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Fender Rascal Bass - Truss rod

Shortie

Shortie

Boom!
Inactive
Nov 15, 2015
1,092
797
Brooklyn USA
#1
Been eyeing the Fender Rascal. From the looks of it, it's one of those shorties that you have to remove the neck to adjust the truss rod - something I hate, especially since the Fender factory set-up is generally pretty lousy, and I will also probably change the strings if I get one.

Judging from these pics, the truss rod is buried in the body down at the end of the neck, and there is no hole in the headstock.

Can anybody confirm this?

xl_29199-IMG_7016.jpg


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#3
My MIJ Mustang is that way too. It's really the only thing I don't like about it.

I had to take it off a couple times when I first got it, to get get everything set
where I wanted it. But it seems to be holding steady since then.
 
#9
Temcat said:
With a bass designed like this, I guess it's possible to have a recess routed next to the neck joint in order to gain permanent access to the truss rod.
Click to expand...

Of course it is, I don't understand why people don't realize this. Granted Fender should take care of this for you and once you have done it you either have to remove the pickguard to adjust the truss rod or else modify the pickguard to allow access too. If you look carefully at pictures on the Fender website you can see that Fender does take care of this on some models. Not on my (MIM) Reggie Hamilton which has a heel adjust neck and certainly not on all MIA models either but they do on the American Standard Jazz V:


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#10
>>What do you love about it? I've been GAS-ing over it for a long time, but now I noticed the truss rod thing and I'm holding off.

It has the most tonal variety of all my bases. The SG Faded is a close second on the opposite (think mud bucker) end of the scale. The SG can do mud through snarly jazz.

The Rascal can do a smooth jazz though to more growl than my Billy Bo. The harmonics are amazing.

Played with a pick it is beyond description. Think the most harmonic Entwisle (ok, no quite but you get the idea, with a little bit of shaping it WOULD be there))

It is also a solid bass. My only nit-picks are it is heavy and the setup was atrocious.

A really cool, not you normal, short scale, Fender bass, I had to buy one!

And the turquoise with pearloid pickguard is awesome!

BP
 
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#11
Shortie said:
Been eyeing the Fender Rascal. From the looks of it, it's one of those shorties that you have to remove the neck to adjust the truss rod - something I hate, especially since the Fender factory set-up is generally pretty lousy, and I will also probably change the strings if I get one.

Judging from these pics, the truss rod is buried in the body down at the end of the neck, and there is no hole in the headstock.

Can anybody confirm this?

xl_29199-IMG_7016.jpg


[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Click to expand...
You might also consider the bridge placement being a problem if that's the area your right hand usually rests while playing. Instead of being close to the bottom of the bass, it's close to the middle. Might not be a problem for you, but it could easily be one for someone else.
 
#12
BassmentPlayer said:
>>What do you love about it? I've been GAS-ing over it for a long time, but now I noticed the truss rod thing and I'm holding off.

It has the most tonal variety of all my bases. The SG Faded is a close second on the opposite (think mud bucker) end of the scale. The SG can do mud through snarly jazz.

The Rascal can do a smooth jazz though to more growl than my Billy Bo. The harmonics are amazing.

Played with a pick it is beyond description. Think the most harmonic Entwisle (ok, no quite but you get the idea, with a little bit of shaping it WOULD be there))

It is also a solid bass. My only nit-picks are it is heavy and the setup was atrocious.

A really cool, not you normal, short scale, Fender bass, I had to buy one!

And the turquoise is awesome!

BP
Click to expand...
jd56hawk said:
You might also consider the bridge placement being a problem if that's the area your right hand usually rests while playing. Might not be a problem for you, but it could easily be one for someone else.
Click to expand...
This is a good point, especially for those who use a plectrum and like to anchor the side of the hand on the bridge while doing so or those who like to palm-mute a lot.
 
#16
Also have one. Mine didn't and hasn't needed a neck tweak. If the time comes for that I'll probably take a Forstner bit and rout out a hole for the wrench to fit into. I've done this on another bass and it works pretty good. Then all I'd have to do is loosen the strings (which you have to do anyway) unscrew the pickguard and adjust. Might even use it on the pickguard if I feel it needs it.

I haven't found the bridge to be a problem in any way. Easy to adjust. Plus the tones you can get aren't like any other bass you own. I have Chromes on mine.
 
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#19
I don't have one but thought about it because I like the bridge placement for a shortie. There's enough room to run the strings through the body and end up using standard bass strings rather than having to dig up the right short-scale strings.
 
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#20
From the pictures, I had thought that was the case (like with the RI Mustang, but oddly enough, not the Pawn Shop Mustang). I've had this idea in my head that maybe this could work...
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I know it would meant routing out a chunk in the body, and probably ruin the aesthetic design of a rather unique bass (that I hope Fender keeps around for awhile), but I admit, I'm rather utilitarian when it comes to most of my things
 

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