Truss Rod Replacement

rhampshire · Post by **rhampshire** » Thu Oct 06, 2005 9:43 am

Scott - you should make your own and bask in the knowledge that YOU fixed it!

It's really very easy... as John said, all you need is a few different files and a drill.

I did all of mine this way (except I used a drill press for the holes to make them as square as possible).

cheyenne · Post by **cheyenne** » Thu Oct 06, 2005 11:19 pm

Yeah, your right Rob, my 45th birthday is this month, guess Im getting lazy in my old age.

Sound like a good project for this winter. I want to get the rods repaired, and then send to Dolan for a refin. It was originally white, so it will either go back to that, or maybe an aged mapleglo.

ilan · Post by **ilan** » Thu Oct 06, 2005 11:35 pm

I'm not sure I get the picture... probably because English isn't my first language. Can someone please post a drawing with measurements, of how the block should look like? Thanks!

bassballs · Post by **bassballs** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 3:57 am

After reading the threads on this project and other suggestions, I have come to a design for the block.

Please comment.

rhampshire · Post by **rhampshire** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 5:08 am

Close, but not quite. The upper and lower rods should be touching. I'll draw a picture later today.

ilan · Post by **ilan** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 5:16 am

[edited to delete... Rob beat me to it]

rhampshire · Post by **rhampshire** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 5:34 am

headbanger · Post by **headbanger** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 6:02 am

"The tricky part will be clamping the neck near the nut with enough pressure so I can bend the lower truss rid at the nuts enough to get a tool onto the nuts to loosen them. "
Don't do that!
Get a small enough 1/4" open ender to loosen the nuts then wiggle the bar back a little. Then if you need to bend the rod ends enough to slip the bar back & out. If you're careful you may not have to cut any off the rods.
I've made new bars exactly the same as original but steel for 2 basses & a little thicker certainly wouldn't hurt.
If the rods are buckled or twisted from overtightening then they won't want to come out easily. Use pliers to pull on the top most half as this is the one that has been crushed downward into the neck.
slow & steady

rhampshire · Post by **rhampshire** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 6:10 am

I've got a 1/4" box end wrench that I ground down so the walls are REALLY thin. This allows me to get it onto the nuts even if the bars are bent really badly.

Next I push the rods *into* the neck and remove the block. Then I use an 8" piece of 1/8" music wire to push the rods back out (from the body side) and remove them.