Truss rod is tight to turn...

pattyløve · #1 07-19-2009, 05:06 AM

I want to straighten out the neck on my MM SUB but theres quite a bit of resistance when i try to tighten the truss rod. The thing is theres still alot of relief in the neck (almost 2 credit cards worth when i push down at bottom and top fret) and theres also some resistance when trying to loosen the truss rod.

So do you think the problem is its just hard to turn, therefore i can just tighten it a little more? Or do you think its reached its limit or something? I'm not a pro at these things and theyre kinda daunting.

semajniwdoog · #2 07-19-2009, 05:09 AM

Truss rod adjustment makes me really nervous (scares the crap out of me actually). If you're a novice, I would take it to someone who isn't. Nothing worse than trying to fix something and ruining it.

pattyløve · #3 07-19-2009, 05:18 AM

I wouldnt say im a novice... i just havnt had this much trouble adjusting a truss rod before so yeah, its scary.
Yeah ill probably show it to a friend of mine who'd know alot better than i would. but im still up for anyone's wisdom here.

**JxBass** · #4 07-19-2009, 05:24 AM

Are you loosening the strings first? If not, you should. Then make your truss rod adjustment (usually shouldn't take more than 1/4 to 1/2 turn), retune and recheck. I use the Fender guidelines below, so does my local luthier.

http://www.fender.com/support/basses.php

If it still is hard to turn then take it to a luthier as previously suggested, as does Fender. I had an old bass whose neck was badly bowed and very stubborn. My luthier made several very small adjustments over the period of 2-3 weeks until it was corrected.

**bass4worship** · #5 07-19-2009, 04:48 PM

While trying to turn put pressure on the neck while someone hold the body, this works for me. But if it's still hard to turn take it in and let a pro do it.

humpy thumb · #6 07-21-2009, 07:49 PM

If your rod hasnt been turned for years,spray a "little" lube,like WD40 onto the treads & hang the bass so it can penetrate.
+1 for loosening the strings & putting pressure on the neck to help it flatten.

XylemBassGuitar · #7 07-22-2009, 10:13 AM

I would even go as far as taking the nut off of the rod threads, cleaning both the rod threads and the nut threads with alcohol or mineral spirits and a Q-tip then putting a few drops of 3 in 1 oil on the nut's threads and putting it back together (this is assuming that your truss rod's adjustment nut is removable). Remember to mark the adjustment nut with a marker and count how many turns it takes to remove it so you know where you started from when you put the nut back on.

Sometimes a dirty, dried out truss rod nut will almost completely prevent the rod from doing its job.

As the other guys have mentioned, when the rod doesn't seem to be working, back it off a little bit, loosen the strings and put some pressure on the back of the neck as you re-tighten the nut. You can achieve this by laying the bass down with the neck propped up by a neck stand, old boot or stack of towels and then gently pressing on the back of the neck to take out the relief while you tighten the rod. This basically allows the truss rod to move into the right position without having to overcome the force of the strings and existing relief.