Loosen truss rod?

[ognolman]

If I have a neck that is not installed on a bass, should I loosen the truss rod all the way?
Seems like I should.  I've been loosening them on my spare necks, but I might buy a neck from a guy that says the truss rod is not slack even though it doesn't have string tension and is not installed in a bass.  I'm not sure how long it has been this way.  Should I be worried about this purchase?

Thanks,

JBD

 

[jackthehack]

Can't speak for other mfgr.'s necks or those that have been jacked with; the Warmoth bass necks I've received to date appear almost completely straight coming out of the box, but the amount of tension that a set of bass strings exerts bows the neck to a good degree and the amount of tension that needs to be applied to the truss rod in terms of how far you need to adjust it to get the neck back straight under string tension is a lot more than on a guitar neck.

 

[ByteFrenzy]

It would depend on the individual neck, but I wouldn't completely loosen the truss rod. I would definitely not loosen it much beyond the point where the neck is completely flat. If it starts to have an upbow, I'd put some tension back on.