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Post subject: Help with truss rod adjustment !!!!!
Posted: Mon Nov 06, 2017 2:32 am
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Hi, I am a veteran muso of 45 years plus and have four fender guitars in my collection. I am accustomed to doing my own setups and until now have never had a problem adjusting truss rods. I recently bought a Squier standard strat (2015 Indonesion model) as a project guitar and for the first time have run into a problem adjusting the truss rod to get the neck almost straight (very slight relief) as I like it. I have tightened it as much as I safely can (do not wish to break truss rod) but still have too much relief. I have read that the truss rod nut can be removed and washers placed on the rod to facilitate further tightening of the rod. Please advise if this is an option with this model or should I be looking at other ways to get a straighter neck with less relief - many thanks.


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Post subject: Re: Help with truss rod adjustment !!!!!
Posted: Mon Nov 06, 2017 9:19 am
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Going from too much relief to almost straight neck could take many days.
I'll go for quarter turn and wait few hours for the next 1/4 turn.

Did you wait few days ?

If you feel the truss rod nut is tight and not loose, you may need to put pressure on neck to remove bow.
If nut is too tight, treads could be dirty too .


Washer on truss rod ?

Like this;
http://www.stewmac.com/How-To/Online_Re ... tion_.html


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Post subject: Re: Help with truss rod adjustment !!!!!
Posted: Mon Nov 06, 2017 4:08 pm
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The nut on this guitar's truss rod is as tight as it can go, like it has no more thread left. If I try to force it further, I will break the truss rod. I am familiar with the cautious approach required when adjusting truss rods, like small quarter turns a few days apart and also bending neck in direction you want it to go to take tension off rod when tightening. The washer addition in front of the nut seems to be the only solution, but is not as simple as the Gibson mod in the stewmac post, as on a fender the truss rod does not extend out but ends way down inside the rod cavity. Any advice from anybody who has experience with this problem will be much appreciated - many thanks.


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Post subject: Re: Help with truss rod adjustment !!!!!
Posted: Mon Nov 06, 2017 4:14 pm
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Can you show picture of the nut ?

Nut with shrunk plug at the peg head ?


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Post subject: Re: Help with truss rod adjustment !!!!!
Posted: Tue Nov 07, 2017 1:27 am
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I have seen a video on youtube of someone drilling out the walnut truss rod cover where the allen wrench goes in, (have just tried finding it again but can't )
The guy first used an exacto knife very carefully to stop the headstock finish chippng , carefully drawing it round the outline of the plug , then slowly drilled out most of the walnut plug , stopping short of the actual metal nut and cleaning the remainder out with small rounded chisels (it didn't matter if a few marks were made down inside the truss rod hole, as they will never be seen later )

He then backed off the nut , put washers on the truss rod after cleaning all threads , then tightened the truss rod up whilst putting pressure on the neck via blocks and clamps

As far as I am aware , complete kits can be obtained comprising of new nut, washers and new walnut plug , which has to be measured for depth then cut and sanded down to fit the neck profile before glueing it back in and then with an artist's brush, gingerly touching up the walnut , the laquer should flow just into the groove cut by the exacto knife

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Post subject: Re: Help with truss rod adjustment !!!!!
Posted: Tue Nov 07, 2017 2:35 am
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ted j wrote:
..... cleaning all threads , then tightened the truss rod up whilst putting pressure on the neck via blocks and clamps



That is what I'm talking about


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Post subject: Re: Help with truss rod adjustment !!!!!
Posted: Tue Nov 07, 2017 5:45 am
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There's no maple cap on an Indo Squier Standard Strat, that's only on models with a Bi-Flex™ truss rod.
Here, the headstock hole is either bare wood or with a plastic plug, and the truss rod is "Standard", as in single action. On both hole types, the truss rod nut should come right out of the hole.

I'd take the nut off, clean and lube it & the rod end, reinstall, bend the neck straight (gently) and tighten the rod. Those washers can be added if needed. (Squier's thin necks have a habit or remembering oversized reliefs for a long time, so my first guess is, there's no need for them.)


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Post subject: Re: Help with truss rod adjustment !!!!!
Posted: Tue Nov 07, 2017 6:03 am
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jmattis wrote:
There's no maple cap on an Indo Squier Standard Strat, that's only on models with a Bi-Flex™ truss rod.
Here, the headstock hole is either bare wood or with a plastic plug, and the truss rod is "Standard", as in single action. On both hole types, the truss rod nut should come right out of the hole.

I'd take the nut off, clean and lube it & the rod end, reinstall, bend the neck straight (gently) and tighten the rod. Those washers can be added if needed. (Squier's thin necks have a habit or remembering oversized reliefs for a long time, so my first guess is, there's no need for them.)


+ 1000


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Post subject: Re: Help with truss rod adjustment !!!!!
Posted: Tue Nov 07, 2017 1:30 pm
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thank you JMattis, this is the info I am looking for - as you correctly say, this particular guitar does have a plastic plug in the headstock hole and the rod nut does screw cleanly out, although I have only screwed it out about 90% of the way, being too nervous to remove it completely. I am now going to go ahead and remove the nut completely and do as you suggest and , if needed, I will resize 1 or 2 washers to use as spacers.
Many thanks for your response - much appreciated. Also thanks to the few others that also responded.


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Post subject: Re: Help with truss rod adjustment !!!!!
Posted: Wed Nov 08, 2017 12:52 pm
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There is one other thing for consideration. and I'm not saying that this is the problem -- but I've run into this before, especially with imports...

often times the wood is not properly cured before it is used for production runs which can cause some problems down the road.. Also If the neck was left with too much relief for a few years, and was perhaps never setup right
may need to be put in a heat clamp for a few days to get it reshaped. once that is done, may be the truss rod works 100% as expected. I've had a few that I've needed to resort to that process a few times.


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Post subject: Re: Help with truss rod adjustment !!!!!
Posted: Wed Nov 08, 2017 12:55 pm
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KidBlast wrote:
T
may need to be put in a heat clamp for a few days to get it reshaped. once that is done, may be the truss rod works 100% as expected. I've had a few that I've needed to resort to that process a few times.



+1.
It is the third time we write that.


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Post subject: Re: Help with truss rod adjustment !!!!!
Posted: Thu Nov 09, 2017 7:13 am
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Blocks and clamps are quite the same as the heat clamp. IF you really you need to reshape, a few days in the heat clamp is usually the way to do it.

then again,, just my experience... disclaimer -- I'm not Dan Earlwine! :)


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Post subject: Re: Help with truss rod adjustment !!!!!
Posted: Thu Nov 09, 2017 7:21 am
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Doesn't tightening the nut add relief?


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Post subject: Re: Help with truss rod adjustment !!!!!
Posted: Thu Nov 09, 2017 10:09 am
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Managed to get my Squier neck all sorted :D Loosened strings, supported floating bridge with a block, then removed truss rod nut completely. Felt it was going to need a spacer/washer, so found a lock washer with the correct outside diameter which I first flattened, then filed out inside diameter with some needle files until it fitted nicely over the end of the threaded truss rod. Did this by checking it on a loose bolt first, with the same diameter as the truss rod, so when I dropped it into the truss rod cavity it fell cleanly over the end of the truss rod. I actually dropped the washer down the shaft of a narrow screw-driver, held the washer while I lined up the tip of the screw-driver with the end tip of the truss rod, and then dropped it down on to the truss rod. All working brilliantly, action much improved after adjusting - very chuffed !!!!!!!!
- note to Skydog6653, tightening the truss rod straightens the neck and reduces relief giving the guitar lower action and much better playability.
- note to KidBlast - the clamp and heat treat method is also good and was used on a friends US strat that had a broken truss rod - thanks for your input.


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Post subject: Re: Help with truss rod adjustment !!!!!
Posted: Thu Nov 09, 2017 10:24 am
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Congrat :)


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