Truss Rod Nut Problem - No it's not stripped.

I recently bought a 2017 MIM P-Bass for a reasonably good price. I started trying some different strings on it which lead me to adjusting the truss rod. When I inserted the hex wrench into the truss rod nut, it felt a little mushy so I stopped immediately. I used a flashlight to check out the hex head and sure enough, the head was starting to strip. I stopped immediately, and ordered a new part.

The part arrived, so I carefully removed the old truss rod nut, and I saw that I had made a good call - the head was just at that point where is could have become a problem. The threads of the old nut are in great condition, it was only the head that was the problem.

Looking down at the end of the truss rod, I could see that it was a little off center. Not a lot but just enough that the new nut will not engage with the threads of the truss rod. I confirmed that my new nut was the correct part. I even reinserted the old nut as a test to see if it would engage and it would not.

I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on how I might get the nut to engage the the threads on the truss rod. I don't want to do anything that might damage the threads.

 

Precisely.

I've removed the nut. I've made sure no threads are damaged. It's the "replace the nut" part that isn't working. The end of the truss rod that is the problem. It's off center and leaning to 7 o'clock. (see diagram below)

 

Great suggestion. I'll give it a shot.

 

Thanks guys. It worked. I ended up clamping the neck to my workbench and gently flexing the the neck while turning the new nut until it caught. I totally appreciate the help.

 

Thanks for this Bruce. I did try to move the end of the rod with a screwdriver but it sprung back to it's seven o'clock position. I didn't want to poke around with a screwdriver because I was afraid of damaging the threads on the rod. I also tried "encourage" the rod to mate with the nut by tapping while turning no luck with that either. When I pulled the nut out after tapping while turning, the nut was scored from contact with the rod indicating that it the rod wasn't moving laterally. To be fair, the truss rod nut is designed to push the rod to the center - the end of the nut is concave (dished-out) before the threads start. The idea is that when the rod touches the inside of the nut, the it is deflected toward the center. In my case, that deflection wasn't happening.

It really blew me away how quickly everyone responded, that the suggestions were all constructive, and led to a positive outcome 81 minutes after my first post.
(edited for clarity)