Adjusting the Neck on a Fender Deluxe Precision

[mbdavies]

Hey guys, I just bought a used Fender American Deluxe P bass and its great, but the neck is bowed way too much, when I bought it, it was tuned in BEAD, so I assume this is why.

So I want to adjust my truss rod, and I've never done this. I checked out the tutorials on here, but none of them tell you how to adjust the truss rod when its at the base of the neck. I cannot get my allen wrench into its spot.

Do I have to take off the pickguard and knobs to do this?

Any help would be appreciated, thanks!

[Mike Chini]

I just went through this same problem:

You'd think this would be simple!!!!!

I wound up cutting my allen wrench to fit. You can also remove the neck and make your adjustments that way.

[mbdavies]

Man, I really dont want to have to order an allen wrench or cut a new one...

Can it be done by taking off the pickguard?

Or how much does guitar center charge to do it?

[62bass]

Originally Posted by mbdavies

Man, I really dont want to have to order an allen wrench or cut a new one...

Can it be done by taking off the pickguard?

Or how much does guitar center charge to do it?

I'm assuming you already have an allen wrench. On some Fenders you have to loosen the pickguard in order to get the wrench in there. My first Fender I had to take the neck off to get an allen wrench in.My current old Fender P was like this. I finally got tired of it and took my router and cut out a trench 3/8' wide, about 3/8" deep and an inch long through the pickguard and body. Now I can get the allen wrench in there easily.If you look at a lot of the boutique basses you'll find this has been done.

I don't know what Guitar Centre would charge to do it, but it's something you should learn to do yourself. You're going to be doing it often enough, even if you own only one bass, to make it worthwhile. There's lots of information available on how to do it. Get a friend who knows how to do it to help you the first time.

[Mike Chini]

Removing the pickguard probably won't do it. I know. It sucks. You can find an allen wrench in your local hardware store (5mm or 3/6") for a buck or two. Call up a local machinist in the yellow pages and he'll do it for you in 5 minutes. You can also use a ball-end hex key of the same size but it will not be the same as having a wrench that fits.

[BillytheBassist]

You could also get the T handle truss rod wrench that is made for the MIADP from an authorized fender dealer.

[mbdavies]

I'm too scared to try it myself, I think i'll practice on my other basses first,

but anyone know how much a shop will charge for this? I couldnt imagine how I'd feel if i broke her

[62bass]

Originally Posted by mbdavies

I'm too scared to try it myself, I think i'll practice on my other basses first,

but anyone know how much a shop will charge for this? I couldnt imagine how I'd feel if i broke her

I don't imagine it would cost more than $40 or so if you had it done as part of a set up. Not all techs, particularly in some of the high volume, low priced chain stores, are good. Pick someone who experienced bassists go to.

[202dy]

Forty bucks for work performed during a set up is a pretty good estimate. But why would you want to make a permanent, non-reversible modification to an instrument when grinding a 35 cent hex key that the local music store will probably give up for free when you buy a pack of strings will do the trick. Todays' everyday-go-to-the-gig guitar is tomorrows vintage piece.

It is not my purpose to offend anyone by expressing this view point. Traditionally, luthiers have had to make their own tools. Then along came Luthier's Mercantile and Stewart-MacDonald and we could purchase a lot of this stuff. Up until LMI and Stew-Mac had websites most folks didn't know that these specialty tools existed. It is a simple matter to modify even tool steel. If someone is intimidated by this procedure they can usually find someone who will be happy to do the work. You can probably someone in the band or at the next gig.

[62bass]

I meant $40 to have the tech adjust the trussrod while doing a set up, not for the routing, which I'm sure would be more expensive and is, as you point out irreversible.

Yes, you can grind an allen key shorter and it might fit in there on his bass. Then again, it might not. You'd have to take a look at it to tell for sure.

Loosening off the neck screws and tilting the neck up so you can get at it is not all that hard to do. You must loosen the strings of course, and then screw the neck back in place and retune once you've adjusted the truss rod. Then if you haven't got it right you have to do it all over again.

You're right about the Stew Mac tools. A lot of them are just modified from tools you can easily buy at Home Depot. I've made some myself. Stew Mac can get expensive.

[202dy]

You are correct. I misread you. And irreversible was the word I couldn't come up with this morning.

Loosening, adjusting, tightening, and retuning ad infinitum is the bane of any tech's existence. Adjusting a truss rod on earlier Fenders, as nice as they can be, is a major PITA after the second go round. But if you want to own one and play it that is part of it. As innovative as Leo Fender was it amazes me that he never made this modification to the original design. Obviously he was aware of it because he took care of it by the time he designed the Stingray.

Stew-Mac tools. What can you say? They're great. Like you, I did some reverse engineering a few times. Then one day I did a cost-value analysis of their pricing. Take the amount of time it takes to modify the tool times your shop labor rate plus any materials and add that to the price of the tool you are modifying. The conclusion I came to was that it was about a wash every time. It was better to spend the time generating income than to build tools. This, compounded by the fact that UPS can get the tool to my door in about eighteen hours if I order before noon lead to more than a few purchases. They're pretty smart over there in Athens, OH.

[62bass]

Originally Posted by 202dy

You are correct. I misread you. And irreversible was the word I couldn't come up with this morning.

Loosening, adjusting, tightening, and retuning ad infinitum is the bane of any tech's existence. Adjusting a truss rod on earlier Fenders, as nice as they can be, is a major PITA after the second go round. But if you want to own one and play it that is part of it. As innovative as Leo Fender was it amazes me that he never made this modification to the original design. Obviously he was aware of it because he took care of it by the time he designed the Stingray.

Stew-Mac tools. What can you say? They're great. Like you, I did some reverse engineering a few times. Then one day I did a cost-value analysis of their pricing. Take the amount of time it takes to modify the tool times your shop labor rate plus any materials and add that to the price of the tool you are modifying. The conclusion I came to was that it was about a wash every time. It was better to spend the time generating income than to build tools. This, compounded by the fact that UPS can get the tool to my door in about eighteen hours if I order before noon lead to more than a few purchases. They're pretty smart over there in Athens, OH.

Yes, if you're making a living at it, Stew Mac tools can actually save you money. And they do have a few things it would require a shop full of tools to make yourself.

[mbdavies]

I took it to the shop, the guy just did it for free for me. cheers!