I recently returned a new tenor "A" due to neck upbow.
I then purchased tenor "B" which has the same issue but not quite as bad.
Both are well-established brands in the $300 range. Both are solid cedar tops.
In both cases, the factory "Aquila" strings were very tight.
In both cases, I changed to a custom (by me) lower tension set.
Neck A did not improve with lower tension, thus it had to be returned. It was severe.
Neck B got visually flatter with lower tension strings, but upbow still exists as can be easily seen with a metal straight edge.
Are the factory (what I consider) high-tension strings the culprit?
I will likely have to return tenor B. I don't want to send it back because it sounds heavenly, but... there is a definite time limit.
I then purchased tenor "B" which has the same issue but not quite as bad.
Both are well-established brands in the $300 range. Both are solid cedar tops.
In both cases, the factory "Aquila" strings were very tight.
In both cases, I changed to a custom (by me) lower tension set.
Neck A did not improve with lower tension, thus it had to be returned. It was severe.
Neck B got visually flatter with lower tension strings, but upbow still exists as can be easily seen with a metal straight edge.
Are the factory (what I consider) high-tension strings the culprit?
I will likely have to return tenor B. I don't want to send it back because it sounds heavenly, but... there is a definite time limit.