Trussrod Replacement

[stewblack]

Not really a build, but it was suggested I start a thread here so that those with actual knowledge can chip in and explain where I went wrong. Or congratulate me on my previously unsuspected skill. 

Pics and story to follow. 

[Teebs]

Fab!

 

Edited May 11, 2020 by Teebs

[Ricky 4000]

:: taps foot ::

[skankdelvar]

:: looks at watch::

[Reggaebass]

I’m a carpenter and joiner/cabinet maker by trade, if I can assist I will stew 👍

[Si600]

49 minutes ago, Reggaebass said:

I’m a carpenter and joiner/cabinet maker by trade.

Ooo, I want to be one of those. Probably not this thread though.

[lownote]

... and?

 

[stewblack]

OK so, I bought a bass many moons ago because I thought it was a pretty shape. Took it to an old acquaintance who services, builds and tarts up guitars. He returned it with a rueful shake of the head. Trussrod is at maximum adjustment and the neck doesn't come off so I can't shim it. I smiled politely and hoped my utter incomprehension wasn't too clearly written on my face.

Fast forward a few years. Having enjoyed many build threads here, I fancy myself as a pretty well read chap. Consider - haven't I changed pickups? Straightened necks? Raised and lowered nuts and set my own action? Ah yes, I even own a tool for levelling frets. So I had at it! and promptly took the end of the trussrod clean off. It now lives buried in the nut.

Here is the bass

And here is where there ought to be a bit of trussrod showing. Or at least a bit more.

And why am I doing this outside? Well, when the most recent Mrs Black handed me the pink slip, I took leave of my palatial lifestyle and with it went my lovely workshop. So I have a workmate (Lidl) and whatever tools I can dig out of the shed. Nowhere to repair a bass, not indoors.

I am going to warm and then slice the finish with surgical precision, the aim to separate it where fretboard meets neck. Then having exposed the body end of the fretboard begin with heat and gentle leverage to raise the board.

First job, remove the strings

 

This went better than I dared to hope. So filled with confidence I removed the scratchplate too.

Exposing the round bits and the wiggly bits too. For those who care about such things here is where the socket appears to have grown another, like some dreadful furuncle.

The next part has no photograph. Because the next part involved ordering a scalpel and some blades. How I stopped myself from having at it with a cold chisel and an eight pound lump I do not know. Never the most patient kind of man, I am wont to improvise and have a crack with whatever is to hand. But not this time. I promised I'd be good.

So tune in next time when we play Can Stew Ruin A Perfectly Acceptable Wall Hanging Or Will He Actually End Up With A Playable Instrument. Preferably one that doesn't look like he found it on a skip.

[Teebs]

He fixed it & forgot to take any pictures.

 

 

~   THE END   ~

 

Edited May 11, 2020 by Teebs
Oh curse my poor timing!

[stewblack]

*Ahem*

[Teebs]

9 minutes ago, stewblack said:

*Ahem*

Sorry Stewblack

[skankdelvar]

Probably a bit late in the day but Stewmac sell truss rod rescue kits designed to remedy this eventuality.

Mind you, they're pricey, starting at about $200 exc shipping.

[stewblack]

1 hour ago, skankdelvar said:

Probably a bit late in the day but Stewmac sell truss rod rescue kits designed to remedy this eventuality.

Mind you, they're pricey, starting at about $200 exc shipping.

If I was setting up as a luthier this kit would pay for itself. Real quality gear, but what is the bass worth? 200 maybe? I can't justify the cost. 

 

Thanks though. 

[Ricky 4000]

Seriously though, is there a cheap way to remove a 'polo mint' of the wood around the snapped rod?

glass paper stuck onto the end of a bit of dowel with the center hollowed out... ? spin that up in a drill ...? you'd only have to go deep enough to get a slim nut and washer on the end... I assume there would be plenty of depth of wood there...

Might need to carefully file the snapped end of the rod to accept a nut...

@Reggaebass -- would that be likely to work at all?

 

Edited May 11, 2020 by Ricky 4000

[stewblack]

Problem is its not turning. That's what I have done. I nibbled a bit of wood to expose some more thread put a washer tried to tighten it and the end of the rod sheared off. It must be stuck solid somehow. 

[Ricky 4000]

15 minutes ago, stewblack said:

Problem is its not turning. That's what I have done. I nibbled a bit of wood to expose some more thread put a washer tried to tighten it and the end of the rod sheared off. It must be stuck solid somehow. 

But the rod shouldn't turn. You should just need a nut on there so you can put the neck under some tension against the string pressure...?

Edited May 11, 2020 by Ricky 4000

[stewblack]

12 minutes ago, Ricky 4000 said:

But the rod shouldn't turn. You should just need a nut on there so you can put the neck under some tension against the string pressure...?

Sorry, I mean the nut wouldn't turn any more, it just sheared off the end of the rod

[Ricky 4000]

Ah, so there's not much threaded end left on the rod, I suppose... Actually, from that pic -- the strings were still on... is there a bit of rod sticking out now the strings are off?

[prowla]

That's a nice bass, worth saving.

I'd beware of tunnelling in to the wood to try and make space for some thread (ie. the Stew Mac rod saver thing), as the heads on these have limited wood there and you don't want you next thread to be "Adventures in repairing a broken headstock".

Me, I think I'd be taking off the fretboard; I've not done it, but you need an iron and a couple of metal paint scrapers according to the online videos (which make it look sooooo easy); there's also one showing how to take off the edge binding (which again looks super-duper easy).

[nilebodgers]

I saw a YouTube video where someone took a fingerboard off to replace a truss rod and the first thing they did was pull the nut and the last fret and then drill 4 tiny holes through the slots into the neck so guide pins (actually 4 drill bits) could be used to exactly replace the fingerboard in position. They reckoned that would stop it slipping sideways under clamp pressure when glued and minimise any step/bump where fingerboard meets the neck.

[Reggaebass]

10 hours ago, Ricky 4000 said:

would that be likely to work at all?

You could possibly cut some more of the wood out to expose the rod with a Dremel , but it would depend on how much wood is there behind, it may break away when you tighten the nut . I think if you’re careful and take your time, you will be able to remove the fretboard and see what the next plan is 🙂

[BigRedX]

Quote

OK so, I bought a bass many moons ago because I thought it was a pretty shape. Took it to an old acquaintance who services, builds and tarts up guitars. He returned it with a rueful shake of the head. Trussrod is at maximum adjustment and the neck doesn't come off so I can't shim it. I smiled politely and hoped my utter incomprehension wasn't too clearly written on my face.

I don't understand how neck bow can be fixed with a shim...

[prowla]

1 hour ago, BigRedX said:

I don't understand how neck bow can be fixed with a shim...

Me neither.

However, some Rics and copies tend to start to fold/buckle at the neck-body join, where a lot of strength has been taken out by routing the neck pickup; it's known as "neck lift".

If that happens then the truss rod is irrelevant.

It's the reason RIC don't like you putting other brand strings on their basses, as they don't know the tension.

If it happens, you have to brace the neck straight, fill in the pickup cutout and re-route it (or go for a 4000).

The way you can spot it is to turn over the bass and see if there is splitting/separation between the thru-neck and the body wings at the neck heel.

Right now, we don't know if the original issue with the bass is neck lift or bowing, but until the truss rod is fixed we can't really tell.

Me, I'd take the bass as a luthier playpen, on the basis that getting it totally wrong would be a learning experience.

[BigRedX]

4 minutes ago, prowla said:

Me neither.

However, some Rics and copies tend to start to fold/buckle at the neck-body join, where a lot of strength has been taken out by routing the neck pickup; it's known as "neck lift".

If that happens then the truss rod is irrelevant.

It's the reason RIC don't like you putting other brand strings on their basses, as they don't know the tension.

If it happens, you have to brace the neck straight, fill in the pickup cutout and re-route it (or go for a 4000).

The way you can spot it is to turn over the bass and see if there is splitting/separation between the thru-neck and the body wings at the neck heel.

Right now, we don't know if the original issue with the bass is neck lift or bowing, but until the truss rod is fixed we can't really tell.

Me, I'd take the bass as a luthier playpen, on the basis that getting it totally wrong would be a learning experience.

A photo of the back showing where the neck joins would be useful.

[stewblack]

13 hours ago, Ricky 4000 said:

Ah, so there's not much threaded end left on the rod, I suppose... Actually, from that pic -- the strings were still on... is there a bit of rod sticking out now the strings are off?

Nope