Stuck truss rod?

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NippleWrestler
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Stuck truss rod?

Post by NippleWrestler »

Sup guys.

I have a tele here with the god forsaken heel adjust truss rod.

It's stuck. I feel I'm either going to strip the thread or break something by forcing this any more than I already have. The neck is like a ski ramp, probably through storage with high tension, heat, humidity in any amounts. Action was around 5mm, relief was around 2mm, with bottomed out saddles.

What I've done to at least make it somewhat playable is cut up some veneer as a neck shim, 2 pieces did something but I still can't adjust the rod.

Any ideas? I've read things about taking off the nut, adding a washer, then reattaching the nut to give it more room to do it's thing but never seen it in person. I'd rather not pay stewmac $14,000 for whatever tool they have for this specific purpose.

All helpful ideas gratefully received.

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Re: Stuck truss rod?

Post by robthemac »

I presume you have taken the strings off before tightening?
Jops wrote: Sun Sep 18, 2022 7:46 am Spring is the comic sans of reverbs anyway.

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Re: Stuck truss rod?

Post by NippleWrestler »

robthemac wrote: Thu Nov 17, 2022 4:01 pm I presume you have taken the strings off before tightening?
Well, detuned so they're slack yes but not taken off. There's locking tuners on there so they slack right off, unscrew the neck and try the truss rod. It don't like to move.

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Re: Stuck truss rod?

Post by MikeC »

Is the trussrod nut stuck in both directions? Maybe it is at the end of the thread for tightening.
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Re: Stuck truss rod?

Post by Lyle »

Could you put some oil in the end to loosen things up? With the heel truss rods I'm not sure if it would actually get through to the threads depending on the design.

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Re: Stuck truss rod?

Post by jeremyb »

Maybe take then neck off again, put a screwdriver into it and give it a tap with a mallet, see if you can get any movement in either direction?
Slowy wrote: That's the problem; everything rewarding is just such hard work. Regret takes much less effort.

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Re: Stuck truss rod?

Post by werdna »

I've watched all the youtube videos on the topic, some more than once. I suggest you do that.

If it was mine, I'd do the following.

Step 1. Assumption: you've tried to loosen the truss rod first, and it won't move.
Remove neck.
Clamp it down so that you straighten it. Leave access to the nut.
Now try loosening the nut. If it loosens, slacken it off.

Step 2. Assumption: the truss rod loosens.
Remove neck.
Remove nut.
Clamp down neck until it is bowed in the opposite direction. Run a straight edge on the top and force it so that you have 5mm of bow at the 7th fret.
Leave it for a couple of days clamped. If you have a heat blanket, give the neck bursts of heat.
After two days, unclamp the neck and run a straight edge. It should be nearly normal.
Slip two washers onto the rod, then put on the nut.
If the neck still has a mild ski jump, clamp it down again until it's a tiny bit bowed then tighten up the nut until it's pretty firm. If it's flat, do the same thing without clamping it down.
If the neck now has a bow, clamp it down flat, apply heat blankets and wait a couple of days, then once it's flat tighten it up.
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Re: Stuck truss rod?

Post by Jay »

1 - loosen the nut, take it off, inspect the thread and determine thread length
2 - put nut back on and determine how much thread you think /calculated you have left once nut is tightened but not over tightened
3 - if your calculation shows you have thread left then 'force ' neck straight by other means, then tighten nut without major force.

Other means could be mechanical, heat or a combo of them...

If no thread left, you need to use other means and a spacer

No need for stewmac tools

Edit - werdna beat me to it :D
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Re: Stuck truss rod?

Post by olegmcnoleg »

All great advice, and the washer trick really does work—if you can get the nut off.

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Re: Stuck truss rod?

Post by jeremyb »

olegmcnoleg wrote: Thu Nov 17, 2022 5:52 pm All great advice, and the washer trick really does work—if you can get the nut off.
I find when I'm washing mine furiously its easy to get a nut off.
Slowy wrote: That's the problem; everything rewarding is just such hard work. Regret takes much less effort.

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Re: Stuck truss rod?

Post by olegmcnoleg »

…well that was a stretch, but you got there :-)

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Re: Stuck truss rod?

Post by robthemac »

olegmcnoleg wrote: Thu Nov 17, 2022 6:55 pm …well that was a stretch, but you got there :-)
Not really, it's only at waist-level.
Jops wrote: Sun Sep 18, 2022 7:46 am Spring is the comic sans of reverbs anyway.

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Re: Stuck truss rod?

Post by MikeC »

robthemac wrote: Thu Nov 17, 2022 6:56 pm
olegmcnoleg wrote: Thu Nov 17, 2022 6:55 pm …well that was a stretch, but you got there :-)
Not really, it's only at waist-level.
Well, mine's at knee level but who's boasting :lol:
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Re: Stuck truss rod?

Post by jeremyb »

olegmcnoleg wrote: Thu Nov 17, 2022 6:55 pm …well that was a stretch, but you got there :-)
Thats what she said!
Slowy wrote: That's the problem; everything rewarding is just such hard work. Regret takes much less effort.

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Re: Stuck truss rod?

Post by murky »

Blowtorch.

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