Relief and Action - Bad Truss Rod?

[Carl E]

I have a Squier Standard P/J (Indonesia) that I suspect has a problem with the truss rod. No matter how much I tighten it, I can't get the neck as straight as I would like to. I don't think the nut is stripped, as there is tension when I turn it. It almost feels like the other end is not firmly anchored so that it just spins the whole rod in the neck, with a bit of resistance. I even put a couple of washers on the threaded end to give the nut some more pull, but no dice. With medium strings, I have about .03" of relief at the 7th fret, and I would like to get to about .01", which I believe is about what Fender recommends. I have a bit of experience with guitars, so I know how to adjust relief/saddle height/nut height to get the action I want. Currently, I believe because of the relief issue I can not get the action quite as low as I would like. The action is actually higher at the 12 fret than at the 17th fret, so the strings tend to rattle at the highest fret even though the fingered fret does not seem to buzz. And yes, I have read the various posts about truss rods and setup.

My main question (unless someone has a miracle cure) is how much effect on the action I could expect if I replaced the neck on one that had a working truss rod such that I could get .01" of relief? Do you think it would make enough of a difference to make it worth it? The action is not awful, but I know it could be better, but the question is how much?


Thanks.

Carl

[62bass]

Originally Posted by Carl E

I have a Squier Standard P/J (Indonesia) that I suspect has a problem with the truss rod. No matter how much I tighten it, I can't get the neck as straight as I would like to. I don't think the nut is stripped, as there is tension when I turn it. It almost feels like the other end is not firmly anchored so that it just spins the whole rod in the neck, with a bit of resistance. I even put a couple of washers on the threaded end to give the nut some more pull, but no dice. With medium strings, I have about .03" of relief at the 7th fret, and I would like to get to about .01", which I believe is about what Fender recommends. I have a bit of experience with guitars, so I know how to adjust relief/saddle height/nut height to get the action I want. Currently, I believe because of the relief issue I can not get the action quite as low as I would like. The action is actually higher at the 12 fret than at the 17th fret, so the strings tend to rattle at the highest fret even though the fingered fret does not seem to buzz. And yes, I have read the various posts about truss rods and setup.

My main question (unless someone has a miracle cure) is how much effect on the action I could expect if I replaced the neck on one that had a working truss rod such that I could get .01" of relief? Do you think it would make enough of a difference to make it worth it? The action is not awful, but I know it could be better, but the question is how much?


Thanks.

Carl

I guess it's possible the truss rod is broken. You might try rigging up a clamp to straighten the neck. Put a heat lamp on it for a couple hours and it might set the way you want it once it cools. You sound like you know a bit about setting up an instrument so it shouldn't be much for you to figure out a jig to do this.

But if the truss rod is shot for sure, the only permanent fix is a new neck. If the truss rod is in good working order it should easily get the neck as straight as you want. If you can get one cheap enough it might be worth it. Otherwise get a new bass.

[()smoke()]

you're probably already aware, but just in case--are you 'helping' the neck move the way you want when you're adjusting the rod? have you let it settle in for a day or so before trying again?

some necks are just more stubborn (stiff) than others, so may be worth a shot just to help diagnose the problem

good luck!

[Carl E]

Thanks for the replies.

Smoke, yes I am helping the rod by bending the neck to get a bit of back bow and then tightening. And actually, the neck gets worse overnight after settling in. A couple of times I really cranked down on the rod and got the relief pretty low, but then by the next evening it was back to where it was before, as though the other end is not gripping and somehow the rod loosens again.

62bass, I did make a jig to put in some back bow and then tried applying some heat with a hair dryer. Maybe not enough heat, but I am a little afraid of overdoing it and ending up with a permanent back bow. I only paid $90 for the Squier, so a decent quality neck would cost more than I have in it. Like I said, the action is not horrible, I just know it could be better so it kind of bugs me. I guess for now I will just keep playing it as is until I decide to either upgrade it or get rid of it.

Carl

[()smoke()]

it does sound like a possibility that your truss anchor isn't holding...

hopefully you can play it as is long enough to get good use from it--might even find an inexpensive sx neck somewhere if you don't mind a little work to make it fit right