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Huh?! P-Bass Neck Adjustment?
- Thread starter bassplayerwanab
- Start date
Despite what a lot of people say, you don't have to remove the necks on old Fenders to adjust the nut. The trouble is that, according to your photo, there's no little chamfer in the pickguard like there is on vintage Fenders, so you'd at least have to remove the pickguard - which is very annoying on a P (less so on a Jazz).
From an old Fender manual:
From an old Fender manual:
A very nice bass, OP!
If you haven't seen this kind of thing before on basses with the truss rod adjustment at the neck heel, here's a pic of the channel which gives you good access to the truss rod nut. This bass doesn't have a pickguard, but maybe your bass has one under your pickguard, as others have pointed out above.
If you haven't seen this kind of thing before on basses with the truss rod adjustment at the neck heel, here's a pic of the channel which gives you good access to the truss rod nut. This bass doesn't have a pickguard, but maybe your bass has one under your pickguard, as others have pointed out above.
No!
You don’t need to remove the pickguard. There are like 16 screws and it would be a PITA to do that.
Loosen strings
Partially loosen neck screws. you don’t need to remove them, just loosen them enough to tilt neck up enough to access the TR screw.
Adjust TR
Retighten neck screws
Tune up
Done!
You don’t have to be afraid to touch the neck screws. Its just two pieces of wood screwed together. Despite what some people might think, there is no magic tone element trapped inside the neck pocket.
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It would be a lot quicker to just loosen the neck and tilt the neck up to access the truss rod rather than removing the pickguard.
It might be worth having someone competent route a channel beneath the pickguard if there isn't one already. This is a compelling reason to abandon vintage instruments and their clones, at least for me. Of course, I know many people who either pay someone else to work on their instruments or leave them as they came from the factory (which is fine, I suppose, if you only play the first five frets or so).
Nice looking bass, regardless.
John
Nice looking bass, regardless.
John
Thanks everyone for the feedback and great advice! I decided to give it a try over my lunch break today.
Since most folks recommended taking the pickguard off, I started with that. Wasn't too bad to remove but the large truss rod phillips screw isn't accessible even with the pickguard off. I really didn't want to remove the neck but the neck really needed to be adjusted since there was too much of a bow in the neck and the action was higher than I like and sort of hard to play. I removed the neck screws and plate and tilted the neck just enough to tighten the truss rod just 1/4" and that did it! I bolted the neck back on and it plays MUCH better! I'm not a fan of removing a guitar neck but it did the job and I'm very happy with the results. Thanks again everyone for the awesome feedback and advice! Now, I just need to learn how to play it. (thus the name bassplayerwanab) ;-)
Since most folks recommended taking the pickguard off, I started with that. Wasn't too bad to remove but the large truss rod phillips screw isn't accessible even with the pickguard off. I really didn't want to remove the neck but the neck really needed to be adjusted since there was too much of a bow in the neck and the action was higher than I like and sort of hard to play. I removed the neck screws and plate and tilted the neck just enough to tighten the truss rod just 1/4" and that did it! I bolted the neck back on and it plays MUCH better! I'm not a fan of removing a guitar neck but it did the job and I'm very happy with the results. Thanks again everyone for the awesome feedback and advice! Now, I just need to learn how to play it. (thus the name bassplayerwanab) ;-)
I've avoided buying vintage reissue basses for this very reason. There have been gig situations where I needed to make adjustments on the fly and unscrewing the neck or removing the pickguard would be a pita.
I feel like they could make reissues and still keep the "modern" truss rod wheel or ease of access channel.
Still a very nice bass OP, wish my first had been a Nash, enjoy!
I feel like they could make reissues and still keep the "modern" truss rod wheel or ease of access channel.
Still a very nice bass OP, wish my first had been a Nash, enjoy!
Now you know more about the instrument than 90% or more of bassists. Learning how to do your own setup will save you $$$ over the years and will make you self-sufficient.
John
I have a Fender with a heel adjustment. It's not the best design, but it's OK. Not really that hard to undo a few screws. Honestly, trying to wiggle in an allen key at the headstock with strings in the way is a PIA. My Ray has a heel wheel which is the simplest to use of the designs.
I always route a neat access channel through the PG and body on basses like this, or have one of my techs do it, so I can use a standard large Phillips head screw driver whenever I please. Taking the neck off every time you need a small tweak to the rod sounds like a lot of extra work, and if you don't get it right the first time you have to multiply that time and effort.
I got the same Nash Bass. I love it. One of my top players to gig with. Since my Nash already has distressed finish; I felt no fear taking a rougher to it. I cut a notch in body for easy truss rod access. It looks like it belongs there, unless you want it to be period correct. I play with a very low action and adjust my neck more often than most. I figure you can only unscrew a neck so many time before the threads get loose.
No, they didn't think this out otherwise there would access cut into the pickguard. No excuse for this kind of engineering and that kind of money in a modern age. Should have put a wheel in there. That being said, if you or a friend is any good with a Dremel, you can cut out the pickguard, notch out the body and never have to take anything off again. Barely grabbing onto a truss rod nut with goofy tools will end up in regrets sooner or later.
Yikes. Too bad. And I wouldn’t call it “engineering “. But the only pass I would give is for authenticity.
Engineering identifies a need and responds with a solution that is an improvement. The only non half-assed engineered solution to truss adjustment is the exposed nut at the headstock. But most builders don’t do that because it doesn’t match the aesthetic. But I agree. Anyone selling an instrument of this price who expects a consumer to remove the neck to set up should be egged.
I just want to say ...Welcome and even if you might feel a little roughed up by some....Most of us here will say there are No Dumb questions!!!....
Just some dumb answers sometimes
Glad that it helped! Just FYI the truss rod nut is NOT a philips head, and is designed to be used with a flat blade screwdriver of around 1/8" size as mentioned in my earlier post. This should work for your bass if you were to have a small chamfer cut in the pickguard - it seems odd that Nash left that out (vintage Fenders have the chamfer)
Here's how it works on mine:
Screwdriver next to pickup for size reference:
I think it's our fault. We obsess over every detail of 50s and 60s Fenders as if they were the be all and end all so Fender reissues proudly sport all these impractical design features to please us purists. It really is comical. I also love the inconsistency of Fender. Some of the models with 50s or 60s in the name have 9.5" radiuses instead of the classic 7.25. Isn't that a more authentic feature than a stupid truss rod nut?
Ultimately, it is. We speak with our pocketbooks. Until we refuse to buy basses without easily adjusted truss rods, they will be made.
Agreed. They claim the 9.5" radius is because that's what people want over 7.25". Well, people want easily accessed truss rod adjustment, too.
