I seem to be in the minority on this, at least among people that I know, but I prefer to access the truss at the headstock rather than the body. I have a player P bass for that reason. Which do you prefer?
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Truss rod access
- Thread starter John Beishline
- Start date
At the body, providing that there is no need to remove the neck. The headstock is cramped with strings, tuners and the retainer.
i prefer headstock: it's a habit, i'm used to it, i don't want to change. 
Doesn't matter as long as I don't need to unbolt the neck.
Stingrays body wheel is easy to adjust when needed.
I prefer the adjuster at the body end, but ABSOLUTELY NOT the way Fender has done it for years. Why on God's Green Earth they can't do it like this, I'll never know, but then, there's doofuses that prefer hard-tail Harley out of 'tradition' to something that won't compress their spine.
Any way, like this:
If you look at the end of the fingerboard where it meets the body/pickguard, there is a relieved area with a little screwed-in plastic cup. THAT's your truss rod access, and Yamaha has been doing it that way since the 1980's. It does require an Allen wrench that's SHORT on the short side (or you can always cut a regular one down to fit), but these require removing the neck ONLY if you need to shim, that's it. MusicMans mount their adjustment wheel in the same spot. This is not Quantum Physics, just common sense.
Which is always in short supply . . .
Any way, like this:
If you look at the end of the fingerboard where it meets the body/pickguard, there is a relieved area with a little screwed-in plastic cup. THAT's your truss rod access, and Yamaha has been doing it that way since the 1980's. It does require an Allen wrench that's SHORT on the short side (or you can always cut a regular one down to fit), but these require removing the neck ONLY if you need to shim, that's it. MusicMans mount their adjustment wheel in the same spot. This is not Quantum Physics, just common sense.
Which is always in short supply . . .
At the body. It’s easier to get pressure on the head stock of the bass and adjust the rod at the same time when adjusting from the body. JMO
On my fenders I’ve created the channel in the body for access. No way am I removing the neck to make an adjustment to the truss rod. The neck pocket is far from perfect so when I remove the neck I have to put pressure on it while re-bolting it to ensure it is aligned.
I'm a Fender fanboy for life, but the EBMM heel wheel is the perfect truss rod design.
I generally prefer truss rod access at the heel of the neck. But I don't mind the headstock access on the 4-string Fenders because it's open and easy with nothing getting in the way.
It's the ones with screw-on covers that I hate, especially on a 5-string where the three screws are right under E, A and D...
It's the ones with screw-on covers that I hate, especially on a 5-string where the three screws are right under E, A and D...
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The Stingray's wheel seems like a great idea.
But I seem to have all headstock access models now so there's that.
But having to remove the neck to adjust the truss rid seems like a ridiculous method that should have been caught at the design stage.
But I seem to have all headstock access models now so there's that.
But having to remove the neck to adjust the truss rid seems like a ridiculous method that should have been caught at the design stage.
I prefer a wheel at the body but not like Fender tried a few years ago with their Ultra or Elite line. I forget which.
BobDeRosa
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- May 16, 2012
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I prefer the adjuster at the body end, but ABSOLUTELY NOT the way Fender has done it for years. Why on God's Green Earth they can't do it like this, I'll never know, but then, there's doofuses that prefer hard-tail Harley out of 'tradition' to something that won't compress their spine.
Any way, like this:
If you look at the end of the fingerboard where it meets the body/pickguard, there is a relieved area with a little screwed-in plastic cup. THAT's your truss rod access, and Yamaha has been doing it that way since the 1980's. It does require an Allen wrench that's SHORT on the short side (or you can always cut a regular one down to fit), but these require removing the neck ONLY if you need to shim, that's it. MusicMans mount their adjustment wheel in the same spot. This is not Quantum Physics, just common sense.
Which is always in short supply . . .
Yet another reason to prefer Yamahas!
Body. That way, you can take out the nut and put washers in if you need to. Normally at the headstock, there's a walnut plug in the way.
At the headstock is the easiest for me. Thankfully, the only l Fender I have with the heel adjustment is so stable I never need to tweak it.
Body. I could never see much sense in routing out additional wood at one of the already weakest points on a bass neck.
If you’re adjusting from the body you can also more easily flex the neck manually to help out a bit while tightening the truss rod. Takes some of the stress off the nut
If you’re adjusting from the body you can also more easily flex the neck manually to help out a bit while tightening the truss rod. Takes some of the stress off the nut
