Is it normal to glue a truss rod together?

GeneralElectric · #1 12-27-2010, 01:04 PM

I have a MIM 70s Classic which I've owned for 2 years now and never had to do a truss rod adjustment on until recently. Unfortunately thats impossible since the truss rod won't adjust due to the silver bullet headstock adjust not being attached to the truss rod. It actually looks like it was glued on.

Is this normal to attach a truss rod adjustment nut with superglue or is this just poor design/not caring on Fender's part?

abarson · #2 12-27-2010, 01:16 PM

Metal mechanical parts should never be expected to be held together with any kind of glue. It sounds like the threads on the bullet nut are stripped, and someone glueing it in place in order to sell it.
Did you get this bass new? If so, I'd definitely take it up with Fender.

JLS · #3 12-27-2010, 01:24 PM

Um, no.

GeneralElectric · #4 12-27-2010, 02:41 PM

I bought the bass new online 2 years ago.

EDIT: If this is Fender's doing, I'm pretty pissed off. The bass already had a shoddy bridge where the holes for the height adjustment screws were machined too large. I had to replace the bridge within a month of getting the bass because of it. I just ended up using a BadAss II bridge for it. I'll get the neck replaced in that case, and sell it eventually to buy an allparts B&B neck.

If this is the sellers doing, I'd be might pissed at them and would tell others not to purchase from there. I've given them a fair amount of business (the bass plus $200 this christmas season) and tell a lot of people to order from there. Granted there are tons more people who've spent more than me there, but I'm broke and I generally get stuff like strings local.

T-Bird · #5 12-28-2010, 01:14 AM

Hi.

Pic?

Your explanation doesn't make much sense. To me anyway

.

Regards
Sam

GeneralElectric · #6 12-28-2010, 04:01 PM

Sorry no camera.

This is a Fender bass with an at-headstock adjustment. There is a silver, bullet shaped, adjuster nut where you put the allen key to adjust the truss rod. Unfortunately, it was glued in place and not actually attached to the truss rod.

JLS · #7 12-28-2010, 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GeneralElectric

Sorry no camera.

This is a Fender bass with an at-headstock adjustment. There is a silver, bullet shaped, adjuster nut where you put the allen key to adjust the truss rod. Unfortunately, it was glued in place and not actually attached to the truss rod.

How do you know this? Does the adjusting nut move, or not?

This doesn't make any sense, yet.

Pilgrim · #8 12-28-2010, 05:24 PM

It sounds to me like something done after the bass left the factory. Fender doesn't send that kind of thing out the door - and they don't need to.

GeneralElectric · #9 12-28-2010, 10:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JLS

How do you know this? Does the adjusting nut move, or not?

This doesn't make any sense, yet.

I inserted the allen key to adjust the truss rod. After starting to turn it I heard a small crack and the adjusting nut turned freely without any resistance. I then noticed that the nut didn't seem to be attached to anything.
TBers suggested removing the strings and trying to rethread the nut onto the truss rod as it might have slipped off. I noticed that there was nothing to thread as it was glued on with super glue.

Here is my original post where I discovered the problem:

Quote:

Originally Posted by GeneralElectric

So I've owned a MIM 70s Classic Jazz since November 2008 when they first came out that I ordered online.

When I got it, it had the stock Fender nickels which I swapped out for the no name DR SS Rounds. Then I replaced them with TI flats. I never once had to adjust the neck for relief to get the proper angle or fix any bowing. It was always pretty straight. I haven't played this bass much (haven't brought it out to a gig now in about 7 months) and its been sitting in its case. However the bass has sentimental value and I won't get rid of it.

I put on a set of flats which are a bit higher tension causing the neck to bow where the strings are almost a half inch from the fretboard at the 12th fret. No biggie, I'll just tighten the truss rod a bit.

Unfortunately it doesn't seem to work.

It spins freely and the little silver bullet adjuster at the top of the truss rod literally slipped out. I pushed it back in, but I don't think the truss rod is tightening at all based on the lack of resistance and the fact that the neck isn't straightening out at all. Is this truss rod shot?

I've owned the bass, from new, for 2 years now and still have my sales receipt. Will Fender give me a new neck once I take it in for warranty? The bridge isn't original either. The original was poorly machined and would randomly drop the strings flush with the fretboard. I replaced it with a BadAssII (only bridge I could get quick enough) does anyone think that this'd be an issue? I chucked OEM bridge in the garbage can.

Also, has anyone else had similar problems with their MIM Jazzes?

Foamy · #10 12-28-2010, 10:54 PM

No way this was a new bass. Somebody broke it and sold you a POS with a broken bridge and truss rod.
You really need to show us some detailed photos so we can tell you anything very useful.
When you remove the adjustment nut, do you see any threads?
What do you see?
Take pictures and post them, please.

GeneralElectric · #11 12-29-2010, 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Foamy

No way this was a new bass. Somebody broke it and sold you a POS with a broken bridge and truss rod.
You really need to show us some detailed photos so we can tell you anything very useful.
When you remove the adjustment nut, do you see any threads?
What do you see?
Take pictures and post them, please.

I'll try and borrow someone's camera again.

At the adjustment nut there is a hollowed out area where I'm assuming the thread should be. Unfortunately its completely filled with super glue.

Supposedly this was a new bass. I ordered it online from an Authorized Fender Dealer that is affiliated with this site no less.

**SamanthaCay** · #12 12-29-2010, 11:21 AM

I had some what of a similar thing happen with a squier neck in which I tried to put a set of chromes on it and then when I went to adjust the rod it got just a little tight and then slipped and then started turning freely.
Upon further examination and pulling it out via hacking into the heel of the neck
I found that the rod it’s self had striped.
The threads on it where very fine and the nut didn’t go far enough onto the rod.
It’s a bad design that I’ve seen not only on many older squires but most all older Mexican fenders.
Now I’m not sure this is what happen to you but I thought your story may have matched up and that this may shed some light on what is going on here.
In any case since you bought it new I think you should contact fender for a replacement neck. You might also get lucky with this as I’m pretty sure they stopped using those rods a wile back.
Good luck,
Samantha.

walterw · #13 12-31-2010, 12:34 AM

yeah, i still don't quite get what's going on.

the chrome "bullet" nut is supposed to thread onto the truss rod, which should be visible in the hole when you unscrew and pull the adjusting nut out.

where is the superglue involved?

GeneralElectric · #14 12-31-2010, 11:19 AM

Its poured into the adjuster nut on the bottom end where it would thread onto the truss rod. I'm assuming that someone realized that it wasn't attached and decided to glue it into place.

Pilgrim · #15 12-31-2010, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GeneralElectric

Its poured into the adjuster nut on the bottom end where it would thread onto the truss rod. I'm assuming that someone realized that it wasn't attached and decided to glue it into place.

And the most likely reason to do that would be to re-sell it and have it LOOK OK.

The other possible reason is to keep from losing the nut.

GeneralElectric · #16 12-31-2010, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pilgrim

And the most likely reason to do that would be to re-sell it and have it LOOK OK.

The other possible reason is to keep from losing the nut.

Maybe it was glued there by the store and meant to be sent back, but accidently got sold? Either way this is a headache for me.

walterw · #17 12-31-2010, 04:47 PM

ok, so the bullet truss rod nut is off the bass, and it has some kind of glue filling it so you can't screw it back on to the truss rod?

is there in fact still a threaded truss rod sticking out of the bottom of the hole in the neck?

i can't imagine any store gluing the nut in there, that would be retarded. somebody with no clue messed with it before you got it.

GeneralElectric · #18 12-31-2010, 07:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by walterw

ok, so the bullet truss rod nut is off the bass, and it has some kind of glue filling it so you can't screw it back on to the truss rod?

Bingo.

Quote:

is there in fact still a threaded truss rod sticking out of the bottom of the hole in the neck?

I think so, but I can't really see too far down there.

Quote:

i can't imagine any store gluing the nut in there, that would be retarded. somebody with no clue messed with it before you got it.

Tell me about it.

GeneralElectric · #19 12-31-2010, 07:10 PM

I'm hoping Fender takes care of this. Its been two years since I bought the bass, if I went to the store, they probably would have told me that I'm full of ****.

()smoke() · #20 12-31-2010, 09:08 PM

could you ask fender to send you just a new bullet nut and screw it onto the truss rod?

might save everyone some time and money if the truss rod threads are still good and the rod works

or, you can get one from stewmac for $3.70--not sure if all the models use the same truss rod threads, and I'd take a good look at the rod threads with a good light before buying