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The washer on the trusrod trick, hope do you do it on a Sterling S.U.B? I just got one, and while I LOVE the bass the trusrod is maxxed out already. So decisions must be made as my GC return window is closing soon.
I have it set up really sweet right now actually. But is it something to be concerned with in 3 months, in the middle of this dry Idaho summer?
I have it set up really sweet right now actually. But is it something to be concerned with in 3 months, in the middle of this dry Idaho summer?
Try this remove strings relieve tension on truss rod ,now gradually increase tension ,look at neck for straightness if not straight gently place neck over your thigh push gently on headstock and body gradually increasing truss rod tension also try lighter guage srings if that doesen,t help time for a new neck.
- Oct 7, 2000
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- Endorsing artist: Musicman basses
I had a 76 P bass that had that issue, and like an idiot I sold it for $200. That was a little more than 10 years ago and I'm still kicking myself in the head.
I have a Godin with a maxed truss rod. There's a really good Luthier local, that put it in a "heatpress" of some sort or another. All I know is I got it back a year ago and the neck hasn't moved at all. So if you can't get it right yourself, there is other options. I do have to say that I would never sell that bass without full disclosure. And even though it plays superb right now, in reality it's probably only worth the price I could get for the parts. So you'd probably want to take that into account before throwing money at it.
That's really good advice. In my case my luthier clamped for 2 weeks without luck. He did try applying hot air occasionally.
He is really conservative and does not like the nut trick. We tried it anyway and it wasn't enough. Plus you really had to crank too hard with nuts on there.
So I had nothing to lose so I took it home and tried the oven method. And hour later and I was all set.
This is very common on thin necks like the Geddy and many Ibanez basses. Neck thickness contributes massively to strength.
Even if you bend the neck back with heat and pressure it is not going to be stable in the long run.
If you want that kind of a profile I'd consider getting a custom neck made with reinforcing rods in addition to the truss rod.
My Jag has a very stable and somewhat thin graphite neck. Or you can buy better made basses. Otherwise get used to thicker necks.
Even if you bend the neck back with heat and pressure it is not going to be stable in the long run.
If you want that kind of a profile I'd consider getting a custom neck made with reinforcing rods in addition to the truss rod.
My Jag has a very stable and somewhat thin graphite neck. Or you can buy better made basses. Otherwise get used to thicker necks.
Shims don't change relief. They change neck angle.
If the nut and/or truss rod threads are that corroded and/or dirty (common) backing out the nut adding a drop or 2 of oil should smooth things out. If the nut is bottomed out tightening any further is begging to break the truss rod.
Finally...thank you!
I would add a couple of spacing washers (5m IIRC) and then re-tighten the truss rod while manually flexing the neck backwards. Re-string, re-tune, and re-evaluate. Use the 1st and ~17th frets, eyeball the gap at the 8th. Repeat using the 1st and last frets. Is there a huge discrepancy? If so, chances are you're dealing with a "ski jump" which can not be remedied via shims or truss rod adjustment.
Riis
I was told by a reputable luthier here in South Jersey that his fix for something like that is to put new frets in with wider inserts. He said this has the result of forcing the neck back from the front thereby getting more truss rod relief with out using a shim because the wider tangs have the effect of spreading the fingerboard back the opposite way
I can't tell you if this works or not and that this is what I was told
If in fact this method is reliable maybe you should at least run the idea by your repair guys and see what he says
As I said. I have no idea what the result would be but the luthier I spoke to is indeed a grad of that school in the southwest of which I forgot the name but it's a pretty prestigious school and I have seen and experienced some of his work and it is superb to say the least
May be with investigating ... Know what I mean?
I can't tell you if this works or not and that this is what I was told
If in fact this method is reliable maybe you should at least run the idea by your repair guys and see what he says
As I said. I have no idea what the result would be but the luthier I spoke to is indeed a grad of that school in the southwest of which I forgot the name but it's a pretty prestigious school and I have seen and experienced some of his work and it is superb to say the least
May be with investigating ... Know what I mean?
Yeah and some luthiers just plane the neck flat without clamping under heat to fix the issue.
That fret idea could work but would be imprecise and irreversible.
Without clamping under heat first to see if that works the suggested fix is just too drastic for me.
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That theory is sound.
The exact opposite happens when doing a defret and filling slots with putty instead of a solid material.
The neck can weaken and have a proclivity to bow, creating excessive relief.
This is why you shouldn't post technical stuff at midnight with a child sick with rotavirus and no sleep in a couple days. I did have to shim that neck, but that issue was identified before I set the relief. I misremembered things.
Mea culpa.
Dang, man. Not sure what the exasperated "finally" is about. It not like I (or this thread) had pages of adamant insistence that shims do solve the problem. Nonetheless, I'm glad it was cathartic for you.
1) Washer
2) If it's not really maxed but the neck is fighting it so hard that it seems to be maxed try an Erlewine Neck Jig to "force it" to straighten then turn the truss rod.
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I've also manually applied pressure to resistant necks before turning the truss rod with good results. This results in the truss rod having to do much less work (if any) straightening a neck and essentially relegates it to just holding a new setting. Just be careful not to overdue the counter pressure, especially with mahogany necks because they can snap.
3) My guitar tech heats necks under compression (two metal bars, one above, one below the neck) for a 24 hour period to straighten them permanently. He's done that for one of my instruments and it worked very well. Note that very few techs do this or even know about this technique. That particular guitar my current tech fixed using this technique, I was told to use as "wall art" by a highly regarded guitar tech I went to first.
2) If it's not really maxed but the neck is fighting it so hard that it seems to be maxed try an Erlewine Neck Jig to "force it" to straighten then turn the truss rod.
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
I've also manually applied pressure to resistant necks before turning the truss rod with good results. This results in the truss rod having to do much less work (if any) straightening a neck and essentially relegates it to just holding a new setting. Just be careful not to overdue the counter pressure, especially with mahogany necks because they can snap.
3) My guitar tech heats necks under compression (two metal bars, one above, one below the neck) for a 24 hour period to straighten them permanently. He's done that for one of my instruments and it worked very well. Note that very few techs do this or even know about this technique. That particular guitar my current tech fixed using this technique, I was told to use as "wall art" by a highly regarded guitar tech I went to first.
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