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Truss rod all the way loose....

Evil Undead

Evil Undead

Oct 31, 2009
3,844
587
#1
Had a NBD yesterday, and spent the evening putting new strings on and setting it up.

I've got a nice low action (1mm at 12th fret) with a little buzz when I dig in but none if I don't, which is cool. Light gauge NPS rounds.

One thing - it was shipped with the truss rod fully loosened off, and I haven't had to tighten it at all. Which is weird. The relief is fine, probably about 0.1mm.

But, what if I need to adjust it in the future? I live in England whether the weather changes every five minutes, and pretty much every bass I've owned has required fairly frequent adjustments of the neck.

I'm sure switching to heavier strings would sort this out, but due to hand trouble, I prefer a lighter gauge as it's easier on my fretting hand.

Any advice? Should I wait for a while, or send it back? Or any other options?

Thanks
 
#2
I would let it settle another day or so before coming to conclusion. As long as it doesn't start to back bow, you're in business. I would send it back if it's going to make worry tho.
 
#3
When I moved to Denmark, one of my basses developed a back bow even though the truss rod is completely loose.
The back of the neck is completely sealed by the finish while the fretboard is just oiled wood. I imagine the reason to be that the (almost) open wood expands in the humidity while the completely sealed neck does not. Now I'm just waiting and hoping that this will even out somehow.

I would be nervous about this if I were in your shoes.
 
#4
You will need to at least get the truss rod nut in contact and then maybe 1/8th turn. Raise the saddles/bridge just a tiny but if necessary. Otherwise the nut will just rattle around.
 
#5
NYCbassist said:
You will need to at least get the truss rod nut in contact and then maybe 1/8th turn. Raise the saddles/bridge just a tiny but if necessary. Otherwise the nut will just rattle around.
Click to expand...

I've got that done. There's the slightest bit of contact there. But any more, and I get buzz on the first couple of frets. There's already buzz there when I dig in, but any more isn't acceptable.
 
#6
Anyone else able to offer advice?

It plays so well and sounds awesome, so I guess I'm reluctant to send it back. But I don't want problems further down the line.

It's a Warwick Rockbass Corvette SS by the way. [DEL]Do WW basses have two way truss rods or just the one direction?[/DEL]

Just answered that last bit myself with the manual, it is two way, so should introduce relief when loosening. Now I'm worried.
 
#7
I bought a used Gibson SG guitar, and I have the same situation. It plays well as is, but I was surprised there was no tension on the rod, and I assume putting it under tension will make it buzz. I tightened it just enough to keep the nut from coming loose. The only thing I can think to do, is to put higher tension strings on it. Would anyone consider this to be a problem?
 
#8
In summer, my Ibanez backbows... but then it's got a stupid skinny neck.

I'm wondering if, now we're on the way towards winter, whether the WW is going to gain relief and therefore problem solved with tightening truss rod.

Argh. I need to decide fast whether I'll be sending it back.
 
#12
Evil Undead said:
I've got that done. There's the slightest bit of contact there. But any more, and I get buzz on the first couple of frets. There's already buzz there when I dig in, but any more isn't acceptable.
Click to expand...
I would just raise the Saddles/bridge a tiny bit to raise the action and you should be golden. Or...go with slightly higher tension strings.
 
#15
dmusic148 said:
A double-acting rod will go loose until you 'loosen' it some more. Then it starts working in the other direction.
Click to expand...

Ohhhhh... really? I was expecting that if I kept loosening it, the nut would fall off. So what you're saying is that the rod is more likely to be at the halfway point?

I'm concerned about continuing to adjust it - I don't want to cock anything up and then not be able to send it back
 
#16
Yes, like SamanthaCay said it's at its neutral point. The nut won't come off because it's welded on. If you turn it a bit more it will begin pulling the neck forward-doesn't it say this in the manual? You could leave it the way it is but without any tension on it it might rattle.
 

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