gibson grabber, is my truss rod broken?

peasandpotatoes · #1 10-16-2008, 05:35 PM

ok.

i bought a gibson grabber on eBay for about $200 the other day. the guys advertised it as "Someone told me that it has a nut on the trust rod that doesn't let the neck adjust right, i don't know much more about it." so i got it in a couple days ago, and the neck is bowed forward a good amount. i tried to adjust the trust rod today, i tightened it a bit and it felt like there was no resistance whatsoever, so i turned it a bit more and still no resistance. now i'm taking it to my local set up guy tomorrow, but i was wondering is this a sign of a broken trust rod? what else could be wrong with it? thanks guys; any information is much appreciated, p&p

StyleOverShow · #2 10-16-2008, 06:03 PM

I have a ripper at home but I think I remember seeing a nut on the truss rod when I was rooting around in there a couple months back. Maybe its just come off and there isn't any tension on the rod.

PilbaraBass · #3 10-16-2008, 06:18 PM

once you've broken trust, it's hard to get it back.

ohhh! you mean TRUSS rod...

if you're turning it to no resistance, then keep turning it...about 3-4 full turns and STILL no resistance, you have an issue

either:

a. the nut is stripped..can you remove the nut completely? if not, it's most-likely stripped...

b. the rod is broken (shake the bass, do you hear a rattle in the neck

I'm sorry but I don't know enough about the grabber truss rods to say if it is threaded on the other end (some are) and can be screwed back in.

otherwise, if it's broken, you're bass would need some surgery (removal of the fretboard to expose, repair/replace the TR)

lunarpollen · #4 10-16-2008, 06:25 PM

Hehe the "rod of trust"

"The beatings will continue until morale improves!"

Reminds me of the "ugly stick," or the "chain of command"

"Know what the chain of command is? It's the chain I beat you with till you understand who's in command."

peasandpotatoes · #5 10-16-2008, 06:37 PM

o man i feel stupid. i've been playing bass for 11 years and i've always called it the "trust rod".

i'm embarrassed.. either way the TRUSS rod does not sound broken when i shake the neck, how do i tell if the nut is stripped?

PilbaraBass · #6 10-16-2008, 08:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by peasandpotatoes

o man i feel stupid. i've been playing bass for 11 years and i've always called it the "trust rod".

i'm embarrassed.. either way the TRUSS rod does not sound broken when i shake the neck, how do i tell if the nut is stripped?

read my post...IF, you can remove the nut, it is not stripped..

if you can't remove it, and it just turns and turns, it's stripped...

usually the nuts are made of softer metal than the rods, such that they will strip before the rod does...a stripped nut is a bit easier to deal with

peasandpotatoes · #7 10-17-2008, 02:51 PM

ok.

went to guitar factory in orlando,fl today... bad news is my TRUSS rod is broken

they said they wouldnt even work on it because it's not cost efficient (they quoted me at 1000

to put in a new truss rod and 800 to build a new neck.) soooo, back to the old drawing board. if anyone finds a gibson grabber replacement neck or an original gibson grabber neck in good condition PLEASE let me know asap. thanks everyone

Oren Hudson · #8 10-17-2008, 07:22 PM

The quotes sound a bit high. I had the same problem about 3-4 years ago and I think I paid about $300. Wouldn't hurt to do some checking around since I've never seen any used necks for sale.

jschall84 · #9 10-17-2008, 07:35 PM

you didnt happen to buy this from a guy in indiana did you? i worked on a natural grabber that was fudged. the truss was toast, and the first fret was blowing out from over tightening. i steamed and clamped that neck strait like 5 times. nothing doing.

Eric Scholz · #10 07-06-2011, 03:33 PM

it does not cost $1000 to replace a truss rod. i had a truss rod installed in a guitar that previously did not have one, and it cost me $200.

T-Bird · #11 07-06-2011, 10:40 PM

Hi.

IMHO $1000 sounds really high, but for a pro job $200 sounds pretty low.

Repacing a TR isn't really that hard, but does require quite a bit of knowledge and is very time-consuming = expensive.

On a BO instrument it's usually more cost effective to make a new neck, possibly from a neck blank from Warmoth or eqvivalent.

The DIYaholic in me would first try the method that was on TDPRI, TR replacement wthout removing neither the skunk-stripe, nor the FB.

Then again, the neck can't really get any worse, the 'net is filled with FB removing tutorials, and You probably have a heat gun...

.

Edit:Oh boy, Eric, You got me, You got me good.

Regards
Sam

bolophonic · #12 07-07-2011, 06:50 AM

Any time an ebay ad says something like "somebody told me that this item might possibly be broken, but I am not an expert" that usually tells me that they broke it themselves.

kenfxj · #13 07-07-2011, 06:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bolophonic

Any time an ebay ad says something like "somebody told me that this item might possibly be broken, but I am not an expert" that usually tells me that they broke it themselves.

^^This. Very much.

JLS · #14 07-07-2011, 07:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by peasandpotatoes

ok.

went to guitar factory in orlando,fl today... bad news is my TRUSS rod is broken

they said they wouldnt even work on it because it's not cost efficient (they quoted me at 1000

to put in a new truss rod and 800 to build a new neck.) soooo, back to the old drawing board. if anyone finds a gibson grabber replacement neck or an original gibson grabber neck in good condition PLEASE let me know asap. thanks everyone

A sky-high quote like that, usually means, " I really don't want this job, but if you're crazy enough to pay what I'm asking, I'll take (you for) your money.