How much to replace truss rod?

JolietJake

Guitar is Fender 40th Anniversary 1994 Stratocaster.

Truss rod was not adjusting, so took to local guy to get it adjusted. He clamped the neck and managed to adjust it, but within a week the bow in the neck was back. This sounds to me like the truss rod (bi flex) is shot, which is what the repair guy thought might be the case. 

He said the best option would be to replace the neck, but the guitar has a 40th anniversary badge on it, and I'd like to keep the guitar stock so that it might still have some collectible value 40-50 years from now (I'm eventually passing it on to my daughter, who was born in 1994). 

This is not a normal thing for me to think about, as I think guitars should be played rather than collected, but my daughter's loved the guitar since she was little, and I'd like it to be functioning and also have some collectible value later on.

So, it seems the solution may be to replace the truss rod, which I guess will be an expensive and difficult job.

How much should I expect to pay?

Thanks.

ICBM

As long as the thread isn't stripped - which it doesn't sound like it is if he managed to get it to tighten at all - it may just need the 'give' taken out of the neck. I had one like that on a US Std Tele I bought new at about that time - the rod needed tightening constantly for over a year, and for a while I thought it might be faulty, but one day it just stopped! A friend owns the guitar now and the neck has been totally stable ever since. I would tighten it again - you can easily do it yourself, just make *certain* you use the correct 1/8" Allen key, the more common 3mm one is too small and will seem to turn and then slip, damaging the nut and making replacing at least the nut necessary.

If it is knackered... replacing a Biflex rod is a total and utter pain - you need to remove the walnut plug on the headstock, the skunk stripe and I think one of the fingerboard dots, replace all that and refinish it - far in excess of the replacement cost of the neck.

But if it's the 40th Anniversary badge that's a little metal 'flag' on the headstock, you can take it off and fit it to a replacement neck. These guitars will never be particularly collectable because they put them on every US Strat made in 1994... sorry! No offence intended, just if that makes a decision easier. I had one too - it was a decent guitar but it's just a USA Std from 1994 really.

impmann

I had one too and has similar issues. It did settle eventually. It unlikely to be the rod that's failed - fender bi flex rods are not known for failing, tbh.
As ICBM says, necks aren't hard to find for that year. And as he says all of them made that year had the badges - except mine, as it had a replacement Fender neck (it arrived at the shop I worked at with a crack in it, so I was sent a replacement to fit - and I ended up owning it).

JolietJake

ICBM said:

As long as the thread isn't stripped - which it doesn't sound like it is if he managed to get it to tighten at all - it may just need the 'give' taken out of the neck. I had one like that on a US Std Tele I bought new at about that time - the rod needed tightening constantly for over a year, and for a while I thought it might be faulty, but one day it just stopped! A friend owns the guitar now and the neck has been totally stable ever since. I would tighten it again - you can easily do it yourself, just make *certain* you use the correct 1/8" Allen key, the more common 3mm one is too small and will seem to turn and then slip, damaging the nut and making replacing at least the nut necessary.

If it is knackered... replacing a Biflex rod is a total and utter pain - you need to remove the walnut plug on the headstock, the skunk stripe and I think one of the fingerboard dots, replace all that and refinish it - far in excess of the replacement cost of the neck.

But if it's the 40th Anniversary badge that's a little metal 'flag' on the headstock, you can take it off and fit it to a replacement neck. These guitars will never be particularly collectable because they put them on every US Strat made in 1994... sorry! No offence intended, just if that makes a decision easier. I had one too - it was a decent guitar but it's just a USA Std from 1994 really.

Thanks for that. Really helpful. Makes it much easier for me to decide to replace the neck. Didn't realise they put the badge on every standard in 1994.  The truss rod is really shot - for it to bow back after a week without any additional stresses put on it makes me think the thread is stripped. The guy who repaired it had a difficult time getting it to tighten at all and had to use weights to relieve the neck so he could turn the nut at all.

I suspect my next question will be which neck? lol.

octatonic

I believe Fender sell replacement necks direct now.

I would start looking at those- or look on ebay for a USA std neck- they do come up.

There is a guy called 'stratosphere' on ebay who massively overcharges for them too- I wouldn't use him myself but at least you are aware of him.

Otherwise maybe Warmoth.

Paul_C

Strings Direct sell Fender necks - http://www.stringsdirect.co.uk/p/920355/fender-american-medium-jumbo-rosewood-stratocaster-neck

JolietJake

Just been on the Warmoth neck builder. Seems I can get pretty much whatever I want as a replacement. Can't find anything direct from Fender though.

guitargeek62

Warmoth is a great bet, and probably the easiest/best place to get what you're looking for. There are other custom builders out there (USACG, GuitarMill, Musikraft, our very own @GSPBasses etc) but Warmoth is a nice all-in-one shop with a known name that'll keep some value in there too.

ICBM

JolietJake said:

The truss rod is really shot - for it to bow back after a week without any additional stresses put on it makes me think the thread is stripped. The guy who repaired it had a difficult time getting it to tighten at all and had to use weights to relieve the neck so he could turn the nut at all.

This makes me think that you should try tightening it again. If it took a week to go back, and the nut didn't click back a thread or two while it was being adjusted, then it probably isn't stripped. Mine did seem to need adjusting about every week or so to begin with. I don't want to slate him unfairly, but are you certain he used the right size key?! Using a 3mm is a very common mistake, and it can seem like the nut won't turn unless you take the pressure off the rod. I have even seen pros make this mistake... hopefully I'm wrong .

How much and how often has the rod been adjusted up til now? If not very, it could well still have plenty to go - if I remember, mine took something like three or four *full turns* of the nut cumulatively over a year or so before it finally stopped moving.

I would certainly try it before thinking about spending a couple of hundred on a new neck, anyway!

ThePrettyDamned

What @icbm said, I did exactly the same thing with my jm neck! I don't know the exact dimensions of the Allen key, but I used one too small and wondered why it was slipping. Went a size bigger (by eye) and voila.

Sometimes they can be a bit sticky in action, too - as in, it'll turn, then as it settles, it goes back. Eventually, after a few adjustments, mine was fine and has been completely stable since.

If you do want a new neck, northwest guitars do them. That said, I asked for a quote a fair few days ago now and they've not come back, so maybe they're a bit duff for service.

JolietJake

Thanks for all the tips/advice. 

maltingsaudio

If you want to know what to do with the neck!

fretfinder

guitargeek62 said:

Warmoth is a great bet, and probably the easiest/best place to get what you're looking for. There are other custom builders out there (USACG, GuitarMill, Musikraft, our very own @GSPBasses etc) but Warmoth is a nice all-in-one shop with a known name that'll keep some value in there too.

A Warmoth neck wouldn't keep as much value in there as a Fender USA neck. £369 from Strings Direct for a new Fender neck isn't bad, and you can then be confident about the provenance, warranty, new condition etc.

ICBM is right about the 40th anniversary badge. You see people trying to sell them on eBay for loads of money but they normally don't sell as most punters are wise to the fact it's basically a US Standard with a badge.

Bogwhoppit

There are a few 94 Fenders on the market with the 40th anniversary badge on them. If the neck is shot (which you need to establish first) then buy a 94 40th anniversary strat, take the neck of and sell the rest. Or even put the old neck back on the replacement strat and sell as a complete guitar with a truss rod issue.

Either way it should work out the cheapest option and you keep a 94 serial number as well.

fretfinder

Bogwhoppit said:

There are a few 94 Fenders on the market with the 40th anniversary badge on them. If the neck is shot (which you need to establish first) then buy a 94 40th anniversary strat, take the neck off and sell the rest. Or even put the old neck back on the replacement strat and sell as a complete guitar with a truss rod issue.

Either way it should work out the cheapest option and you keep a 94 serial number as well.

If you do buy another 94 give it a good try out before you remove the neck - you might find it's a better one than your own guitar! Then you could keep it and sell or part-out yours. Whether it's the cheapest option or not will of course depend on how much you have to pay for one.

Or, if you want something more collectible from your daughter's birth year, these are the 'proper' 40th anniversary Strats:

http://www.gbase.com/gear/fender-1994-40th-anniversary-195-2-tone-sunbu-1#

JolietJake

ICBM said:

JolietJake said:

The truss rod is really shot - for it to bow back after a week without any additional stresses put on it makes me think the thread is stripped. The guy who repaired it had a difficult time getting it to tighten at all and had to use weights to relieve the neck so he could turn the nut at all.

This makes me think that you should try tightening it again. If it took a week to go back, and the nut didn't click back a thread or two while it was being adjusted, then it probably isn't stripped. Mine did seem to need adjusting about every week or so to begin with. I don't want to slate him unfairly, but are you certain he used the right size key?! Using a 3mm is a very common mistake, and it can seem like the nut won't turn unless you take the pressure off the rod. I have even seen pros make this mistake... hopefully I'm wrong .

How much and how often has the rod been adjusted up til now? If not very, it could well still have plenty to go - if I remember, mine took something like three or four *full turns* of the nut cumulatively over a year or so before it finally stopped moving.

I would certainly try it before thinking about spending a couple of hundred on a new neck, anyway!

This post just saved me £370. Tried it again, and it moves. Thanks.