How long can I have a vintage Jazzmaster without strings not spoiling the neck?

Discussion of vintage Jazzmasters, Jaguars, Bass VIs, Electric XIIs and any other offset-waist instruments.
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Guitarman555
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How long can I have a vintage Jazzmaster without strings not spoiling the neck?

Post by Guitarman555 » Sat Mar 09, 2019 6:12 am

Hey, any idea, how long can I keep a vintage jazzy without string, not to spoil the neck by losing the pressure of string? Reason is, that I am repairing the tremolo tail and waiting for a screw, so it will probagly lost a month or so. Cheers

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supersonicjazzmaster
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Re: How long can I have a vintage Jazzmaster without strings not spoiling the neck?

Post by supersonicjazzmaster » Sat Mar 09, 2019 1:34 pm

30 years or more.

...I´ve bought a Jazzmaster in pieces, with separated neck.
And the parts where separated for over 30 years in a basement.
At last there was no problem with the neck.
The only part which was not usable after this long time was the bridge. Too much rust.
It starts... when it begins.
Ralf Kilauea

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Re: How long can I have a vintage Jazzmaster without strings not spoiling the neck?

Post by Guitarman555 » Sat Mar 09, 2019 3:04 pm

supersonicjazzmaster wrote:
Sat Mar 09, 2019 1:34 pm
30 years or more.

...I´ve bought a Jazzmaster in pieces, with separated neck.
And the parts where separated for over 30 years in a basement.
At last there was no problem with the neck.
The only part which was not usable after this long time was the bridge. Too much rust.
Great, so a month or 2 will be definetely not an issue. Did you have to make adjustment of neck (I mean tension by the neck screw) after 30 years? Btw it was precbs jazzy?

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Re: How long can I have a vintage Jazzmaster without strings not spoiling the neck?

Post by øøøøøøø » Sat Mar 09, 2019 8:08 pm

You will have nothing to worry about. Enjoy your guitar!

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Re: How long can I have a vintage Jazzmaster without strings not spoiling the neck?

Post by Guitarman555 » Tue Mar 19, 2019 7:10 am

Cool, anybody else has experience? I am gonna have the guitar without bridge(string tension) for two months.

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Re: How long can I have a vintage Jazzmaster without strings not spoiling the neck?

Post by Off_Set_of_Mind » Thu Mar 21, 2019 12:24 pm

In my experience, necks will not warp if they were built with seasoned and aged wood. I assume yours is. I have bought necks never put on a guitar and had minor issues that the truss rod fixes.

I would recommend once you put it back together, do (or get) a full set up.

Maple is a hard wood that isn’t very prone to warping or bending once tension is removed.

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Re: How long can I have a vintage Jazzmaster without strings not spoiling the neck?

Post by Guitarman555 » Wed Apr 03, 2019 1:28 pm

Guitarman555 wrote:
Sat Mar 09, 2019 3:04 pm
supersonicjazzmaster wrote:
Sat Mar 09, 2019 1:34 pm
30 years or more.

...I´ve bought a Jazzmaster in pieces, with separated neck.
And the parts where separated for over 30 years in a basement.
At last there was no problem with the neck.
The only part which was not usable after this long time was the bridge. Too much rust.
Great, so a month or 2 will be definetely not an issue. Did you have to make adjustment of neck (I mean tension by the neck screw) after 30 years? Btw it was precbs jazzy?
Yes it is pre cbs. Did not need anything anytime before...

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Re: How long can I have a vintage Jazzmaster without strings not spoiling the neck?

Post by sunburster » Wed Apr 03, 2019 7:05 pm

Probably not an issue for a few months, but it depends on the neck and the condition of the storage. Some necks are bendy and need regular truss rod adjustments, others stay straight for 30+ years without a single need for a truss rod adjustment. If you store it in an environment that is not too dry or humid, and not too hot or cold, it has a much better chance of coming out OK.

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Re: How long can I have a vintage Jazzmaster without strings not spoiling the neck?

Post by øøøøøøø » Thu Apr 04, 2019 4:37 pm

There's really no need to overthink this.

A neck is a piece of wood. The natural state of a piece of wood is to not have tension on it.

If you're REALLY paranoid, you can slack the truss rod for storage. But it's almost certainly not necessary.

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