Tuss rod question for Mike Dirnt P Bass

[tom e smith]

The trussrod on my MD P Bass is much harder to turn than my Jaguars. Could this be (at least partly) due to how much thicker the neck is or am I in trouble?

[()smoke()]

Originally Posted by tom e smith

The trussrod on my MD P Bass is much harder to turn than my Jaguars. Could this be (at least partly) due to how much thicker the neck is or am I in trouble?

yes, it's a good possibility that the neck is just stiffer than the others...shouldn't have to put a cheater bar on the wrench though

[60bass]

Originally Posted by tom e smith

The trussrod on my MD P Bass is much harder to turn than my Jaguars. Could this be (at least partly) due to how much thicker the neck is or am I in trouble?

Hi

Based on my personl experience with the MD P bass, I feel there are serious neck issues with at least some if not all of them.

I purchased two of them and they both had turss rod issues that started with a somewhat tight feeling adjustment nut. Eventually I got to the point of no more thread left to allow me to adjust the necks. That means you are at the end of the adjustment range and you're screwed.

On the first bass, I contacted Fender to inquire about warranty replacement of the neck. They were somewhat hesitant to give me any type of firm answer when I asked them if they had been having issues on these basses. They also couldn't or wouldn't give me any answer on how long it would be to fix it "IF" they determined that it was bad. All they would say was that if they determined it was bad, it would be fixed under warranty. Which meant shipping the whole bass to Fender.

I've been playing over 30 years, have worked in a music store that sold and did warranty work for Fender so I can pretty much tell if a guitar or bass has a defect.

I decided I didn't have the time to go through the process of shipping it back with no idea how long it would be gone so I put it ebay listing that the neck was junk. I took a beating on it.

A year later I saw another one on sale at a local shop and it had a big ding in the front where someone banged it. It was being sold as a "new" demo. After two weeks of trying to adjust the neck and the the rod starting to get tight, I took advantage of the stores 30 day return policy and took it back.

I don't know if the rods were installed wrong or if the neck wood was just plain bad, but two basses of the same model purchased a year apart with identical issues......... make your own best guess. I'd get that truss rod checked at the local Fender warranty center.

What really sucks is that I loved the sound of both the basses.


Good Luck

[tom e smith]

I have it adjusted pretty much where I want it so I guess I'll leave well enough alone. If it breaks I'll have to go out and buy one of the new American Models (been looking for an excuse anyway).