Fender Truss Rod Tutorial...is this a joke?

[JMarkD]

Oh good. Another thread to bring out the Fender haters. Have to say though, I wouldn't want this guy adjusting my bass. May be a fine technique, but not for me.

The funny part is the initial shot of the adjustment nut shows plenty of room to get a narrow slot head screw driver in there to do the adjustment. On that bass at least, no need to remove the pick guard or neck. If you use the correct tool you can (almost) always access the adjustment without damage or unnecessary removal of the neck. But by all means let's keep whining on and on about this horrible design flaw from the early fifties. 'Cause you know what will happen if Fender dares to change it.....

 

[StayLow]

When in doubt take it to a respected and trusted pro.

Such as the one who made this video? To be fair, he had just finished saying "take it to a pro".

The correct way is to just jam a flat-head screwdriver in there. If you gouge out the pick guard or a bit of the finish, that's good as it'll make it easier to access the next time. Quick, easy and effective. Problem solved!

 

[jpmcbride]

I'm NOT in a million years doing it in that way.

Agree totally. No way I'm ever doing that!!!

 

[VoodooJazz]

I’m gonna have nightmares tonight.

 

[Jack Butler]

The whole way Fender does this, at the heel with no access on most models, is the real joke.

 

[themickster]

Don't buy an axe with the adjuster at the body end. Some are even worse than in the video, where the neck has to come fully off to get to the adjuster.

 

[Yellow Bang66]

I typically do all my own setups, (Except on my Ric) but I really have a hard time with the idea of loosening the neck screws with the strings under tension....

Maybe I need a poll to see if I'm an idiot. Maybe I'll just assume that I am, and will always be... But hey... if ignorance is bliss, I'm a really happy guy.

Okay I just want to chime in, again. I once heard somewhere to be careful loosening the neck screws when making these Truss rod adjustments, you can strip or widen the holes on the neck. it was suggested to install those machine bolt inserts if you were gonna insist on lossening & tightening your neck Screws, all the time! especially, if your gonna do it like this guy(under string tension,and by not removing the screw entirely leaving the screws still partly in the neck holes!) Yikes! just seems to be asking for trouble, what happens if you bend those screws while "wrangling" the neck back! it seems just lazy, then taking the neck off entirely. hopefully, that "cracking"sound is the pickguard, not the neck holes prying the neck.

 

[rtslinger]

Since I've bought a Vintera Mustang, I've been looking for the proper, reccomended way to go about doing a truss rod adjustment. Take strings off completely? Leave them on and loosen them? Completely take off the neck? You get the idea.

I felt compelled to watch the Fender Official video since...well, it's Fender's own video with their personal guidelines. Now I won't spoil the video, but just go to 4:00, and wait for it...

Hopefully, you'll know what I'm talking about. I'm NOT in a million years doing it in that way. I find it funny that it's a video aimed at beginners, where he uses a method with which I suspect you could damage your bass. I cringed. So did the whole comment section apparently.

Wow just wow was the goal to wreck the neck pocket! I have never seen anyone do that ever that certainly seem to bother the other guy with him when he said don't you need to de-tune just before the WTHeck move of the century.

 

[Stewie]

What caught me was when he said there should be about 0.01" under the strings at the ninth fret, without mentioning a capo on the first fret, or holding down at the 20th. Don't know about you guys, but I don't think any of my basses would be playable that way, especially when we start with 0.018" at the nut

 

[Chrisk-K]

Interestingly, the luthier (Chris Fleming) has left Fender after working for Fender 15 years. I wonder how many vintage style basses he adjusted during his tenure at Fender.

 

[Spectre Gunner]

This guy is a well known pro and has been adjusting truss rods for over 50 years. I recommend giving his method a try.

 

[drumvsbass]

I've seen a tech take the necks on and off basses with full tension on the strings, with a capo holding the strings at the headstock to do these sorts of adjustments. No biggie. However, the forcefulness of him dislodging the neck from the pocket was impressive. I actually laughed out loud. Not what I would recommend. But taking a neck off a bass at full tension if you know what you're doing isn't that big a deal.

 

[skyline_01]

While watching this at work I cringed and let out a loud "AAARRRGGGGHH" when he popped that neck out. I then looked around to see if anyone had heard me (luckily they had not). Jesus, that was bad...

 

[invalidprotocol]

This would be like going to the doctor and receiving a rectal exam through your pants while you’re still sitting down.

 

[Knavery]

Holy crap! I had a Geddy Lee USA for a spell and could not imagine doing that without loosening the strings first.

 

[turf3]

Do I understand correctly, that the four neck screws are just wood screws directly into the material of the neck? I never assume any wood screw can be loosened and tightened more than a few times. As far as I am concerned, when you're dealing with wood screws holding together a stressed joint, you need to put them in there, torque them down, and leave them the heck alone as long as you possibly can. If I had a (normal, not an exotic collector's item) bass like that, I'd be making a recess for access. I think a rigiht angle slotted screwdriver would do fine. Taking the neck loose every time the truss rod needs adjustment seems like a recipe for early stripping out of the screw holes. Putting metal bushings in will be way more trouble than loosening the strings and using a small access recess.

 

[James Collins]

This would be like going to the doctor and receiving a rectal exam through your pants while you’re still sitting down.

How is that worse than going to the doctor and receiving a rectal exam with your pants down in the standing position?

 

[GIBrat51]

No, it isn't a joke - and, there's a good chance that's exactly what that "trusted pro" does, when he gets around to your Fender bass. IMO, those noises are the sounds of a really tight neck pocket/pickguard rubbing against the heel of the neck. This '78 P-Bass makes noises like that, too. And, while I prefer to loosen the strings a little (and tie them down at the nut with rubber tubing), that's the way my P-Bass has always been adjusted (Can't access the nut on mine, otherwise). That's the way they were intended to be worked on, so... And, the loud Crack! noise it's going to make when I turn the nut, after I put different strings on it this weekend, is also a common noise, from truss rod nuts that haven't been turned in years. If you don't like these kind of truss rods? Maybe you should buy something else. They don't bother me at all; in fact, I think they're a better truss rod that the top access ones. But, please yourself...

 

[lowfreqgeek]

If that bothers you, you'd best just pay someone else to do it for you. Just don't watch and you'll be fine.

 

[MVE]

I've seen a tech take the necks on and off basses with full tension on the strings, with a capo holding the strings at the headstock to do these sorts of adjustments. No biggie. However, the forcefulness of him dislodging the neck from the pocket was impressive. I actually laughed out loud. Not what I would recommend. But taking a neck off a bass at full tension if you know what you're doing isn't that big a deal.

I’ve seen mechanics slide under cars sitting on bottle-jacks, but that doesn’t mean its not a dumb thing to do.