Truss rod discovery
The Interceptor
a little high. I looked down the neck, and sure enough there was a bit of a
bow, like the truss rod had been backed right off.
I've had this bass for probably 15 years or so, and I used to find that it
needed tweaking between winter and summer, presumably due to the moisture
content of the wood changing or something like that. The thing is I can't
remember adjusting the truss rod - which I should remember, since you have
to remove the neck (grrr) - so I must have been playing with the action.
Anyway, I removed the neck and found that the truss rod was backed with *no
tension* whatsoever, no even finger tight. That would explain the bow.
After a couple of attempts I arrived at about 1/4 turn of tension, and the
old girl is happily back in business. I guess this means I can't justify a
replacement this week.
Brett
VampX
<this...@willnotwork.com> said:
> I guess this means I can't justify a
> replacement this week.
Anytime is a good time for new stuff.
--
VeronicaX
-------------------------------
The Interceptor
"VampX" <vero...@vampx.dot.net> wrote in message
news:033c790d$0$1349$c3e...@news.astraweb.com...
...unless your partner doesn't share that opinion...
VampX
<this...@willnotwork.com> said:
> ...unless your partner doesn't share that opinion...
Solution: Move partner out; new gear in.
--
VeronicaX
-------------------------------
Lawrence�Logic
> On 2009-12-19 21:37:11 +1100, "The Interceptor"
> <this...@willnotwork.com> said:
>
>> ...unless your partner doesn't share that opinion...
>
> Solution: Move partner out; new gear in.
>
That's the spirit!!
--
Lawrence
"Doctor, my sister's just being difficult. Maybe you could just examine my
cervix instead." - Katie Queef - 1 April 2009
Eric Shune
"The Interceptor" <this...@willnotwork.com> wrote in message
news:HYGdnaqcO-wwG7HW...@westnet.com.au...
only buy new equipment on a day with a Y in it.
boardjunkie
wrote:
> I've had this bass for probably 15 years or so, and I used to find that it
> needed tweaking between winter and summer, presumably due to the moisture
> content of the wood changing or something like that. The thing is I can't
> remember adjusting the truss rod - which I should remember, since you have
> to remove the neck (grrr) - so I must have been playing with the action.
>
Remove the pickguard. You should be able to get at the truss rod nut
that way without removing the neck.
The neck needs adjusting because (now I assume you live in a climate
with some sort of a winter this time-a year) the heater in your house
runs and dries out the air inside. The neck gets dried out
too....causing that upbow. Just the opposite happens in spring. All
the rain and moisture in the air....the neck absorbs that and goes the
other way. Then you have to loosen the truss rod a little to
compensate.
Most guitars/basses need a truss rod tweak a couple times a year to
play optimally.
jtees4
Are you kidding, you better get a replacement. Who know when it will
do it again?
****
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=789610
The Interceptor
"boardjunkie" <board...@techie.com> wrote in message
news:e2b18c1b-53af-4fb4...@k17g2000yqh.googlegroups.com...
> Remove the pickguard. You should be able to get at the truss rod nut
> that way without removing the neck.
This is a Fernandes without a pickguard. Trust me, if I could adjust the
truss rod without removing the neck, I would have done that.
Twibil
wrote:
>
>
> > Remove the pickguard. You should be able to get at the truss rod nut
> > that way without removing the neck.
>
> This is a Fernandes without a pickguard. Trust me, if I could adjust the
> truss rod without removing the neck, I would have done that.
Back during the '60s when 10-year-old Fenders were all over the place
and not valued very highly at all -much less as collector's items- I
used to do a land-office business in modifying them to make it
possible to adjust the truss rod tension without slacking the strings;
much less taking off the neck.
You simply removed the neck and pickguard and carefully routed a small
"U"-shaped recess into the top right where the trussrod nut bears
against the body: about 3/8" long by 3/8" deep usually did the trick.
(The only tricky part was not chipping the finish.)
Then you filed out a slightly smaller "U"-shaped cutout in the
pickguard that matched the recess in the top, and Lo!: you could now
reach the trussrod nut with either a flat-bladed or Phillips-head
screwdriver.
I didn't originate the idea, and dozens of other repairman must have
been doing the same thing at the same time, because Fender eventually
caught on and started building production guitars with that same basic
cutout. They eventually stopped doing the cutout (a marketing
decision?) even though it was a good idea, and given a competent
luthier/repirman, it wouldn't be difficult to modify your instrument
in a similar manner.
I wouldn't recommend trying it yourself as a first project, though.
~Pete