Please explain How Truss Rods Work?

elgranluis · Post by **elgranluis** » Fri Jun 10, 2005 6:36 am

Ok, well, so yesterday, as I was suffering about my ric, I decided to take out the rods, after reading about the possibility of glue in the threads. When the strings were removed from the body, the neck presented a bow. I tapped the rods, and tapped, and tapped. The rods slowly came out. As i was watching their diameter, I was thinking to myself how hard it would be for those things to break. Anyway, long story short, When I removed the rods, they were bent. I dont mean bent as in slightly, I mean bent as in bannana. Given the plastic and elastic deformation characteristics of steel, there is no way this could have happened to a rod inside a neck? Can you explain how the truss rods work.

admin · Post by **admin** » Fri Jun 10, 2005 6:46 am

Luis: That is how they work to bend the neck. Here is a photo of truss rods bent ready for reinsertion.

elgranluis · Post by **elgranluis** » Fri Jun 10, 2005 6:50 am

So which way are they inserted then? Bent way up, or bent way down?

ken_j · Post by **ken_j** » Fri Jun 10, 2005 8:20 am

Threaded end towards the back of the neck if they are the style in the photo.

joepee · Post by **joepee** » Fri Jun 10, 2005 8:37 am

Wouldn't re-insert them to bend against the warp of your neck without the rods in???

larry_mondello · Post by **larry_mondello** » Fri Jun 10, 2005 12:26 pm

These are the old style rods ....the 1950's to 1985 era rods .

The new rods are a single rod .

The single rods are in the 4003 basses that have been made since about 1990 .There ARE two of these single rods per neck as is the standard with the exception of a couple of guitar models .

elgranluis · Post by **elgranluis** » Fri Jun 10, 2005 7:53 pm

it has threads on both ends. Man, this has been a headache. (Thanks for the mod who spared me from you know what)

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Fri Jun 10, 2005 8:28 pm

You bend them to get them in easily I'm pretty sure, that is what I have done anyway. I don't think it matters once their inside and all that pressure is exerted on them, they can only go one way. I've never had a new 4003 rod out, I have an 81 4003 with the old style rods. I know they changed them to a new style in Sept of 84, did they change them again in 1990?