Lowden truss rod wrench

[M19]

Originally Posted by jimmy bookout

Really?
"Adjusting the clutch" on a Ferrari?
Hmmm...the last 3 pedal Ferrari was how many years ago? And it was NOT...well...never mind...
Making a truss rod adjustment should NOT be this tricky...

Perhaps the clutch wasn't the best analogy, though my wife's 2002 BMW HAS a clutch. The IDEA is that the purpose of a Ferrari is to go scary fast, not to to be easily maintained. Similarly, George's idea of a great guitar has NOTHING to do with how or how easy it is to adjust the truss rod, but everything to do with how it sounds and plays, and folks that will eschew the owing of a great guitar (IMO) due to truss rod adjustment "issues" are missing the forest for the trees.
Signing off now.

[jimmy bookout]

^^^
A truss rod is there to deal with climatic changes that a guitar lives through...day to day.
Nothing to do with tone.
Building a guitar with a truss rod that is not easily accessible is ridiculous.

[Colin_Mac]

Originally Posted by jimmy bookout

A truss rod is there to deal with climatic changes that a guitar lives through...day to day.

You adjust your truss rod every day? Wow. My Lowdens have had maybe two or three Truss rod adjustments in about 10 years, and that's just for setup purposes.

Conveniently, adjusting a Lowden truss rod is a simple matter of slackening off the strings and then using an Allen key to turn it.

[JayBee1404]

Tempests and teacups, mountains and molehills, much ado about nothing, first-world problems…

I’m done.

[jimmy bookout]

Originally Posted by Colin_Mac

You adjust your truss rod every day? Wow. My Lowdens have had maybe two or three Truss rod adjustments in about 10 years, and that's just for setup purposes.

Conveniently, adjusting a Lowden truss rod is a simple matter of slackening off the strings and then using an Allen key to turn it.

Where did I say I adjust the truss rod every day?

Point is that it shouldn't be difficult. When you have anyone making a tool to do it (see post #1), you (the builder) did it wrong.

[M19]

Originally Posted by jimmy bookout

Point is that it shouldn't be difficult. When you have anyone making a tool to do it (see post #1), you (the builder) did it wrong.

I hope nobody tells George that he's been doing it wrong for 50 years. He'll be "heartbroken."

[jimmy bookout]

I'm sure George couldn't care less about my OPINION.

[Stevien]

Again, we have brand loyalty getting in the way of common sense. Yes, George, you make great guitars! And yes, George, you've been doing the truss wrong for 50 years. See, easy to say & I haven't been struck by lightning yet! Example: I used to have a Mini Cooper. Fun car. I took it in eventually to Les Schwab for a new battery. $500 later, I find that the only way to get the battery out was to remove the dashboard. So, an otherwise great car can have serious design flaws. And an otherwise great guitar can have design flaws as well. Their truss rod access is a design flaw. First world problem or not, it's still a design flaw.
Steve

[JayBee1404]

I agree, Steve - it’s a design-flaw. However, the importance of that design-flaw is down to the individual’s perception - what you perceive as a sufficiently serious flaw as to deter you from ever owning a Lowden guitar, others (including me) view as a minor issue which has a very simple, straightforward solution.

It’s not ‘brand-loyalty’, it’s a refusal to over-react to a minor, easily-overcome issue in an otherwise beautifully-designed, built, playing, and sounding instrument, an issue which, as I said earlier, has only needed to be dealt with twice in the past six years, and not at all for the past four years. .

I think we’re not so far apart, we just have different levels of sensitivity over minor issues.

[nikpearson]

I’ve owned six Lowden instruments over the years and the truss rod adjustment arrangements are a pain in the proverbial rear end, to the point where I made my own truss rod by adding two bends to the StewMac 5 mm long truss rod wrench. This involved using a blow torch, anvil and hammer; something most of us don’t have access to.

You can make adjustments with a standard 5 mm ball end wrench but this requires the strings to slackened off, fiddling around in the sound hole, potentially rounding the hex socket, retuning, checking, rinse and repeat. An unnecessary palaver. I’ll tweak most guitar truss rods a couple of times a year so would much rather do it with strings on and up to tension.

Rather than being a design flaw - there are obvious advantages to not drilling through the upper transverse brace - an appropriate tool needs to be supplied.

Lowden should simply make a wrench available on their website store. I’m almost tempted to make a batch for all those frustrated Lowden owners!

[JayBee1404]

Originally Posted by nikpearson

I’ve owned six Lowden instruments over the years and the truss rod adjustment arrangements are a pain in the proverbial rear end, to the point where I made my own truss rod by adding two bends to the StewMac 5 mm long truss rod wrench. This involved using a blow torch, anvil and hammer; something most of us don’t have access to.

Rather than being a design flaw - there are obvious advantages to not drilling through the upper transverse brace - an appropriate tool needs to be supplied.

Lowden should simply make a wrench available on their website store. I’m almost tempted to make a batch for all those frustrated Lowden owners!

I’m across the county border from you in Lincolnshire, can I be your first customer?

I emailed Stew-Mac and Music Nomad a couple of years ago, suggesting they add a three-bend 5mm wrench to their ranges - crickets and tumbleweed!

Regarding the ‘design-flaw’ question, I’ve long wondered if GLG Co. don’t drill through the first top-brace because it’s part of their design to strengthen against needing a neck-reset? Unlike Martins, Gibsons, yadda yadda, it’s very rarely that you hear of a Lowden guitar needing a reset. If that’s the case, then I’d have to say that, far from being a design-flaw, it’s an advantage. But I’m guessing there…

[Stevien]

Originally Posted by JayBee1404

I agree, Steve - it’s a design-flaw. However, the importance of that design-flaw is down to the individual’s perception - what you perceive as a sufficiently serious flaw as to deter you from ever owning a Lowden guitar, others (including me) view as a minor issue which has a very simple, straightforward solution.

It’s not ‘brand-loyalty’, it’s a refusal to over-react to a minor, easily-overcome issue in an otherwise beautifully-designed, built, playing, and sounding instrument, an issue which, as I said earlier, has only needed to be dealt with twice in the past six years, and not at all for the past four years. Hardly a huge challenge to the resourceful ones amongst us.

I think we’re not so far apart, we just have different levels of sensitivity over minor issues.

I agree with your point. The thing is, you usually have to tweak the truss rod on a guitar soon after you buy it, & that's when you're most unfamiliar with the instrument's quirks. The thing that irritates me is this: I read somewhere long ago where builders intentionally make the truss difficult to adjust, preferring customers to take the guitar to a tech for adjustments because they don't trust their customer to do it without damage. So essentially, the guitar is "dumbed down." To me that's like building a car with a locked hood, that only the dealer can unlock to service. I find it irritating & insulting to the customer. I'm not singleing out Lowden, although theirs is one of the difficult ones. If you read the first post of this thread, no one should feel they need to do this for a simple adjustment. Another thing to consider, when buying a used Lowden, there's a good chance that the truss screw is rounded or damaged to a degree. Even the Lowden folks admit they can't see what they're doing, & have to go by "feel." Trial & error, as it were.
Steve

[zmf]

Originally Posted by Stevien

Another thing to consider, when buying a used Lowden, there's a good chance that the truss screw is rounded or damaged to a degree. Even the Lowden folks admit they can't see what they're doing, & have to go by "feel." Trial & error, as it were.
Steve

From experience, I agree with your comment. Lowden is the one brand that I prefer to take to a luthier for adjustments, including neck relief. I'm worried about rounding out the adjustment screw. I've got the half-circle adjustment tool, which is a pain to use because you can't easily tell if you're working at a right angle, making rounding the screw more likely.

The Lowden tone makes it worth while, but I'd prefer not to risk making it's truss rod useless.

[jimmy bookout]

Originally Posted by JayBee1404

I agree, Steve - it’s a design-flaw. However, the importance of that design-flaw is down to the individual’s perception - what you perceive as a sufficiently serious flaw as to deter you from ever owning a Lowden guitar, others (including me) view as a minor issue which has a very simple, straightforward solution.

It’s not ‘brand-loyalty’, it’s a refusal to over-react to a minor, easily-overcome issue in an otherwise beautifully-designed, built, playing, and sounding instrument, an issue which, as I said earlier, has only needed to be dealt with twice in the past six years, and not at all for the past four years. Hardly a huge challenge to the resourceful ones amongst us.

I think we’re not so far apart, we just have different levels of sensitivity over minor issues.

It's a "minor issue" to YOU
Clearly it's a big issue to others.

[JayBee1404]

Originally Posted by Stevien

I agree with your point. The thing is, you usually have to tweak the truss rod on a guitar soon after you buy it, & that's when you're most unfamiliar with the instrument's quirks. The thing that irritates me is this: I read somewhere long ago where builders intentionally make the truss difficult to adjust, preferring customers to take the guitar to a tech for adjustments because they don't trust their customer to do it without damage. So essentially, the guitar is "dumbed down." To me that's like building a car with a locked hood, that only the dealer can unlock to service. I find it irritating & insulting to the customer. I'm not singleing out Lowden, although theirs is one of the difficult ones. If you read the first post of this thread, no one should feel they need to do this for a simple adjustment. Another thing to consider, when buying a used Lowden, there's a good chance that the truss screw is rounded or damaged to a degree. Even the Lowden folks admit they can't see what they're doing, & have to go by "feel." Trial & error, as it were.
Steve

More good points, Steve. I’m not sure about the builders ‘deliberately setting out to confound the DIY-maintenance owners’ - like you I’ve heard that rumour, but I’ve never heard of it being confirmed by any builder. I do wonder if it’s just an urban myth, rather than fact.

As I said earlier, I think we’re not that far apart - yes, I’m mildly irritated by the Lowden T/R design but, on the very rare occasions I’ve needed to adjust my Lowdens’ truss rods over the 25 years I’ve been an owner, I’ve just taken a deep breath, got over it, and done what’s necessary. If it ever happens that Lowden, or some other dealer, begin to market a three-bend 5mm wrench, I’ll be first in the queue for one but, until then, I’ll carry on with the ‘rigmarole’.