Suggestion needed: Truss rod thread chewed

horsehead · May 2017

Some help or ideas required: I've just got hold of a new guitar that is lovely but needs a tweak on the neck, normally this is fine..however...it looks like someone has chewed the edges off where the allen key would usually fit meaning I can't really use my normal neck allen keys. Any ideas on what I could do to be able to adjust the neck?

Thanks

lysander · May 2017

Do you mean they have stripped the screw / allen key hole ? Do you have a pic ?

horsehead · May 2017

Y~es they have and I haven't got one at the moment, will take one tonight

ICBM · May 2017

If it's bad, the best solution is usually to get the next size key up, file a taper onto the end, then force it into the nut (with a hammer if necessary) - that will not only usually give enough grip to turn it, it can partially re-form the recess so you can use the same key normally later, without need for the hammer.

If you want to really do it right, once you've got it to turn, remove the nut and replace it. Unless it's a Fender USA Standard, then you're stuffed because it's behind the walnut plug. Unfortunately these are very often damaged like this because they key size is 1/8" - 3.175mm - and a 3mm key will *nearly* turn it, until it slips and rounds the nut. It was really a very poor choice of key size… especially in combination with that truss rod design.

impmann · June 2017

ICBM said:

Unfortunately these are very often damaged like this because they key size is 1/8" - 3.175mm - and a 3mm key will *nearly* turn it, until it slips and rounds the nut. It was really a very poor choice of key size… especially in combination with that truss rod design.

Its only a poor choice in Europe... in the US, imperial is king, still.

Sadly, the other problem is poor quality allen keys - I had a production issue once with a different brand of guitars where the 4mm keys supplied were actually undersized, meaning that they weren't a good fit in the guitars they were supplied with. When we discovered this, we had to replace all the allen keys in every guitar - at the time there were about 600 guitars in the warehouse and each had to be opened, allen keys replaced and repacked without damaging the guitars or packaging... That one task accounted for 50 man hours work, plus the cost of replacement keys.

underdog · June 2017

For quick and nasty fix a rubber band in the hole (or over the end of the key) should be enough to give you the grip.

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Suggestion needed: Truss rod thread chewed

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