Truss rod stripped...HELP.

[TWP]

Have an '06 Mockingbird bass...summer's almost here, so I figured the truss rod needed adjusting. The 1st fret was buzzing since the weather's finally broken.

I THOUGHT the allen wrench size was 5/32, since that & 4mm were the largest I could fit in (although I was quite shocked that the truss rod nut was halfway down to the first fret)..

I was wrong. I thought I was tightening the rod. Now the head's stripped...any allen wrench that'll fit in, just spins.

Can someone tell me what da**ed size I SHOULD have been using??? And how many hundreds of dollars I'm looking at in repair??????

In the Chicago area, if anyone can suggest a quality luthier.

[GlennW]

I'd try an Easy Out aka bolt extractor from an auto parts or hardware store first.

For the buzzing on the first fret I'd look at the nut slot.

[craigb]

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Sp..._Wrenches.html

ad copy:

Gripper Truss Rod Wrenches

Dang! Somebody used the wrong size wrench, and now you can't adjust that worn Allen truss rod nut. Fear not, our Gripper wrenches can save the day! Each wrench has a 3/8"-long end that tapers from slightly undersize to slightly oversize, giving you a snug fit to turn the nut and avoid a costly replacement job.



These worked for me on a bass where the truss rod nut was stripped. A local shop had the bass for a couple of weeks, never got anywhere with fixing it so I found these (and the info on the correct nut/wrench size), found a replacement nut (fortunately for me my bass could use the common Fender bullet nut) and fixed it myself.

[JLS]

If you hamhanded the trussrod nut enough to strip it, I would NOT suggest you attempt anymore adjustments on your bass. Time to take it in to a pro, tell your story, have them fix it. Consider yourself lucky if it's
only the trussrod nut that's stripped; if you've buggered the rod, you're in multi-hundred $ repair territory.

Good luck.

[TWP]

Thanks for the responses, sorry for posting & not replying but I posted the question 2 days before leaving town on vacation.

Well, it's only the nut that's stripped. A few minutes after I posted, I tried backing the nut OUT (counter-clockwise), & it worked. My dumb a** was trying to TIGHTEN the rod, the opposite of what I needed. I was apparently already at the end of the tightening range, & as JLS said, I'm lucky as HELL it's only the nut.

So, the rod is loosened, the neck is arching back (again) like it was before the weather got warmer/more humid (adjusted it when I first got it in January without issue), & no more fret buzz on 1.

Thanks for the replies, & craigb, I think I'll be investing in one of those wrenches.

[xLowEndx]

Just some insight, any where you ask and any pro who's familiar with this will tell you to only turn the truss rod a quarter of turn, half at the most and wait an hour or two for the neck to adjust. You can do some real, unfortunate damage if you're not careful.

This is some friendly advise, not me badgering you. I hope it doesn't come across the wrong way.

[Pilgrim]

And you can probably install a couple of washers before you put the replacement nut back on the rod - that will space the nut down the rod and give you more adjustment range. This has been discussed a lot - do a search and you'll find good info.