Yet Another Truss Rod Related Question.

oreca · Post by **oreca** » Sun Jul 24, 2005 4:46 am

I've got the older system, and I wanted to keep my current settings as much as possible.
I'm not sure what you call the piece of metal that both rods go through but I want to flip it around since I have reasons to believe it's upside down.

How do I go ahead on doing that?

brian · Post by **brian** » Sun Jul 24, 2005 5:12 am

Perhaps if you post a picture some of the more knowledgeable people on the forum, (not me), can confirm if that is the case.

oreca · Post by **oreca** » Sun Jul 24, 2005 5:25 am

Unfortunately I don't have a digital camera...
I might have a friend come over and take a picture for me.

It's not a big issue, but my TRC doesn't fit in properly since that the block I'm talking about sticks out too much and it hits the bottom of the TRC so I can't screw it in too tightly or it will crack completly (already a bit damaged from a previous owner.)

Another thing is, I'm not sure what kind of tools I'll need. Tho I probably have something in the garage that will do the trick.

dale_fortune · Post by **dale_fortune** » Sun Jul 24, 2005 5:44 am

Patrick There should be an angel on the top edge off the piece of metal/aluminum you are refering to, it's the backing plate, the bottom side is flat. The nuts and rods exert pressure against this allowing the rods to bend with force and pressure. Take both T.R. nuts completely off the rods. Care must be taken to do this, for those who have no experience with removal of the T.R.s I suggest you use a clamp at the 1st fret/top nut area, between the finger board and back of the neck, this will keep the F.B. from seperating. Make sure to use a soft wood with card board inbetween the clamp and neck. After removal of the T.R. nuts, use a small flat blade screw driver to wiggle the T.R. nut backing plate out from the rods. These are usually aluminum and gouged from the rods digging into them. I'd make a new one from 1/4 inch brass, and pull your rods out to inspect them. Sometimes it's good to put a concave bow in them, helps them work a little easier. Check the threads and the top leading edge of the rods. The top leading edge should have an angel on it so as to push against the backing plate it grabs tightly in 1 spot. The tips of the threaded part should also be bent up just enough to get the 1/4 inch adjustment tool on them, you can also use a small 1/2 round wood gouge to remove a small amont of wood from under the nut area.

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Sun Jul 24, 2005 7:31 am

Patrick, the factory handmakes these from 1/4" aluminum bar, about 1" long. The two corners of the piece of bar are radiused (rounded) to fit tightly into the TR rout without damaging the rounded edges of the rout.

The top of this piece of bar stock is usually ground on an angle on a disc grinder, to match the angle between the rout and the headstock surface. These grinder marks, as well as the angle, are quite obvious even to a casual observer, and the sharp end of the angle should be snugged up against the rout, with the oblique end against the truss rod nuts. If this is how it looks, everything is copacetic.

Sorry for the crude drawing, I sketched it in just a minute from memory...

If not, you can remove it using the procedure outlined by Dale above.

oreca · Post by **oreca** » Sun Jul 24, 2005 7:43 am

Thanks for explaining Dale and Paul...

Here's pictures of backing plate, in the second picture you can see where it sticks out.

dale_fortune · Post by **dale_fortune** » Sun Jul 24, 2005 8:07 am

Patrick Your aluminum backing plate is correctly installed. See the overspay of the Fireglo on the piece, that's the way it comes from the factory.

ken_j · Post by **ken_j** » Sun Jul 24, 2005 2:49 pm

You can scribe it while it is installed and then disassemble per Dale's instructions. Grind or file to the scribed line. Reassemble.

oreca · Post by **oreca** » Sun Jul 24, 2005 4:35 pm

I've read and read your posts.

Taking the rods out sounds a bit extreme for me. I've never even adjusted the rods in my 370. I've done it on a few different guitars but I'm quite new in this field.

Do you think this is worth the trouble of going through just to fix it? I don't think I'd like to know how a fingerboard popping off would sound!

So the way I understand, it's either I make a new backing plate or try what Ken suggested by shaving off a bit of the aluminium one...

The thing is I would love to learn how to properly adjust the neck and I guess this could be a good time to learn. I'm a bit scared of the whole idea of playing with the rods on it.