when the strings are slack, you should see the neck bow in the opposite direction (it should have back bow with no tension on it) if things are working right. The fact that it retains some relief even with no string tension on it means the neck is toast. Either spend money to pull the fretboard and fix the truss rod properly or replace the neck or the bass entirely.
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Strings to compensate tension for u/s truss rod?
- Thread starter PDW30
- Start date
when the strings are slack, you should see the neck bow in the opposite direction (it should have back bow with no tension on it) if things are working right. The fact that it retains some relief even with no string tension on it means the neck is toast. Either spend money to pull the fretboard and fix the truss rod properly or replace the neck or the bass entirely.
Fyi... The RS66LA set is only 103.99 lbs. in total tension, quite a bit lighter than most "light" and even "extra light" sets.
A "fixer" - which I am - would replace the broken truss rod. Using lighter gauge strings is not going to get you where you want.
Here's my advice - get the TR working. I would stand the bass perfectly upright, so the TR access is at the top. Drop several drops of GOOD penetrating oil (Aero Kroil, PB Blaster - NOT WD-40) down onto the nut so that it will fill the nut and run down to the rod itself. Let it stand. Repeat for a few days in a row so the penetrant gets to the threaded area that is stuck. Let it do it's thing. Then - using a PROPER tool, attempt to move the nut. If it doesn't move repeat above process. Keep the following things in mind:
- A good penetrant WILL affect the wood, so you don't want to flood the neck with solvent. Just enough to wick down to the trouble spot.
- Access straight on to the nut with a good tool is paramount to success. If you are crooked going in or have a marginal tool you will strip the nut out for sure. At this point, I would use a proper long reach hex socket with proper drive extension similar to this:
82547 3/8" Drive Long Length Hex Bit Metric Socket 4mm - Gearwrench
You will have much better control with a tool like this. The headstock under the truss cover may need to be relieved a little bit for the tool to fit straight on, but the slight mod will be barely noticeable with the cover re-installed.
- My SR500 and my SR1300 have double acting truss rods, so heat would not help as the heat will have to travel quite a distance to the affected area. I do not know if your bass is equipped similarly but know before you apply heat if you are considering it per the above advice. At the same time a double acting rod will require the solvent to travel quite a distance so patience is key when using it.
I am an auto tech by trade. I have loosened alot worse fasteners than stuck truss nuts using solvent based release techniques. The chemicals mentioned above work extremely well. Until someone boogers the hex part of the nut, I consider it repairable using the above method. Your luthier may have 'given up' because understandably there is little reward (compensation) for him to play with this frozen truss for hours on a $300 bass while absorbing the risk of further damaging it and the liability associated with the collateral damage. His decision is right from a professional standpoint but is not necessarily the final word for repairing the neck. For less than the cost of 1 pack of strings you can fix the neck yourself.
- A good penetrant WILL affect the wood, so you don't want to flood the neck with solvent. Just enough to wick down to the trouble spot.
- Access straight on to the nut with a good tool is paramount to success. If you are crooked going in or have a marginal tool you will strip the nut out for sure. At this point, I would use a proper long reach hex socket with proper drive extension similar to this:
82547 3/8" Drive Long Length Hex Bit Metric Socket 4mm - Gearwrench
You will have much better control with a tool like this. The headstock under the truss cover may need to be relieved a little bit for the tool to fit straight on, but the slight mod will be barely noticeable with the cover re-installed.
- My SR500 and my SR1300 have double acting truss rods, so heat would not help as the heat will have to travel quite a distance to the affected area. I do not know if your bass is equipped similarly but know before you apply heat if you are considering it per the above advice. At the same time a double acting rod will require the solvent to travel quite a distance so patience is key when using it.
I am an auto tech by trade. I have loosened alot worse fasteners than stuck truss nuts using solvent based release techniques. The chemicals mentioned above work extremely well. Until someone boogers the hex part of the nut, I consider it repairable using the above method. Your luthier may have 'given up' because understandably there is little reward (compensation) for him to play with this frozen truss for hours on a $300 bass while absorbing the risk of further damaging it and the liability associated with the collateral damage. His decision is right from a professional standpoint but is not necessarily the final word for repairing the neck. For less than the cost of 1 pack of strings you can fix the neck yourself.
Then do yourself a favour and enquire about the cost of fixing/replacing the truss rod. I think you'll be surprised at how much less it costs than you think, especially if there's no fretboard binding or lacquer which I think is the case on that bass.
A response to all the naysayers. I fitted a set of RS66LAs I already had, and the feeler gauge says that the gap between strings and 8th fret is 0.021", only slightly above the 'standard value'. And it sounds as if there'll be little need to correct intonation. I'm sure it'll all move a bit over the next day or few as the neck takes up and I already suspect that I might need to raise the saddles a bit (they're currently bottomed out), but I plugged it in and it sounds fine. I'll do the final adjustments and enjoy using it. Problem sufficiently well solved.
So: throw it away? No. Find a replacement neck with a different model/serial number? No. Sell it on to someone who'll then find the problem I'd already identified? No. Think about the problem and look for a solution that brings a difficult instrument back to life? Yes!
So: throw it away? No. Find a replacement neck with a different model/serial number? No. Sell it on to someone who'll then find the problem I'd already identified? No. Think about the problem and look for a solution that brings a difficult instrument back to life? Yes!
A response to all the naysayers. I fitted a set of RS66LAs I already had, and the feeler gauge says that the gap between strings and 8th fret is 0.021", only slightly above the 'standard value'. And it sounds as if there'll be little need to correct intonation. I'm sure it'll all move a bit over the next day or few as the neck takes up and I already suspect that I might need to raise the saddles a bit (they're currently bottomed out), but I plugged it in and it sounds fine. I'll do the final adjustments and enjoy using it. Problem sufficiently well solved.
So: throw it away? No. Find a replacement neck with a different model/serial number? No. Sell it on to someone who'll then find the problem I'd already identified? No. Think about the problem and look for a solution that brings a difficult instrument back to life? Yes!
Thanks to all contributors, and hopefully this saga will help people who have a similar problem but who just want a pragmatic, simple idea to try.
I'm 70, and I've been on a low tension string quest for years. Until very recently the lowest tension strings I've found are GHS Round Core Bass Boomers and TI Jazz Rounds ... until yesterday.
I installed an even lower tension set on my G&L SB-2 yesterday (which had been wearing low tension TI Jazz Flats) and immediately had to loosen the truss rod. The new strings are the DR Pure Blues PB6-30 six string set. I use the lowest gauge 4 strings and discard the two highest tension strings. Seems wasteful, I know, but at $34.99 a set on Amazon they are still cheaper than buying any individual low tension strings, as far as I've found so far.
I was worried that the strings might sound thin, being thin themselves (30, 45, 65, 85), but they sound great and I LOVE the tension! They may not totally fix your problem, but they're worth a try.
I installed an even lower tension set on my G&L SB-2 yesterday (which had been wearing low tension TI Jazz Flats) and immediately had to loosen the truss rod. The new strings are the DR Pure Blues PB6-30 six string set. I use the lowest gauge 4 strings and discard the two highest tension strings. Seems wasteful, I know, but at $34.99 a set on Amazon they are still cheaper than buying any individual low tension strings, as far as I've found so far.
I was worried that the strings might sound thin, being thin themselves (30, 45, 65, 85), but they sound great and I LOVE the tension! They may not totally fix your problem, but they're worth a try.
I looked into Rotosounds (in fact, I played them exclusively in the 70's). If they made a nickel wrapped round wound I would give it a try. Stainless steel is a bit too zingy for me.
WD-40 is not a penetrating oil, and gets poor marks as such. Not sure why everyone thinks it is; it was designed to be a water displacement (hence the WD). It’s not even a very good lubricant, something else people seem to use it for. Kroil rates at the top of the list but can be hard to find. PB Blaster rates well and is much easier to find. Top-rated penetrant is actually a homebrew mix of 50/50 acetone and automatic transmission fluid, but it separates so you need to mix it each time before use. Whatever you use, use it sparingly to keep it on the threads and off the wood. Be patient.
Truss rods are usually less than $20. It's not that hard to do. A little heat, a putty knife, new rod and some glue. Actually pretty easy. Youtube is your friend.
I did have to rub Chapstick up and down the Funkmasters on my Glarry Burning Fire a couple of times and work it in with my fingers to de-zing them; now they're much more relaxed. The 30-85 Swing Basses now on the SR300DX have been more polite from the start.
Thanks for the images. For me it looks like it's easy the second time you do it
Thanks for the images. For me it looks like it's easy the second time you do it
You got this...You can do it.
Whatsamatter, scared?
Well, what ever rout you go, I hope you get it sorted out. Always good to salvage than immediately toss out.
because truly a neck with a bad truss rod, to nearly anyone, is "not usable"
the amount of lower tension you'd need from the strings would be so significant that it wouldn't play or sound like a normal bass.
i'd try tuning A D G C strings to E A D G and see what that neck relief looks like, if you were really determined to keep the busted neck.
Take the strings off the bass, and examine the curvature in the neck.
If there is a backbow of any kind with the strings off, you can probably find a set of strings that will work. Most tapewounds are very light tension, for example – as are many Tomastiks.
If there is a backbow of any kind with the strings off, you can probably find a set of strings that will work. Most tapewounds are very light tension, for example – as are many Tomastiks.
