You wouldn't believe the amount of confusion getting the correct bar stock for this job was. Why was that ?
Well, I was hopelessly confused by the fact that although all the grown-ups were telling me that the correct rod dimension was 5/32, the rods I got out of the bass were clearly 3/16. It never occurred to me of course that this was why they were seized up and broken in the first place, as they were clearly installed by someone who didn't have the first clue what he or she was doing, rather like me it seems. The fact that it almost took Semtex to get the things out of the bass should have clued me in, but no. I was all about to make a second set of wrong ones and hammer them back in there.
Anyway, after finally having my aha moment, Paul W was nice enough to give me some bar stock. I also have some 5/32 303 stainless, but went with the mild steel because it's a little easier to thread up. Here is is cut to length ready to take the thread. It's roughly 24 1/8 long.
- The 5/32 bar stock cut to length
Righty Ho, and on with the dies. This is to put an 8/32 thread on the rod. I'm using tap oil to help the process along. Tap oil comes straight from Beelezub's bottom. I have no idea of what they make it from, but it stinks and pervades everything. The photo is blurry, because I'm reeling from the fumes.
- Putting a thread on the rods
OK, there about one inch of threads needed at the the top end for the adjusters, and about 1/8 inch required at the acorn nut anchor end. After that, it's a test fit of all the hardware.
- Completed truss rods
Then it's into the bass body with them. The more observant of you will have noticed that I haven't put any masking tape on them. That's because I have to work out how to get and reinstall the maple packing strips and I want to make sure that I do the masking tape last to avoid binding them up in there.
- Test fitting the rods in the 4003
And on to the next job. Next up, getting the old frets out of the separated fretboard without destroying it....
