Old Kay K300 truss rod adjustment

[5string5fingers]

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

The inside of the truss rod is threaded. I would shim the neck but I can't remove the neck,one of the bolts that holds it in will not budge.

 

[5string5fingers]

bump

 

[SamanthaCay]

I would recommend at this point that you take that thing to a good tech and/or luthier.
Be prepared to shell out around a bill on it and your tech/luthier should be able to;
A: adjust the rod
B: shim the neck if needed and free up that stuck bolt
C: repair or replace the nut.
And
D: adjust the bridge for intonation and action.
Lastly just let me say that you should know that this is a valuable and rather rare bass and if you do in fact value it as such you might want to shell out some doe and make sure it gets fixed right. Also if you’re not going to have the money for awhile take the strings off and put it somewhare safe until you do.
Oh and if you want it fixed for free and don’t mind the trip to Denver, I’d be glad to do it for you, I’ve been wanting to try one of those old Kay’s for awhile now.
Best of luck,
Samantha.

 

[5string5fingers]

I would recommend at this point that you take that thing to a good tech and/or luthier.
Be prepared to shell out around a bill on it and your tech/luthier should be able to;
A: adjust the rod
B: shim the neck if needed and free up that stuck bolt
C: repair or replace the nut.
And
D: adjust the bridge for intonation and action.
Lastly just let me say that you should know that this is a valuable and rather rare bass and if you do in fact value it as such you might want to shell out some doe and make sure it gets fixed right. Also if you’re not going to have the money for awhile take the strings off and put it somewhare safe until you do.
Oh and if you want it fixed for free and don’t mind the trip to Denver, I’d be glad to do it for you, I’ve been wanting to try one of those old Kay’s for awhile now.
Best of luck,
Samantha.

haha I wish I could take it out to denver. It also needs a full refret, I guess I'll slack the strings and let it sit for a while.

However I never thought of this a valuable bass other than sentimental reasons.

 

[Nortega]

Most Kays of this era are a 5/16 nut. Find a thin walled socket to clear the narrow opening. Sometimes I slide the socket down onto the nut and use a straight blade screwdriver to spin the socket. Go slow and if you turn the nut more than 1/4 tighter, let the bass sit for a while. Watch how the neck settles over time. Don't go too fast or torque too much without waiting to see how the new tension effects the neck.

 

[Muddslide]

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Oh man. That is all kinds of cool. Really sweet.

 

[Russell Ward]

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.

I have a 1970's Kay short scale bass with exactly the same problem, I was given it by a pal of mine, he's a real keen bass player and and has a 1970's Rickenbacker.

It cost me nothing so I have been trying to improve the high action where the body meets the neck.

I slackened off the strings and jammed a phillips screwdriver into the holes on the side of the T rod adjuster, it moved, so I slackened it then tightened it as much as it would go, it did pull the neck down a bit, but the nut was badly worn, so this morning I put a shim under it { a section of hacksaw blade} then lowered the bridge down as far as it would go without causing the frets to buzz.

It's improved a bit, but I was looking at the joint between the body and neck, I think I'll check that out as there seems to be a very slight gap, I'll slacken the strings off and see if the neck screws need tightening .

I don't think I'll win because the frets are worn unevenly, probably needs a refret.

 

[mongo2]

I have a 1970's Kay short scale bass with exactly the same problem, I was given it by a pal of mine, he's a real keen bass player and and has a 1970's Rickenbacker.

It cost me nothing so I have been trying to improve the high action where the body meets the neck.

I slackened off the strings and jammed a phillips screwdriver into the holes on the side of the T rod adjuster, it moved, so I slackened it then tightened it as much as it would go, it did pull the neck down a bit, but the nut was badly worn, so this morning I put a shim under it { a section of hacksaw blade} then lowered the bridge down as far as it would go without causing the frets to buzz.

It's improved a bit, but I was looking at the joint between the body and neck, I think I'll check that out as there seems to be a very slight gap, I'll slacken the strings off and see if the neck screws need tightening .

I don't think I'll win because the frets are worn unevenly, probably needs a refret.

It might just need a fret dressing.

I'd first make sure the neck screws are tight then I'd loosen the strings and trussrod nut and then pull the neck back to a flatter position and only then would I tighten the trussrod nut. If that doesn't work I'd try installing one or a few trussrod washers.

RE: Neck shim

I'd first try a flat full pocket shim to raise the neck closer to the strings without changing the geometry.

 

[Russell Ward]

It might just need a fret dressing.

I'd first make sure the neck screws are tight then I'd loosen the strings and trussrod nut and then pull the neck back to a flatter position and only then would I tighten the trussrod nut. If that doesn't work I'd try installing one or a few trussrod washers.

RE: Neck shim

I'd first try a flat full pocket shim to raise the neck closer to the strings without changing the geometry.

Yes that sounds like a good idea, presumably adding a washer to the t rod will allow it to be tightened more as the end of the thread will be a few thou further away.

I'm going to have another go at it tomorrow, yes the frets do need dressing, my pal has worn a lot of the 3'5'7 the frets, it's uneven, and you can see it.

I'll get it as good as I can without spending much money.

I received a new nut today, but it wasn't tall enough, so I put a shim under the original.

I've ordered an adjustable bridge ( very reasonably priced) to replace the crude Kay one, which is just a plate adjustable only end to end.

Thanks for advice, I'll check the neck screws tomorrow.