Godin A4 fretless truss rod adjustment

[mobax]

I need to make a truss rod adjustment on my Godin A4 fretless. I can't get an allen wrench into the cavity because the cavity is too small. Any suggestions on solving this problem?

[bassteban]

Originally Posted by mobax

I need to make a truss rod adjustment on my Godin A4 fretless. I can't get an allen wrench into the cavity because the cavity is too small. Any suggestions on solving this problem?

Mod an allen wrench? I'm guessing that grinding the eind so that the short end of the 'L' is shorter might work. Pics will help, of course. There are also allens w/a somewhat ball-shaped end, that will work at angles rather than need ing to go straight in(to the bolt). IIRC *Bondhus(sp?)* is the name of the patent holder on the ball-end allen wrenches.

[mobax]

Originally Posted by bassteban

Mod an allen wrench? I'm guessing that grinding the eind so that the short end of the 'L' is shorter might work. Pics will help, of course. There are also allens w/a somewhat ball-shaped end, that will work at angles rather than need ing to go straight in(to the bolt). IIRC *Bondhus(sp?)* is the name of the patent holder on the ball-end allen wrenches.

Thanks. I've though of cutting an allen wrench down to fit but I don't know the size. I've sent an e-mail to Godin requesting the size. I also am hoping that one of the A4 owners here on TB can help me with this. There is very little room to work with in the cavity. A very poor design in my opinion but I like the bass, so I'll just have to deal. If all else fails, I can remove the neck (it is bolt on), adjust the relief and then re-attach.

[RandyMolson]

I just checked w/ my A4, which still has the OEM wrench. Use a standard 5/32" or 4mm allen wrench trimmed down to just shy of 3/4" or 20mm long.

[mobax]

Originally Posted by RandyMolson

I just checked w/ my A4, which still has the OEM wrench. Use a standard 5/32" or 4mm allen wrench trimmed down to just shy of 3/4" or 20mm long.

Thanks, Randy.

[4Mal]

Originally Posted by mobax

There is very little room to work with in the cavity. A very poor design in my opinion but I like the bass, so I'll just have to deal. If all else fails, I can remove the neck (it is bolt on), adjust the relief and then re-attach.

Well, they do provide the correct wrench with the bass... so you get's your choice. I think the aesthetic of the A4 is cleaner with the smaller cavity. That big trench on say a Lakland, while parctical dosen't really help the bass aesthetically. IMO, YMMV and the other 40 disclaimers...

I do feel yer pain though. My 62 RI Fender requires neck removal, has a super tight neck pocket and every time I readjust - I'm very, very careful about that removal... My '94 Godin Acoustibass is the same deal. No access without neck removal ...

[mobax]

The thing that really gets me is that the truss rod intrudes about 1/4 inch into the cavity. This only leaves about 3/8 inch of space within the cavity to work with.

[RandyMolson]

It's odd that some Godins have a nice access cavity and others don't. I know I sometimes do stupid things, but if my bass didn't have a cavity, I would probably add my own. It's not like Godin doesn't already do that.

[mobax]

Here is a picture that illustrates my problem:



The truss rod extends beyond the end of the neck into to access cavity. This condition renders the access cavity virtually useless. I think this may need the attention of a luthier.

[Bryan R. Tyler]

I'll move this to Setup- there'll probably be some answers there. I'll admit it doesn't look good that the rod is out so far...

[mobax]

I e-mailed Godin with a description of my truss rod problem and included a picture. They responded quickly with a solution. As far as I am concerned, Godin's customer service is A+.

[MrLenny1]

Had the same bass with the same problem. A short allen key did not work.
I had to cut one down. Poor design, I marred the finish and bitchd Godin for it.