#1
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Truss rod broken?
I just bought a new guitar, went home with it, and wanted to make final adjustments, as done many times before. One thing was to adjust the neck bow. Took the supplied allen key and turned it anti-clockwise to loosen the truss rod. After approx. half a turn something cracked heavily. Now it is neither possible to tighten nor loosen, and move the neck in any direction. From what I can see, it seems it is (or was?) a double action truss rod, and the welding on one side might be broken.
Has anyone experienced such a fail with double action truss rod? Was it my fault - with just half a turn loosening it? Comments highly appreciated. |
#2
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Yep it happens.
Steve
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Cole Clark Fat Lady Gretsch Electromatic Martin CEO7 Maton Messiah Taylor 814CE |
#3
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If it's broken - it will go roundy roundy and nothing happens...
But now it won't move... Sounds like it's stuck with some glue or finish. New guitar? Take it back to the store you bought it from and have their tech get it loose for you. |
#4
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Thanks for your input. I can move the nut, but it does not tighten or loose the neck, that‘s what I meant. And of course I will take it to the store next week, what I wanted to know is, if a broken welding in double action russ rods is maybe a common fault or rather seldom? I suppose all my other guitars have single bowed rods, where one can hardly break the anchor, before that you will ruin the thread or the wood, I think.
Last edited by irvine; 12-09-2017 at 12:41 PM. |
#5
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It's not a common problem.... But it does occasionally happen.
Return the guitar. |
#6
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I've regularly removed single action truss rod nuts to lube them. Do double-action nuts not come off?
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#7
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No, they don't. They are welded to the rod. They have to be , otherwise you wouldn't get a double- action when you reverse the rotation.
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#8
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Not all double action truss rod nuts are fixed to the rod, causng the rod itself to turn. Some have a captured nut (Martin style). But in either case, the nut is not removable. My aversion to double action rods is three-fold.....broken welds, no easy way to lubricate threads, and the too sensitive function of the ones that work by having left-hand threads on one end. That doubles the rate at which tightening/loosening takes place. One design is more clever, having fine threads on one end and coarse on the other (both right-hand). This is the slowest adjusting of all. In that case, the only downside is that it takes a lot of turning to make it work, and may make you nervous if you don't realize that is how it is supposed to work.
Before you give up on it, make sure you are not in the 'dead zone', where nothing happens. Most double action rods have some play in the center position. It is the fourth reason I don't like them.....a rod with no tension on it can buzz. A properly installed single action rod is IMHO all you need. Proper installation means pre-tensioned so that it is never completely loose. The rod is tighened slightly and the fingerboard is trued flat. When strings are tensioned, the rod balances that tension to adjust relief. Last edited by John Arnold; 12-12-2017 at 07:51 AM. |
#9
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Finally I got a new neck for my guitar from another guitar of the same type my guitar store had in stock. That was easily possible, because the guitar is a Furch Little Jane with removeable neck. There were some adjustments necessary, and also some scraping with a sharp chisel in the pocket or slot in the body which accommodates the neck. This, because the neck angle was a bit to steep, and I did‘nt want to underlay the bridge saddle. I did this myself with my own precision. No buzzing anymore, and intonation could be no better. The only downside is that the colour does not match so perfectly to the body like the old neck did (both sapele, I think, or maybe light kaya). In the end, all went fine, although I developed some fear adjusting this double action truss rod...
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