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Old Kay K300 truss rod adjustment

5string5fingers

5string5fingers

Mar 18, 2008
5,133
331
Tifton,Georgia
#1
My grandpas old k300 short scale needs a truss rod adjustment. Action is really high on it. I took the cover off only to find out that the end of the rod is not an allen key like 98% of all basses. It looks as if a special tool is required,that screws into the truss rod as there's threads on the inside. Does any body know what I could do? This is already a rare bass,I don't think I'm going to be able to find the original key for it some where.
 
#2
Are you sure it needs a TR adjustment? You know that 99% of the time you should NOT use the truss rods to adjust the action. Check the TR properly then determine if that is the issue. As for the proper tool, I would do a google search.
 
#11
Hi.

My Kay cheapo had the TR adjustment on the heel and IIRC the "drilled wheel" type so it was just a matter of finding a suitable size drill bit to turn the wheel. Yours sounds like a TR nut that accepts a socket of some sort, just like about 50% of stringed instruments do ;).

+1 for a pic of the TR nut.

JimmyM said:
???
Click to expand...

5string5fingers said:
yea man i didn't understand either.
Click to expand...

bassman30 said:
Ha agreed.
If your action is super high just tighten up the truss rod and your good to go.
Click to expand...

You're kidding guys? Right?

Perhaps it's the language barrier, perhaps it's a terminology glitch, perhaps it's just the way I've always done things, but action is adjusted with the saddle height, relief is adjusted with TR.

At least that's how everyone who have a clue about what they're doing that I know does it.

Regards
Sam
 
#12
relief is totally related to action, sam. i realize you know that ;) but it bears repeating. now if the relief is fine, then just adjust your bridge for action. but if the relief is off, i'm adjusting it with the truss rod. not a great idea to do it daily, for sure, but saying that 99% of the time you should only use the bridge is a bit extreme imho.
 
#13
JimmyM said:
relief is totally related to action, sam. i realize you know that ;) but it bears repeating. now if the relief is fine, then just adjust your bridge for action. but if the relief is off, i'm adjusting it with the truss rod. not a great idea to do it daily, for sure, but saying that 99% of the time you should only use the bridge is a bit extreme imho.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I usually think of bridge height and truss rod adjustments being two necessary parts of setting the action.
 
#19
How bout we just end the truss rod adjustment debate?

Not be an ass but c'mon..

The bridge is bottomed out on this bass,and the neck has a bit of relief,it needs a TR adjustment. There is no other way to adjust the action here,other than getting a new nut which it badly needs and have it filed lower,but that would only change it slightly.
 
#20
Hi.

Looking at the pic, it seems that it's a normal nut that takes just as normal soket to adjust. Every music shop sould have a few metric and a few imperial to choose from.

As for the bottomed out bridge, shimming the neck will help.

Do string the bass the right way when the new nut is cut, otherwise You'll have a hard time keeping the nut in place.

Regards
Sam
 

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