stable, but then so are all my bongos. Sure they react to the environment, but certainly not on a day to day basis.

 

[vates]

2maddog: The environment here is wet/cold to wet/hot in some minutes (in winter there can be a rise of 27 Fahrenheit in half an hour) with lots of condensate. To my experience, only graphite-reinforced, multi-laminated necks survive this environment. Plus my one-piece-mahogany necked Gibson. Which is kinda strange. So that's why I think about an all-tropical-wood neck.

2MadMatt: Thanks, but the only option for me is Bongo. The best bass (and a fiver in particular) in terms of ergonomics for me. And its sound is to die for.

2strummer: In normal conditions (home studio and frequent gigs) my bass gives no reasons to worry either. But at the rehearsal base it goes crazy...

Thank you everybody for your thoughts on the matter! Maybe somebody from the side of the manufacturer can make the situation a bit clearer?
(although I've met a phrase of BP somewhere @this forum that RW necks is just a nice touch for MM-fans and no specific instruments-engineering idea was meant while these specific basses were produced )

 

[strummer]

Just to be clear: All my Bongos are stable and do not change quickly, so for instance an outdoors gig in pouring rain (yeah under a canopy of course) is no problem at all, just like a sweaty hot club is no problem.

 

[MadMatt]

How often do you oil the fretboard?

 

[vates]

Every string change. No specific period: from two weeks to two months. Anyway, the fretboard looks great: a nice piece of juicy rosewood. I don't think the problem is in the fretboard. I tend to believe that it's more due to a rather thin (comfortable!) maple neck as for a 5-stringer without any serious reinforcement (like laminations or graphite rods). And a regular maple is known for warping due to humidity changes...

 

[oli@bass]

The 'Rays I keep at the rehearsal room also need more adjustments* than the ones at home. I think the problem is that the instrument generally is cold, and warms up rather quickly as you play for 2-3 hours and then goes back to cold. That's probably different than when the instrument is stored well tempered and then taken out for playing at an odd place... less difference due to the body contact while playing.

* it's not an issue of a specific instrument... it doesn't matter which one I keep there, it'll need to be retuned several times during playing and probably a truss rod tweak.

 

[vates]

Well, the thing happens only to my Bongo (out of 6 basses so far) and the latter has the least strong neck from the construction point of view. It's a pity because Bongo is my most favorite bass...

Any real rosewood to maple hard time experience out there?