My truss rod adjustment tool

[shoshin]

This will be teaching grandma to suck eggs for many members, but last night I laughed so hard at my own stupidity, not to mention good fortune, that I had to post my experience.

I decided to try adjusting the truss rod tension on my Rose Morris 1998 (345); I've only had it for the past thirty six years, so am just getting round to setting it up

I had heard lots of stories about how tricky this might be in terms of access, socket width, bent rod ends etc, but I was hoping that somewhere in my tool box I might find something that fitted. Otherwise it would be £19.99 plus delivery for the official Rickenbacker adjustment tool.

I found a sort of generic versatile screwdriver-looking thing onto which various bits can be inserted, then proceeded to offer loads of different socket bits up to the truss road ends. No luck; either they weren't quite the right size, or they were too thick to fit between the headstock and the rod, or the bit was too long to line up straight. It looked like I was indeed going to have to shell out for the proper tool. After a frustrating and dispiriting ten minutes spent emptying out my tool box of all possible options, I happened to glance again at the 'versatile screwdriver-looking thing' that had been in my hand all the time, onto which I had been hoping to put some sort of a suitable socket. It had a female hexagonal end. Looked about 1/4" diameter. Quite thin around the edges

[jps]

I've used one of those for 10 years, now, along with the standard RIC tool depending on which bass either one fits better.

Good thing you "finally" figured out you had a suitable tool, already. Has she figured that out, yet?

[cjj]

That's what I use too. I use one like this:

Qualtool_732.jpg (10.26 KiB) Viewed 2076 times

[strummersteve]

This will be teaching grandma to suck eggs for many members, but last night I laughed so hard at my own stupidity, not to mention good fortune, that I had to post my experience.

I decided to try adjusting the truss rod tension on my Rose Morris 1998 (345); I've only had it for the past thirty six years, so am just getting round to setting it up

I had heard lots of stories about how tricky this might be in terms of access, socket width, bent rod ends etc, but I was hoping that somewhere in my tool box I might find something that fitted. Otherwise it would be £19.99 plus delivery for the official Rickenbacker adjustment tool.

I found a sort of generic versatile screwdriver-looking thing onto which various bits can be inserted, then proceeded to offer loads of different socket bits up to the truss road ends. No luck; either they weren't quite the right size, or they were too thick to fit between the headstock and the rod, or the bit was too long to line up straight. It looked like I was indeed going to have to shell out for the proper tool. After a frustrating and dispiriting ten minutes spent emptying out my tool box of all possible options, I happened to glance again at the 'versatile screwdriver-looking thing' that had been in my hand all the time, onto which I had been hoping to put some sort of a suitable socket. It had a female hexagonal end. Looked about 1/4" diameter. Quite thin around the edges

If your Rickenbacker is an older model (Pre late 1984), DO NOT TIGHTEN the truss rods if the neck is bowed! This will cause the fingerboard to separate from the neck. The truss rods have to be loosened and the neck manually moved into place. When I am alone, the way that I do it if the neck is bowed and has to be tightened is to loosen the rods slightly, lean the neck at about the 7th fret on my knee with the body hanging down and then snug up the rods. The weight of the body hanging will bring the neck to its correct position. If I have someone with me, I place the guitar on my workbench and I have the other person hold the body in place. With a soft neck rest (I use a beanbag type), I then loosen the rods slightly, manually move the neck into place using the beanbag as a cushion, again somewhere around the 7th fret and then snug up the rods. If the neck is back bowed, then just loosen the rods evenly no more than ¼ of a turn daily until the neck sets. You can and should play the guitar between adjustments to get the feel that is right for you.
There is one other very important thing to know. ALWAYS USE A LONG SHAFT ADJUSTMENT WRENCH (¼ Inch Socket) WITH A SCREWDRIVER HANDLE such as the one that usually is available in the boutique section of this website, and NEVER use a "T" handle wrench. The reason for this is because on the screwdriver handle, if tightened too much your hand will slip on the handle and the truss rods will not snap. With the "T" handle, the danger of snapping the rods is much greater!
It really is a simple procedure once you get over the fear of doing it.

[Greenstone]

This statement is confusing:

lean the neck at about the 7th fret on my knee with the body hanging down and then snug up the rods. The weight of the body hanging will bring the neck to its correct position.

Does this mean using your knee as a leverage point, one hand pushing on the headstock, lifting the body into the air, and using the other free hand to tighten the nut?

Thanks!

[strummersteve]

This statement is confusing:

lean the neck at about the 7th fret on my knee with the body hanging down and then snug up the rods. The weight of the body hanging will bring the neck to its correct position.

Does this mean using your knee as a leverage point, one hand pushing on the headstock, lifting the body into the air, and using the other free hand to tighten the nut?

Thanks!

That is correct. Your knee is the leverage point and the body is the weight. You do not have to push on the headstock. Just simply hold it in place and snug up the rods without over tightening. Once this is done, the neck will stay in place for a very long time. Good luck