Taking the truss rods out

[jps]

Is one edge painted? That would be the top but the slant should be facing the string nut, not the TR adjusting nut. If this were the string nut (II) and this is the TR adjusting nut (≠≠) then the bar (\I) would be like this - (fingerboard II \I ≠≠). Make sense?

[chefothefuture]

The rounded corners should fit against the corners of the cavity.
The flat side should fit against the bottom of the cavity.
The taper is on top as the flat bottom , in theory, should
also bear against the bottom....

[chefothefuture]

If the fit isn't snug, there are a couple of fixes.
One is to try to shim the bottom of the channel; I once
used a piece of a 1/2" bandsaw blade(with the teeth ground off...).
Or, make a new rod using a better material. That process has been discussed
in way detail in another thread but I can't recall where it is.

Or you can call Dale as he is in the know on these as well.
He and I are in the camp that this system is far superior if
used properly, than the new rods.

[johnallg]

Jeff and John - thanks so much. I believe the aluminum header is on backwards - the slant is towards the wood of the headstock. I'll pull the TRC and take a look in the morning. A shim sounds doable - I will look closely at how much room there is. As I was really tightening the nuts today, I noticed the whole assy. could move in and out of the headstock cavity with outward pressure on the nuts so I think the cavities are a bit oversized. Tomorrow will tell. Thanks.

[chefothefuture]

John-
Just make sure that the shim is the full length of the rod.
Also, be carefull when installing; don't make it too tight.
The rod(s) need to be able to move against each other.

[HKC]

Thank a lot for all the replies. I'm sorry for my slow response but I have been a bit busy over the week. It seems like the link that I got has all the info I need and apparently I should go for a slightly lighter string.
Once again thanks a lot, this is very, very cool.

[johnallg]

Henrik - glad they could help you out. Great info here.

John - again thanks for the insights. I should get a chance to work on this next week - Mother's Day weekend...