Truss Rods...Tight or Loose?

ben_brown · Post by **ben_brown** » Mon Jul 16, 2007 12:54 pm

I have a 78 4001 I am going disassemble so I can clean it up. Is it ok to leave the truss rods as they are or should I loosen them. I will probably stay unstrung for about a week.

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Mon Jul 16, 2007 12:58 pm

Opinions are bound to differ on this!

Personally, I loosen them and re-set-up the bass afterwards. That way you can lube them and start from virtual scratch to make sure they are right.

If you have any doubts that you can get them back to tension without problems, then leave 'em tightened. But chances are that they'll need a tweak anyway when you install the new strings.

You ARE putting new strings on after the reconditioning, aren't you, Ben?

ben_brown · Post by **ben_brown** » Mon Jul 16, 2007 1:39 pm

But of course!...I cringe at the thought of anyone putting used strings on an instrument!
Bassically(pun intended) I am going to be taking everything off of the bass except for the tuning ferruls so I can clean, scratch X and Zymol the beast. It will probably only take me 3-4 days as I want to take my time and do it right. I have had bad experiences removing truss rods in the past so I would prefer to leave them intact if at all possible. I always seem to have a problem getting them past the truss rod cavity. I did this same task on my 77 Walnut 4001 and had a hell of a time getting the truss rods correct and the neck straight. One rod was pointing down slighty and I didn't want to rip off the fret board like I did to my first 4001 which was a 73. I did repair it to my liking as I am a cabinetmaker for 20 years and am familiar with woodworking.

elysrand · Post by **elysrand** » Mon Jul 16, 2007 1:41 pm

Hey Steve! If you are going to disassemble the bass completely anyway, why not loosen and then "pull" the truss rods entirely? As long as you are comfortable with doing it, it lets you inspect, clean and smooth them, put heat-shrink tubing on them, and reinstall them in perfect orientation ready for reassembly and re-stringing. As Paul so wisely says, if you do not feel comfortable doing it, don't touch them. But for myself, I always pull and treat them, and put them back, in every bass I buy - just to be compulsively certain that everything is OK.

ben_brown · Post by **ben_brown** » Mon Jul 16, 2007 1:45 pm

The bass in question is white and any damage would kill me!

ben_brown · Post by **ben_brown** » Mon Jul 16, 2007 1:48 pm

I remember when I worked on my 73, the rods were slightly bent down at the end. I straightened them before reinstalling them but they seemed to bend back down slightly after retightening them. I really don't think I overtightened them either. I did however get that neck straight to my liking

elysrand · Post by **elysrand** » Mon Jul 16, 2007 1:49 pm

Protective tape and cardboard while pulling eliminates the risk of accidental scratches for me

ben_brown · Post by **ben_brown** » Mon Jul 16, 2007 1:52 pm

But how do you get them past the truss rod cavity? They seem to have to be bent upward in order to do this. This is how the 73 fret board came apart.

elysrand · Post by **elysrand** » Mon Jul 16, 2007 1:56 pm

Here is Dale's method, posted back in June:

Detune the Bass, remove pickguard, remove TR cover and adjustment nuts. Using a small wooden dowel and hammer at the adjustment end of the rod,tap the rods out an inch at the body/neck pickup cavity. Put a small vise grip on the T-rod behind the nut, place a piece of cardboard on the body to keep from scratching instrument. Use a small hammer to tap on the vise grips. It takes about 45 seconds to pull each rod out using this method.

ben_brown · Post by **ben_brown** » Mon Jul 16, 2007 1:59 pm

Yes I understand completely but from either end they have to bent slightly to clear either the body or the truss rod cavity. They will not come straight out. Correct?

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Mon Jul 16, 2007 2:02 pm

Who's Steve?

Easier to pull from the body end, but the new ones need the nutz put partway on and carefully tapped with a hammer and drift punch to clear the nut sandwich from the pocket in the body end of the neck.

And to do that you must pull the pickups, pick guard, etc.

They should be already arc -ed upon pulling.

elysrand · Post by **elysrand** » Mon Jul 16, 2007 2:04 pm

If the rod's threaded end, where it goes through the metal block, is bent down, then the block itself was not seated properly in the wood route. You may have to (and it won't hurt since it is not hardened or brittle steel) bend the tips back straight. Try to do it without buggering the threads, otherwise you will have to run a die down the threads to chase and clean them up afterwards.

qwezirider · Post by **qwezirider** » Mon Jul 16, 2007 2:24 pm

"But how do you get them past the truss rod cavity? They seem to have to be bent upward in order to do this. This is how the 73 fret board came apart."

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For ease of mind (and possible damage prevention) you could always place a few clamps on the fretboard/neck, just to prevent it from inadvertently coming off while removing tight rods.

It's what I did before I realized how curved my rods were. Now, with straightened rods, they are removed much easier.

ben_brown · Post by **ben_brown** » Mon Jul 16, 2007 2:42 pm

Paul...My real name is Steve Garner. Tammy's husband. Her user name is Mrs. Brown.
I use Ben Brown on the internet. Long story.

The bass in question is a '78 4001 so there are no nuts at the body end. Maybe I will try removing them at the body like Dale suggests. I imagine there is still a possible threat to popping the fret board at the body end as well. If the rods are bent down what is the best way to straighten them so they CAN be removed?

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Mon Jul 16, 2007 4:04 pm

Geez, I thought we had to use our real names on this Forum. I originally tried to join as J. Lennon (short scale fanatic) but Peter turned me down...