truss rod issue

[steelhead2]

ok a MIM Jazz seemingly dropped out of the sky(harp player snagged it for me,man! killer deal i wanted to kiss him!all 325 lbs)and it happens to be the same color as my`67 GTO i've owned since `74 so i'm thinking there must be something going on here,some hidden meaning

anyway it's a fretless from 2002ish and is strung with what appears to be Fender flats,tuned to Standard (as recieved) you can site down the neck and it definatly needing a rest period IMHO maybe lay it in the sun,it IS playable but the truss nut is ruined(the allen head)probably maxed out

SO! my question is=can i back the head off the truss rod as i've done on Squiers?,should i look for a neck,,,gotta run customer is here>

[OHSPyro89]

I think I know what you're saying, but I could be wrong.

If it's all the way maxed out, being tightened all the way to where the threading stops, you could always throw some sort of bushing in front of the nut. Since the wood where the nut is at has probably been over tightened and squashed, the bushing would give you the loss of wood.

Then again, I could be just screwin with you!

[steelhead2]

glad you interpreted that,in between consumers here at my bodyshop so it's dive on make a post before the phone rings etc.

so yes i have removed a `bullet' i'll call it from a Squier Jazz and reinstalled(sold it due to a rubber neck and truss rod issues)so i've poked around a bit

i managed to`fit' an allen wrench and got her to move,started backing off,last night it looked way worse than today and the allen part is worked over pretty good it's obvious whoever owned it def torqued her up and not with the correct size allen,so,,i guess at this point i'll keep backing her off for a peek,sun is out after a week of rain so i'll lay her out/dry her out(on my GTO of course that way i can look out of the shop and drool while working),she'll look even sexier with some tan lines!

[steelhead2]

removed neck for a look at the pocket, no shims,does look MIM and has a build tag on the neck,ensured no high spots around screw holes then built a quarter inch wide shim installed between the 4 mounting screws semi-loose to attempt to releave the`kick' between the 16 fret and the heel( i suspected a shim due to that but no)

and she ends up upside down on a blanket with a pece of wood molding holding the neck up short of the nut and a coffee can full of bolts on the mounting plate(bass is upside down on a car registering 102F off the roof heatwise),newspaper between the instrument and can of course!,,,,,,,,,,,,

looks like it's starting to come around?,theory being heat the side you need to expand outward like a plastic bumper cover on a car@ 180F you can shape those where you want and cool down=VOILA! stays put,truss rod is totally loose neck is bowed from the 16th and has the kick(or WAS all that),,,i'll let her sit till she cools naturally and we'll see

i'm certain i'll be looking for a neck but not this week!,,this is my 5th bass since Dec.,back up to 2, i guess it never ends eh?

[steelhead2]

ok i`tortured' the neck as posted above=it STILL SUCKS! and i'm shopping for one albeit funding is tight this week, where i'm at is;i can loosen the `bullet' allen head but the plastic escucheon seems to be keeping me from getting the bullet out,now if i cut the escutcheon out can i add a shim and reinstall the allen head and be able to torque it up a wee bit?

truss is maxed and allen wrench slips tightening it but i CAN back it off(witch at least i can do that),,looked at borrowing a neck off a Squier but i'd have to commit and sand it narrower at the heel ,or am i wasting my time trying to remove the escutcheon?

[CFA]

What way is the neck? Too much or too little relief?

[vbasscustom]

can we get some pictures of the GTO?

[archer121]

I'm not sure if you're neck is warped or if your truss rod is stripped or broken. Are you saying you can't move it? If you can, loosen the strings then try to loosen the truss rod.

[steelhead2]

with Fender flats tuned standard it has a quarter inch of releif at the 12 fret(albeit a fretless),,and the truss rod nut is bottomed out,i can loosen but it's def been worked over trying to adjust it tighter and the allen wrench slips(tightening) i guess some folks don't get that when it's bottomed out it's done

anyway,this was a man's first bass,came to me thru a guy i jam with it still had plastic on the pickguard screws so she's nearly new appearancewise,the original buyer just bought another bass and had this in the closet,my buddy helped him move,,i stole it=40 bucks gig bag and all

but i'm getting antsi to do something with it,stole the fender flats for my P/J and am considering hanging some used Chromes on it ,tuning it flat and at least playing with it this weekend,,down to the 8fret anyway!,,

i'm curious if i dig out the escutcheon (to remove the allen head)could i add a shim under the allen head and gain a half turn or

yeah i intend to take a pic of it with the GTO in the background,,should look waycool and be inspirational as he!!=yay!

[steelhead2]

ok for the benifit(and confusion) of those with bottomed out truss bullets=YES you CAN remove the bullet and add a shim and be able to adjust the releif,relief,,ah yes i feel so much betta now this is going to be a fun weekend for sure!

first fretless,a MIM Jazz witch i feel the pickups are way hotter than the squire version i had(they sucked) and loaded with some well worn Chromes tuned Eflat,,diggin' it

not the straightest neck i ever played but def. playable(still kicks a bit at the neck pocket,hopefully it will change if i untune it every night for a week,lay in the sun during the day,heck! it's never been trussed properly so maybe it'll come around!) no buzz on the higher frets either(now with a saddle adjustment=yay!)

anyway,sorry for all the slobber,turned a turd into an instrument,if i hadn't bought and sold all sorts of lowlife brands since dec. and worked on them it would stil be a turd tooooo,and here's the scoop down and dirty,you CAN remove the escutcheon,i heated a peice of wire with a cutting torch cradled(takes 2 applications of heat in there each time) `bounced' it around inside the cavity to soften the hard plastic,then you can cut on it with an exacto and pull chunks with needle nose pliers whilst still soft(warm),i beleive the escutcheon must be part of a sleeve running the length of the rod=?,,just trim as nec with exacto to remove bullet

ok then i found an extension for some odd craftsman blowtip kit i inherited,brass,same OD bigger ID and 5-min. epoxied that to the bullet,just enough goop to hang it and i found a bolt to fit the bullet to keep the threads clear,then a drop of oil inside and a rub on the outside to ease entry into the cavity and VOILA boys and girls=WE JAMMIN"!

ok it's close enough to 5 i'm getting a beer and going to blow up the neighborhood