Truss Rod Adjustments to 4003
Moderators: rickenbrother, ajish4
I think it's going to arrive in nicer condition than a brand new one, with all the care that went into the setup. Dale was very complimentary of the setup, wings, and sound. It feels like I'll have a custom shop quality bass now. Looking forward to reporting on it.
If it ain't broke, break it, then fix it.
Hi Guys
Well - it is true. I opened up the bass last night and found the same problem. Wow! Talk about an alternative way to build a bass! I was removing the tone controls until I realized it was not needed! Anyway - the E string side is indeed pulling inside the bass. Here are some pics
[img noborder]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v435/ZiggyDude/RicTrussEnd001.jpg[/img]
And this shows how much more one nut was turned than the other.
[img noborder]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v435/ZiggyDude/RicTrussNuts002.jpg[/img]
So - the question is. How soon till my bass dies? And how do you fix it? It seems just putting a metal plate there to feed the truss rods through would have been the proper way to build the thing. But - do the best we can now.
Thanx to all -
- Ziggy -
Well - it is true. I opened up the bass last night and found the same problem. Wow! Talk about an alternative way to build a bass! I was removing the tone controls until I realized it was not needed! Anyway - the E string side is indeed pulling inside the bass. Here are some pics
[img noborder]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v435/ZiggyDude/RicTrussEnd001.jpg[/img]
And this shows how much more one nut was turned than the other.
[img noborder]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v435/ZiggyDude/RicTrussNuts002.jpg[/img]
So - the question is. How soon till my bass dies? And how do you fix it? It seems just putting a metal plate there to feed the truss rods through would have been the proper way to build the thing. But - do the best we can now.
Thanx to all -
- Ziggy -
I gig - so therefore I am.
It is easy to fix. Yours is fairly minor. The E side rod on Jack's bass was recessed much farther than that.
Yes, ouch. It is OK to say it. Ouch.
John Hall suggests hardening the wood with cyanoacrylate adhesive (Super Glue) to prevent further compression of the wood. If the problem is fairly minor, like yours is, that should work just fine. Get the good stuff that hobby shops sell. Crazy Glue and Super Glue are too dilute for this. In Jack's case I had to add some wood to the equation first. As you can see above, it was pretty extreme.
You have to remove your truss rod first.
1) Remove the strings
2) Lay the bass on a flat, clean surface with pads beneath the body and headstock.
3) Remove the pickguard and cover the body with a clean towel.
4) Loosen the adjusting nuts on both rods.
5) Remove the rods by loosening the adjuster until it 2 turns away from coming off. Gently tap the adjusting nut until the rod begins to present itself into the neck pickup route.
6) Carefully slide the rod out while bending the end up slightly so it does not damage the body as it reaches the back edge of the pickup route.
7) Inspect the masking tape on the rod. Look for tears, lumps, or loose spots. Replace the tape if it is damaged. Wrap it exactly the way it was done in the factory. Remember to keep it THIN. Only slight overlap.
Check the threads on the rod end. If they are damaged at all, clean them up with an 8-32 die.
9) Apply the cyanoacrylate to the wood at the body end of the truss channel. This should be done in layers letting it dry thoroughly before applying the next layer. Four or five applications should do it.
10) Reinstall the rods. Apply a thin layer of carnuba car wax (no silicones though) to lubricate the rod. You could alternately use a small amount of liquid hand soap. Slide the rod back in from the body end. Go slow and don't force it or you might tear the masking tape.
11) Reinstall the adjusters to finger tight plus 1/2 turn.
12) Reinstall the pickguard and strings. Retune and test the rod adjustment.
That is not all that can be done. We can certainly take this further if required.
Yes, ouch. It is OK to say it. Ouch.
John Hall suggests hardening the wood with cyanoacrylate adhesive (Super Glue) to prevent further compression of the wood. If the problem is fairly minor, like yours is, that should work just fine. Get the good stuff that hobby shops sell. Crazy Glue and Super Glue are too dilute for this. In Jack's case I had to add some wood to the equation first. As you can see above, it was pretty extreme.
You have to remove your truss rod first.
1) Remove the strings
2) Lay the bass on a flat, clean surface with pads beneath the body and headstock.
3) Remove the pickguard and cover the body with a clean towel.
4) Loosen the adjusting nuts on both rods.
5) Remove the rods by loosening the adjuster until it 2 turns away from coming off. Gently tap the adjusting nut until the rod begins to present itself into the neck pickup route.
6) Carefully slide the rod out while bending the end up slightly so it does not damage the body as it reaches the back edge of the pickup route.
7) Inspect the masking tape on the rod. Look for tears, lumps, or loose spots. Replace the tape if it is damaged. Wrap it exactly the way it was done in the factory. Remember to keep it THIN. Only slight overlap.
Check the threads on the rod end. If they are damaged at all, clean them up with an 8-32 die. 9) Apply the cyanoacrylate to the wood at the body end of the truss channel. This should be done in layers letting it dry thoroughly before applying the next layer. Four or five applications should do it.
10) Reinstall the rods. Apply a thin layer of carnuba car wax (no silicones though) to lubricate the rod. You could alternately use a small amount of liquid hand soap. Slide the rod back in from the body end. Go slow and don't force it or you might tear the masking tape.
11) Reinstall the adjusters to finger tight plus 1/2 turn.
12) Reinstall the pickguard and strings. Retune and test the rod adjustment.
That is not all that can be done. We can certainly take this further if required.
Thank you!
Looks scary but I guess doable.
I guess the question is - did this result in the body end of the truss rod being about even with the good one - or is it still very recessed and just not going in any further?
How did you add the wood?
I really do appreciate this.
- Ziggy -
Looks scary but I guess doable.
I guess the question is - did this result in the body end of the truss rod being about even with the good one - or is it still very recessed and just not going in any further?
How did you add the wood?
I really do appreciate this.
- Ziggy -
I gig - so therefore I am.
There are two basic causes of this problem:
1) The wood failed to handle the nominal (normal) load of the rod(s). RARE
2) The rods were over torqued in an attempt to correct a stubborn neck problem, an ineffective rod, or the tech was just a meathead.
A forum member recently discovered that the masking tape on one of his rods was jamming the works so the rod would not do its job. That lead to over-tightening but only minor damage. In my experience number 2 is by far the most common scenario. In Jack's case, the fingerboard had a serious issue. Jack attempted to adjust the rods to correct what turned out to be an uncorrectable "deflection". Not knowing this, he continued to add tension and compressed the wood. I added wood by drilling out the center of a short section of hardwood dowel. I then sanded the dowel to resemble a wooden bullet (hollow point in this case) until it fit properly into the hole at the body end and provide the proper offset. I then applied some wood glue and quickly reinstalled the rod and used the rod tension to set the "bullet".
1) The wood failed to handle the nominal (normal) load of the rod(s). RARE
2) The rods were over torqued in an attempt to correct a stubborn neck problem, an ineffective rod, or the tech was just a meathead.
A forum member recently discovered that the masking tape on one of his rods was jamming the works so the rod would not do its job. That lead to over-tightening but only minor damage. In my experience number 2 is by far the most common scenario. In Jack's case, the fingerboard had a serious issue. Jack attempted to adjust the rods to correct what turned out to be an uncorrectable "deflection". Not knowing this, he continued to add tension and compressed the wood. I added wood by drilling out the center of a short section of hardwood dowel. I then sanded the dowel to resemble a wooden bullet (hollow point in this case) until it fit properly into the hole at the body end and provide the proper offset. I then applied some wood glue and quickly reinstalled the rod and used the rod tension to set the "bullet".
I'm sorry. I was distracted while typing that. I did not answer your question. Yes, the cyanoacrylate should prevent further damage if the neck is straight and true. If not, you may have to address the condition that made it necessary to over-tighten the rods in the first place like a warp, out-of-true fingerboard, jammed rod, unlevel or loose frets.
Well - call me "Chicken" if you like. The work on the truss rod seems simple enough. But I was still a bit timid to try it. I called about locally and none of the repair shops want to try it. SO - if their techs are scared to do it then maybe I have reason to be.
Part of me thinks to try it - and if I can't get it back together a tech would not charge anymore due to the work I started.
But then - the issue - where a tech? I am in Harrisburg PA - though I often travel to some parts of Jersey. Anyone know of a guy that might be able to do this?
Part of me thinks to try it - and if I can't get it back together a tech would not charge anymore due to the work I started.
But then - the issue - where a tech? I am in Harrisburg PA - though I often travel to some parts of Jersey. Anyone know of a guy that might be able to do this?
I gig - so therefore I am.