Truss Rod Blues (Single and looking for love)
Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2023 6:14 pm
I've had my 325v59 for a while. It's been Lennon-modified. I haven't really been happy with the quality of workmanship previously done: Why two sets of pickguard screw holes? I wasn't happy with the wiring harness, either; I don't think it was wired correctly, esp. the .0047 treble cap -- I deemed it FUBAR and replaced it with a '58-style harness from our own aceonbass. I decided that the guitar's action was too high, making clean fretting difficult, so I thought I'd lower the action. The neck relief seems a little too great, and so I thought I'd tweak the truss rod(s) rather than adjust the bridge height (reserving that adjustment for fine-tuning after the truss rod adjustment).
I removed the truss rod cover (TRC), and thought it was odd that one screw was loose. Starring back at me was a single (visible) truss rod & nut; I had not seen one before. So, I started psyching up for a manual-assist truss rod adjustment. I looked over the nut, made a sidewise glance, and saw that the upper circumference of the nut protruded slightly past the face of the headstock. Ahh, so this is why there's a worn spot on the painted surface of the TRC, and the TRC will not completely seat; it rocks over the nut. Someone adjusted the nut so that one of its flat surfaces is parallel with the fretboard to minimize the protrusion of the rod's nut. Having seen that some knucklehead(s) had screwed around with the guitar before, I was more disappointed than surprised by what I found. The rod is bent in the typical RIC way when manhandled.
I looked around the internet and found a blog where one guy, in the same situation, ground down/reduced that upper nut circumference. I don't really know what a single truss rod looks like. I found this diagram:
https://hazeguitars.com/blog/rickenback ... adjustment
I don't understand just what my entire truss rod really looks like. Comparing my rod-nut assembly to the diagram, I expected to see a larger metal nut plate that my nut adjusts against, one wide enough to provide a stop point that would counter the other (hairpin) end of the truss rod AND allow truss rod removal through the opening after the nut and plate were removed. Unless the truss rod is designed differently, there's no way a double rod will go through that opening. It would seem that this is really/truly a single rod of the same design as newer two-rod guitars.....
Before I go tearing things apart, I'd like to know what I'm getting into. Who can tell me what sort of truss rod I have and how to remove it? What do I have?
PS - OK, I just looked at the other end of the fretboard and I see a single hole/opening, so it is like a two-rod rod design (two individual rods). Oh, ****. Well, the only good thing is that I've worked on these before (my RM model 1996 with two rods). I guess I'll lower the bridge a little and see if I can get the action lower, but I'm doubtful. I'm a little ****** with luthiers who think they know how to work on Ricks. Well, hopefully I can bend the rod back, but that's always tricky and probably an unwise compromise. I don't know if these are available for sale....
I removed the truss rod cover (TRC), and thought it was odd that one screw was loose. Starring back at me was a single (visible) truss rod & nut; I had not seen one before. So, I started psyching up for a manual-assist truss rod adjustment. I looked over the nut, made a sidewise glance, and saw that the upper circumference of the nut protruded slightly past the face of the headstock. Ahh, so this is why there's a worn spot on the painted surface of the TRC, and the TRC will not completely seat; it rocks over the nut. Someone adjusted the nut so that one of its flat surfaces is parallel with the fretboard to minimize the protrusion of the rod's nut. Having seen that some knucklehead(s) had screwed around with the guitar before, I was more disappointed than surprised by what I found. The rod is bent in the typical RIC way when manhandled.
I looked around the internet and found a blog where one guy, in the same situation, ground down/reduced that upper nut circumference. I don't really know what a single truss rod looks like. I found this diagram:
https://hazeguitars.com/blog/rickenback ... adjustment
I don't understand just what my entire truss rod really looks like. Comparing my rod-nut assembly to the diagram, I expected to see a larger metal nut plate that my nut adjusts against, one wide enough to provide a stop point that would counter the other (hairpin) end of the truss rod AND allow truss rod removal through the opening after the nut and plate were removed. Unless the truss rod is designed differently, there's no way a double rod will go through that opening. It would seem that this is really/truly a single rod of the same design as newer two-rod guitars.....
Before I go tearing things apart, I'd like to know what I'm getting into. Who can tell me what sort of truss rod I have and how to remove it? What do I have?
PS - OK, I just looked at the other end of the fretboard and I see a single hole/opening, so it is like a two-rod rod design (two individual rods). Oh, ****. Well, the only good thing is that I've worked on these before (my RM model 1996 with two rods). I guess I'll lower the bridge a little and see if I can get the action lower, but I'm doubtful. I'm a little ****** with luthiers who think they know how to work on Ricks. Well, hopefully I can bend the rod back, but that's always tricky and probably an unwise compromise. I don't know if these are available for sale....