Hey there,
I'm Russ and I'm brand new to the forums here.

I recently traded a guy in Atlanta my Gretsch 6119 for a 2003 Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster in Candy Tangerine. This is my first Strat. I absolutely fell in love with this guitar as soon as I saw it. I love everything about it...except that I can't get the action as low as I typically play. I took it to my guitar guy and he set it up. But he told me that the neck is bowed and that the Truss rod is stripped.
I'm not sure what my options are here. I love the neck on this guitar. It looks and plays incredible. I like the chrome lettering the whole deal. I hate the thought of putting another neck on there and making it "non-original". What can I do?

If your tech is not familar with this, you should find a new tech:

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Truss_rods/ ... e_Kit.html

_________________
Bill

I'm glad to see that there is a quick fix for this problem.
As for the guy who traded this guitar, what do you think the chances are that he knew of this problem and that's why he traded it?

There's a quick fix for people like that too.. a boot to the....

+1 bluesky636, for the tool

And a second opinion about this trust rod, by a another tech, would be useful.

But better to return the guitar if you can.

Thanks for the replies.

Sorry,I should have been a little more clear. It is the actual allen key hole in the nut that is stripped.

I should have checked the guitar over better. It was in such awesome cosmetic condition that I just forgot to check the important stuff.

And yeah I'm sure he knew.....

In that case, your tech needs this:

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Truss_rods/ ... nches.html

Since he obviously doesn't, you need a new tech.

_________________
Bill

Hi.

As a temporary fix, you could try a lighter set of strings, less pull so the neck will relax back.

But i would indeed get a second opinion form a luthier.

I would contact the seller and do a trade back, or have him pay the luthier's fees for replacing the stripped truss rod nut. Good luck with that though, he's probably long gone. Those nuts are hard to get out since the walnut plug around the truss rod access hole at the headstock needs to be steamed or drilled out to have enough room to remove the nut.

That guy was a jerk for trading you his wonky neck Deluxe. Best of luck to you.

_________________
Obligatory gear list: Fender, Rickenbacker, Gibson, Gretsch, Vox, Martin, and more Fender.

Thanks alot for the info people.
update:
I ordered a "Gripper" 1/8 wrench from Stewmac last week. When It arrived, I loosened the strings and gave it a good try, but alas the nut is not moving. The gripper did grab it, but the nut appears to be frozen into the wood.
I took the .10 gauge strings off and replaced with 9's. That did relax the neck a bit and give me a much better playing guitar. But I am going to take it to the local Fender Authorized tech and see what they'll be able to do.

Sounds like someone rippped you off. Since you're not the original owner, Fender won't honor the warranty. All you can do now is have the neck refinished or replaced. You out of luck. I'm sure there are extreme measures you can take to have this corrected, but a Gretsch 6100 series costs a heck of a lot more than a AM strat deluxe. You got the raw end of the deal....

_________________
"Epitaph on a blues musician’s tombstone: “I didn’t wake up this morning”" Davy Knowles


facebook.com/313DBC

Yeah he defintely did some shady dealing. I actually tapped a 4mm allen key into the nut with a hammer and got it to grab, I was able to use pliers and get enough of a turn. I have the neck and action set exactly how i like it now.
I paid $1100 for the Gretsch 6119 (Japanese) brand new in 2005. Gigged with it probably 120 times. It was a bit scratched and some corrosion. Besides the neck issues I feel pretty good about the trade. Candy Tangerine is rare and just awesome looking. Now that i've got everything set right it's my favorite guitar. Here she is:

Man, the smile on your face tells the whole story. Lovely guitar.

Good news , and nices pictures

Candy tangerine was always a favorite of mine. I'm glad you were able to get it sorted out!

Very nice.





Q: What is the 37 for?

_________________
Marriage is like playing cards...

At first all you want are Hearts and Diamonds.

But in the end, all you really want is a Club and a Spade.