Jump to content
Please note: You can easily log in to MPN using your Facebook account!

Neck truss rod on bass - which way?


caprae

Recommended Posts

Posted
Okay, I've got this bass pulled apart and I only want to do this once. The access to the truss rod is at the body so you have to pull the neck off to get to it. It is my understanding that to straighten it - take away relief - I need to turn the screw clock wise. Is that correct. This is a 1989 ESP bass.
Raise your children and spoil your grandchildren. Spoil your children and raise your grandchildren.
  • Replies 9
  • Created
  • Last Reply
Posted

Forget it. Its as clockwise as it gets and only turns slightly CCW.

 

Something interesting though. NAMM '89 is written in pencil on the neck. Hummmmmm.......One guitar tech said he thought this was possibly a custom job and said it was definitely California made.....Hummmm........

Raise your children and spoil your grandchildren. Spoil your children and raise your grandchildren.
Posted

I'll have to look at it again. I should have taken a picture. It had a round piece with a cross cut out so you could fit a slotted screwdriver in either horizontally or vertically. It was really tight so I didn't feel good about messing with it.

 

I'm wondering what the NAMM '89 meant. I'm wondering if this was built for that show. Possibly an update to the 400 series? Who knows. :confused:

Raise your children and spoil your grandchildren. Spoil your children and raise your grandchildren.
Posted

Loosen it as much as possible without taking it apart ( the truss rod)

drop some oil in there (very little)

Let the neck relax for some days till it finds it's natural shape ( weeks sometimes)

Then tighten it up good.

Posted
jimash - is there a chance of it warping at all by doing this?
Raise your children and spoil your grandchildren. Spoil your children and raise your grandchildren.
Posted

Yes there is.

You have to assume they built it straight to begin with.

a fairly normal temp/hunidity range in your area is another factor.

But I have had good luck fixing necks by letting them relax (days to weeks) for a while rather than just squeezing them more.

Then when it looks good with no strings you snug it up real good before you put it back on in this case.

But you do have to be able to get the thing loose to start.

Jim

Posted
Okay, that's starting to make sense. I'm going to have to ponder this one as I don't want to take a chance on damaging it. I wish I had taken pictures of it when it was apart so we could talk more specifically about it.
Raise your children and spoil your grandchildren. Spoil your children and raise your grandchildren.
Posted

If you let it relax off the guitar then if it's still bowed you can do the dirty.place the neck face down between two chairs . Apply pressure to the back to straighten it.

With your other (possibly third) hand tighten up the rod while you have the shape you want.

But I have seen lots of neck that straighten out with no tension at all for a while.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...