Need to adjust the neck on a 7 string bass, a conklin.

Have you put strings through tuning heads and folded them back on themselves and tightened them up to standard tuning?

The truss rod adjustment is on the body end of the neck, not at the headstock.
You need to;
remove the strings
unscrew the neck from the body
Make a small adjustment
Re-attach the neck
Re-string the bass
rinse and repeat until satisfied
http://support.fender.com/service_diagrams/p_bass/014-6500-323A_SISD.pdf

This sounds like a worn nut groove. The string is sitting too low. Does the buzz happen all the way up the neck or just on open string?

Taken from http://www.learnguitarsetups.com


There are a few golden rules when adjusting your truss rod. First, only use the rod to keep your neck as straight as it needs to be...do not use it to adjust your action! Second, only use the proper tools. If you do not know what the proper tool is, check with the manufacturer. Truss rod nuts are easy to strip, and once they're stripped, they are expensive to fix! Finally, do not force anything; an eighth of a turn can make a drastic change. Remember, if the truss rod feels tight or doesn't seem to be doing anything, take it to a professional.

1. Start by sitting with the guitar in the playing position.
2. Tune it to pitch if it is not already.
3. Capo the first fret. If you do not own a capo, you can use your fretting hand.
4. Next, fret the bass string with your picking hand up near where the neck joins the body. This is typically around the 14th fret, but it may be higher up with some electric guitars. In our example, we'll be using the 20th fret.
5. Use the string as a straightedge held against the neck which will either bow away, or against the string. This is how you determine the amount of relief in the neck. You can also use a steel ruler placed along the length of the neck, in the same manor.
6. In our example, the approximate half way point between the 20th fret and the 1st, will be the 7th fret where we will observe the distance between the top of that fret and the bottom of the string (or ruler), as pictured. Notice the gap. Hint: Half way down the neck is often between the 7th-9th frets.
7. If you have a gap between the top of the fret and the bottom of the string, you likely have a bowed neck. If there is no gap, it is likely either dead straight or back-bowed.

HOW MUCH TO ADJUSTThe bigger the gap, the more relief is in the neck. Normally, we want just a small amount of relief in the neck for optimal playing, about the same as the thickness of a business card or less.

If there is a gap, tighten the truss rod clockwise until you have something closer to what we're after. Slide a business card in between the top of fret and bottom of the string (or ruler). Make sure you are placing the card parallel with the string or ruler. If there is no gap, you may be either dead straight or back bowed, so you will need to loosen the truss rod counter-clockwise to get the results we are after. Hint: If the strings are buzzing in the first few frets and open strings, it is often a clear indication of a back bow.

Remember, do not force anything to get the results you are after. If it is hard to adjust or spins freely you may need professional assistance.

The final step in setting your relief is to test it out! If it feels better, you're done! But take note, straightening the neck may actually make your guitar play worse! Consequently, when the truss rod is tightened, the height of the strings are lowered, which can create string buzz if your guitar isn't setup properly to start. Likewise, it can make a poor fret condition more noticeable. So, if your guitar plays worse after adjusting the neck, it is either too straight for your playing style, or it is a sign that more work is needed. Thankfully, you can easily reverse the changes you've just made if required.



For pictures and further info, visit www.learnguitarsetups.com

Check first it is not hitting or touching the next few frets, in case they are high. Or maybe the 5th fret is low. You could raise the action and/or adjust the neck relief to test this.

If it is not a fret problem, it may be a real dead spot on your bass. If so, it would be regardless of the pickup used and could be heard acoustically if you could hear notes that low easily. Most guitars have notes on the fretboard somwhere that are a little dead. It is due to destructive interference and there is not much that can be done. To happen at the 5th fret is unusual though. Make sure the string is wound properly around the head, and that nothing is loose and actually moving/buzzing when you play the note.
Other causes can be a loose fret, loose bridge parts or a loose neck joint.

If the ringing only occurs with a specific range of notes it may be something rattling in the amp loose or speaker enclosure.
It could also be feedback occurring at certain frequencies - does the ringing stop if you turn the volume down a bit or stand in a different position in relation to the amp?
Could be a problem with your guitar? Maybe the pick up height needs adjusting in relation to the E string or is it the string buzzing against a fret - indicating a need for adjusting the bridge height or trussrod settings?

There are a few different ways to do this, and unfortunately if you have not done this kind of work before you could end up damaging the guitar more than fixing it.
A few things to look for:
Sight down the neck from the top of the guitar looking down along the edges. If you see a concave (banana shaped) bow in the neck, it needs adjustment. Almost all guitars including yours have a neck adjustment rod that can alleviate some of the bow. If however the neck is convex ( higher in the middle) the neck would need adjustment too. You want a very slight bow in the neck to allow for weather changes as wood expands and contracts with the weather.
Other adjustments are down on the bridge. There are usually very small allen or hex key adjustments for each string to raise and lower the action (height) of the string. Again, any adjustments here can also affect the tuning of the string up and down the neck (intonation). The guitar may not end up being tuned at one place one the neck while in tune on another.
I would highly recommend taking this to a music store with a qualified person to adjust it. Many times the action can be lowered and the string height adjusted for better playing ability. You can inform the technician now what you see and what you want done. Also let them know if you have a heavy or light touch on the strings as this can make a difference when they adjust it too. At the same time a lot of them also restring your guitar for you and you may request a lighter gauge of string allowing for better play too. Good luck.

Have you changed strings on it? Old strings get worn spots in them from rubbing on the frets that will cause these type of symptoms. If you put new strings on and get the same issue, check your neck relief (the amount of bow in the neck) to do this, hold your low E string at the first fret, and at the 12th or 14th fret. The neck should have a slight bow in the middle that puts it between 1/16" and 1/8" or so away from your string. If it does not have enough bow in it, you can adjust the truss rod. Most guitars use an allen wrench for this, it will be inside the soundhole on an acoustic usually, and on an electric it is normally on the headstock under a cover. There are many how-to's online about adjusting a truss rod, the key is to do it very slowly, only do about a 1/2 turn a day, retune, check it again the next day. Loosen the truss rod to put more neck relief, tighten to straighten the neck. If this still doesn't fix you up, let me know, and I'll tell you where to go from there.

Hi Mike,

If the sound is like a string vibrating against something, ensure that is not strings (usually G) vibrating against the bridge.

Ensure that the two screw on the saddle are well in place.

Ensure also that the vibration is not coming from a string vibrating against the frets, in that case you can fix the problem by adjusting the action and rectifying the bow of the neck.

In either case, if the sadde and neck bow are cause of vibration, try tweaking the saddles a little, and lowering the position of the saddle a bit downward. Try also to rectify the neck. turning the apposite screw.