Backward Bow

Backward bow in almost all cases, causes a guitar or bass to play improperly. It is virtually never desired in a guitar neck. The opposite of relief, backward bow is a curvature in the neck bringing the center of the fretboard closer to the strings, while the headstock and body end of the neck curve away from the strings. Because backward bow causes the strings to become closer to the frets in the middle of the neck, it causes string buzzing and the inability to play on certain frets. Also, intonation may be affected by back-bow. The guitar or bass’s truss rod will need to be loosened to adjust the back-bow or flatten the neck/fretboard.