Necks with Relief (Dead Flat) or Bak Bowed

[lee]

Too much relief is probably more common some necks have the opposite problem they are just too flat, or worse.. back bowed. After loosening the truss rod to remove all tension on the neck these necks remain flat or back bowed even with string tension on them. I see this far more often on maple necks than I do on mahogany neck though. THe first thing many may try to use a heavier gauge string. The larger the gauge of string you use, the more tension is being placed on the neck and body. An increase in tension may be enough to pull relief into some of these necks and make them playable. Higher than usual action may also help in some cases. If additional string tension is not enough to create the necessary relief, planeing may be an option depending on the severity of its condition and type of fingerboard.