truss rod question.

[dedpool1052]

hi all,
i recently made a truss rod adjustment to my '09 schecter stiletto elite-5 to get the neck straighter and i had to tighten the nut to the end of the threads to get it where i want it. now my question is, long term, will this cause future problems to the neck by having the truss rod completely tightened?

[Foamy]

If (and a big "if") you really had to do that, you did it properly, and it is properly adjusted, then there should be no problems. That happens occasionally.
If you ever need more adjustment, you can remove the nut, slip on a couple brass washers, pop the nut back on, and get a bit more travel.
I'd be sure that you did it right though.
I "think" you should loosen your strings before the adjustments, rather than crank the nut with the neck under tension.
Did you do that?

[dedpool1052]

i only loosened the A-string so i could access the truss rod. i've never loosened the strings to make a truss rod adjustment.

[T-Bird]

Hi.

Originally Posted by dedpool1052

to get the neck straighter and i had to tighten the nut to the end of the threads to get it where i want it. now my question is, long term, will this cause future problems to the neck by having the truss rod completely tightened?

Assuming You really did run out of TR threads, and assuming a SA TR, then IME yes, there will be problems in the long run, but not to the neck itself, to the TR/nut.

The thing is, uncoated steel nut on an uncoated steel thread tends to stick like **** onto the wall. Even if not jammed to the end. Some brasses or bronzes are better, some worse. SS should be avoided like plague. IME anyway.

Install correct washers there if You really think you ran out of threads. If it's a SA TR obviously.

Regards
Sam

[Foamy]

Originally Posted by dedpool1052

i only loosened the A-string so i could access the truss rod. i've never loosened the strings to make a truss rod adjustment.

Let's see what others have to say.
I am pretty sure that you "should" loosen the strings. I've always done it this way.
I don't like the thought of the truss rod nut fighting the strings in addition to the wood.
Maybe mathematically it's all the same - dunno.
Let's let some experts chime in.

[dedpool1052]

Originally Posted by T-Bird

Hi.



Assuming You really did run out of TR threads, and assuming a SA TR, then IME yes, there will be problems in the long run, but not to the neck itself, to the TR/nut.

The thing is, uncoated steel nut on an uncoated steel thread tends to stick like **** onto the wall. Even if not jammed to the end. Some brasses or bronzes are better, some worse. SS should be avoided like plague. IME anyway.

Install correct washers there if You really think you ran out of threads. If it's a SA TR obviously.

Regards
Sam

sorry to be so clueless, but what is SA?

[T-Bird]

Hi.

The need for loosening the strings depends of the type of the TR, type of neck, how well the combination was engineered etc.

I prefer adjusting with full or near full string pressure, but then again, I prefer truss rods that are designed for adjustment, not for correcting manufacturing or engineering shortcuts or mistakes .

There's both types out there, unfortunately the former is more common, so on the case of an unknown to me neck, I tend to err on the side of caution, and loosen the strings.
Much safer & cheaper than a busted TR, busted TR nut, or busted neck.

Regards
Sam

[Foamy]

Originally Posted by dedpool1052

sorry to be so clueless, but what is SA?

Single-action - flexes in one direction only.

[T-Bird]

Hi.

Originally Posted by dedpool1052

sorry to be so clueless, but what is SA?

No apologies necessary.

Single Action.

The classic Fender and Martin compressing truss rods fall into that category. The later Martin (IIRC) 2 piece is a non compressing SA.

The modern DA= dual action truss rods are usually non compressing by design, but allow adjustment to both directions.

Regards
Sam

[dedpool1052]

Originally Posted by Foamy

Single-action - flexes in one direction only.

ahh, thank you.

[dedpool1052]

Originally Posted by T-Bird

Hi.

The need for loosening the strings depends of the type of the TR, type of neck, how well the combination was engineered etc.

I prefer adjusting with full or near full string pressure, but then again, I prefer truss rods that are designed for adjustment, not for correcting manufacturing or engineering shortcuts or mistakes .

There's both types out there, unfortunately the former is more common, so on the case of an unknown to me neck, I tend to err on the side of caution, and loosen the strings.
Much safer & cheaper than a busted TR, busted TR nut, or busted neck.

Regards
Sam

i checked schecter's website and they state that they use dual-action TRs. my specific bass is a 5-string neckthru model if that helps any.

[T-Bird]

Hi.

Originally Posted by dedpool1052

i checked schecter's website and they state that they use dual-action TRs. my specific bass is a 5-string neckthru model if that helps any.

There's basically two types of DA TR's. The (cheaper) one with both LH & RH threads on their respective ends, and the IMHO better one with only RH (or LH) threads where the double action is acchieved with restricting the nut movement. The restriction is done by either a collar that clamps the nut, or by a barrell the nut is enclosed in. The collar type is the best design, IMHO as a BEng Mech.

The problem with RH & LH threaded one is obviously doubling the lead, or cutting the thread height in half, both IME necessitates loosening the strings at least partially, otherwise there's a strong possibility of a thread failure.

The barrel style is otherwise fine, but if the space is at premium, the allen slot becomes really tiny, 4mm or 5mm, and again, loosening the strings before adjustment is a wise precaution against damaging the allen slot.

In no DA TR I've seen, the nut have been easily replaceable, so in the case of a failure, the whole TR has to be replaced, which is always expensive.

So in Your case, I'd loosen the strings before any TR adjustment.
There's bound to be DIY folks here with the same bass as Yours though, they're obviously more informed than I to give the best advice in this specific case.

Regards
Sam

[dedpool1052]

thanks for all of your help. quite a few things i haven't even thought about and i've been playing 10+ years. i'll take it to a tech tmrw and have him take a look at it.

[dedpool1052]

quick update,
i loosened the strings and checked the truss-rod. wasnt out of threads, just stiff do to the tension of the strings. once loosened, i was able to tighten the truss-rod a bit and still have play in it. all is good and my bass has some nice low (to me) action.

[walterw]

there you go.

loosen the strings when the rod is hard to turn or the neck otherwise has issues.

most of the time, with good truss rods on good necks, a tweak can be done at full tension with little effort.