potentially stripped allen nut on trussrod- what to do??

[jinithith2]

I have a truss rod nut in process of getting stripped and in the event that it finally does strip out all the way, can I do anything about it? will I have to replace the entire truss rod? I am working on replacing the current allen key provided with the bass, which has too long of a short part (you know how it has a 90 degree bend with a long "handle" part and the short part that is used to do the twisting) and will not fit properly in the trussrod groove thing. Perhaps that will make the nut last longer

thank you

[Nick Kay]

Stop using that allen key immediately. Don't make any more truss rod adjustments until you have one that fits properly.

That being said, if you do need to replace the nut, you can simply loosen the strings until they don't exhibit any tension on the neck, then unscrew the nut. You don't have to replace the whole rod - just the nut. You can source the part in just about any guitar store, and some hardware stores as well.

[jinithith2]

whew thank you so much, that just made my day!!! I suppose all trussrods are designed with replaceable nuts? I have a Cort that was built in september of 2000 (at least the neck was)

[sublime0bass]

i too have this problem on a New York Pro i own. How do I know what kind of replacement truss rod nut to buy? do i just need to remove it (i assume with one of those drill bits that removes broken screws) and then find a similarly shaped one online? or since this is a obscure manufacturer do i need to walk lightly?

[62bass]

Originally Posted by sublime0bass

i too have this problem on a New York Pro i own. How do I know what kind of replacement truss rod nut to buy? do i just need to remove it (i assume with one of those drill bits that removes broken screws) and then find a similarly shaped one online? or since this is a obscure manufacturer do i need to walk lightly?

You may not need to use a screw extractor bit. Sometimes if you use the correct size allen key with the strings slackened off it'll come off easily. I don't know what thread size your bass uses. Someone else here should.

In future make sure you have the right size allen key and that you insert it all the way in before adjusting your truss rod. When tightening the truss rod put a bit of pressure on the headstock to take sme of the pressure off the nut. I put a towel down on a table, clamp the body to the table with a big enough Quick Clamp and press down on the truss rod with my left hand while turning the truss rod nut with my right. In close to 50 years of bass playing I've only damaged one truss rod nut enough that it needed replacement. That was an old Fender with the silly slots for a flat screwdriver. That came from not using a big enough screwdriver.

[62bass]

Originally Posted by jinithith2

whew thank you so much, that just made my day!!! I suppose all trussrods are designed with replaceable nuts? I have a Cort that was built in september of 2000 (at least the neck was)

As far as I know, all truss rod nuts are designed to be removed. Your Cort truss rod is probably the same as used in hundreds of other imported basses.