shimming a truss rod nut

[Ryanrocksursock]

on my 07 american p bass the adjustment on the neck is just about done i have like a quater turn left. has anyone ever shimmed a truss rod? what kind of washer do i use? and about how many more turn will a washer give me?

[thombo]

instead of shimming the truss nut, you could shim the neck. i use index cards cut to size. you would be amazed at how big of a difference two cards makes.

[ByF]

How many more turns you will get depends on the thickness of the washer. I just looked at StewMac and it says that a Fender-style trussrod nut has a 10-32 thread--that means that the outside diameter of the screw is a US standard "#10," or .190 inch, and the "pitch" of the screw is 32 threads per inch. So, for each full turn of the nut, it advances 1/32 of an inch. If you put on a washer that is 1/32 inch thick, you will get 1 full turn of the the nut. If you put on two washers the same thickness, you'll get two full turns.

So you need to put on a flat washer, probably stainless steel or brass, that fits your truss rod (probably a #10 washer), and has the outside diameter small enough to fit into whereever it needs to go. I would suggest you go to the oldest hardware store, find the oldest guy there, and tell him you need a "flat washer, number 10, small pattern. Brass or stainless." If you want to be sure, take your bass with you and see if it fits.

Thank the man, buy a dozen or so, and you'll never need to buy another one.

Ed

[ByF]

Originally Posted by thombo

instead of shimming the truss nut, you could shim the neck. i use index cards cut to size. you would be amazed at how big of a difference two cards makes.

If the OP is out of truss rod travel, shimming the neck won't correct the problem. It will lower the action, but it won't take excess bow out of the neck--only the truss rod does that.

Ed

[RockStarNick]

I've never ever ever encountered a truss rod that runs out of travel. Is this common?

[dmusic148]

Originally Posted by RockStarNick

I've never ever ever encountered a truss rod that runs out of travel. Is this common?

It happens, usually with older Fenders. I've never seen this before on a new one.

[62bass]

Originally Posted by RockStarNick

I've never ever ever encountered a truss rod that runs out of travel. Is this common?

Yes, with old Fenders it is and probably some others. Wood compresses over time and also shrinks some.

Anyhow, it that is the problem, the washer trick is an easy fix. I've done it a number of times with success. I have about 3 in my old 78 P.

Finding the right size can be tricky. Don't use the split washers. They can get jammed in sideways and cause a real problem. The outside diameter of the washers should be the same as the outside diameter of the truss rod nut. In a pinch I've had to grind them down holding the washer in a small pliers. That's a pain to do.

When re-installing the nut, be very careful to start it off right and not cross thread it. While it's off I like to put a very small dab of paste wax on the threads of the truss rod with a Q Tip for lubrication. I don't like to use oil because it can seep into the wood and possibly cause problems. Neutral shoe polish will work too. Others use graphite. I haven't because I never seem to have any when I need it.

[rumblethump]

Finding the exact size washer is no easy feat. I ended up buying lock washers that had inside teeth and ground out the teeth, what a PIA. Somewhere on the floor of my garage are 3 washers, Good thing I bought 6. I ended up using 2 and that helped with the current strings (light gauge Hartke's) but I still don't think I have enough adjustment for heavier tension flatwounds. I will probably add one more before I string it with flats. The problem I ran into is the washer is so small that grabbing and holding it to grind out the teeth is next to impossible. Can anyone recommend where to find a washer that fits?

[Bassamatic]

This really does work - I have rescued a couple of necks this way. In our old fashioned local hardware store I found some brass washers that were perfect.

This should be a stock item for Stew-Mac!

[Meatrus]

Originally Posted by Ryanrocksursock

on my 07 american p bass the adjustment on the neck is just about done i have like a quater turn left. has anyone ever shimmed a truss rod? what kind of washer do i use? and about how many more turn will a washer give me?

As your bass is having this problem after just two years, you may want to store it somewhere else (if possible). Somewhere with a more stable temperature and humidity level, as I don't think you should be out of adjustment in two years. I'm having this problem on an early 90's Hohner at the moment.

[Ryanrocksursock]

I think its fixed! i read through some pages and what i did was back off the truss rod till it was off, let it sit and then pulled on the neck a tad while i tighted the rod... worked like a charm.

[Boot Soul]

I used this technique to set up what is possibly the best of several basses I own, my 1983 G&L L2000E. Got it for $350 due to the neck problem, where the relief was excessive with the truss-rod nut turned as far as it could go on the threads. I placed two thin brass washers that I had to slightly file the outside of, to fit over the truss-rod and into the recess that the "bullet" style nut fits in (the inner diameter was perfect). Lubricated these with graphite as they were placed. Perfect results.

And the neck has been very stable throughout the significant seasonal humidity changes in New England. I think this is from the unusual design of the neck which is one piece of flatsawn maple cut down the middle in a sagittal plane
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagittal_plane) to allow the truss rod to be put in place, and then glued back together. There is no "skunk stripe" down the back of the neck and no separately "capped" fingerboard. Relatively few G&Ls were made this way, but the design makes for great stability, in this neck. Great bass in every way!

[Rocky McD]

Proper size washers are difficult to find and most stores want to sell you 100 not 2 or 3 so I make my own. I use small nuts of the desired thickness and drill out the threaded center to slide over the truss rod and grind down the outer portion to slide into the neck hole without binding up. you may want to remove it someday so let if fit into the hole loose enough so it will slide out if necessary.

[MikeBass]

I have an older Warwick bass that has only about 1/4 turn left before it's bottomed out.
Now, I'm lucky because of that, but I'm a little nervous because of a few things:
1- If I ever need more than the remaining 1/4 turn, I may have issues
2- to tighten the rod, you actually turn it counter clock-wise.

So, does anyone know anything about this truss rod? and if I could put a washer or two under the nut to give me more adjustment?

[JLS]

Originally Posted by thombo

instead of shimming the truss nut, you could shim the neck. i use index cards cut to size. you would be amazed at how big of a difference two cards makes.

No. No. No. No. No.

[walterw]

Originally Posted by Ryanrocksursock

I think its fixed! i read through some pages and what i did was back off the truss rod till it was off, let it sit and then pulled on the neck a tad while i tighted the rod... worked like a charm.

sweet! you might also want to at some point spin the nut all the way out and lube the threads with some wax and/or oil. often a "tight" rod is just binding threads.

Originally Posted by Boot Soul

There is no "skunk stripe" down the back of the neck and no separately "capped" fingerboard. Relatively few G&Ls were made this way, but the design makes for great stability, in this neck. Great bass in every way!

i always thought most if not all G&L necks were split, flipped and reglued that way.

Originally Posted by thombo

instead of shimming the truss nut, you could shim the neck. i use index cards cut to size. you would be amazed at how big of a difference two cards makes.

Originally Posted by JLS

No. No. No. No. No.

yeah, that doesn't even make sense.

[mongo2]

Originally Posted by walterw

sweet! you might also want to at some point spin the nut all the way out and lube the threads with some wax and/or oil. often a "tight" rod is just binding threads.

I wouldn't recommend using oil on a trussrod nut. Any excess oil can soak into the wood and soften it.

I would recommend always loosening the nut first prior to attempting to tighten it to "break it free" and then applying pressure on the neck to backbow it a bit when tightening it so the nut will hold it in position.

[walterw]

Originally Posted by mongo2

I wouldn't recommend using oil on a trussrod nut. Any excess oil can soak into the wood and soften it.

I would recommend always loosening the nut first prior to attempting to tighten it to "break it free" and then applying pressure on the neck to backbow it a bit when tightening it so the nut will hold it in position.

you're right in principle, but a tiny bit of oil directly in the threaded part of the nut is ok, as long as it's not enough to get out onto the wood.

[dmusic148]

Wax or bar soap is a better bet- can't flow out.

[mongo2]

Originally Posted by walterw

you're right in principle, but a tiny bit of oil directly in the threaded part of the nut is ok, as long as it's not enough to get out onto the wood.

It's best not to do it at all.