(Editor’s note: This is a contributed article. You can also contribute an article! See details at bottom.)
So the truss rod in your bass is shot. It doesn’t work anymore. Maybe it’s from the adjusting nut breaking off. Maybe the rod is stripped. Maybe the rod is broken.
There are 2 ways you can fix a truss rod in a bass.
1. Replace the truss rod
Not a fix but usually the best advice.
2. Use tools to try and save the truss rod
The kit to use is the Truss Rod Rescue Kit from StewMac. Here is a link to it https://www.stewmac.com/Luthier_Tools/Tools_by_Job/Tools_for_Truss_Rods/Truss_Rod_Rescue_Kit.html If the kit isn’t in stock or unavailable, you can put together the tools that are in the kit separately just by reading the list of what’s in the kit.
The kit comes with a hex wrench, cutter, die, pilot and spacers. It will NOT work on double action truss rods so if you have one of those, it will need to be replaced. But with normal single action rods you may be able to save a single action rod.
The cutter removes wood around the rod to make room for new threads. The die is used to cut new clean threads. A spacer is used and then you can reinstall the adjusting nut.
The pilot is specifically for Fender necks because the access hole is smaller.
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Just love tools that work!,,i come up with all kinds of ways to do just this fix,,
but this makes it easy,,what bothers me is the cost of such a simple tool,,
if yu want to call it that,,,,will look into this one,,,
very usefull indeed!!,,,peace out
Stew Mac is the place to go! For a bass modification project I needed to have truss rod access from the headstock; the neck I have is heel access, so I emailed SM’s technical department & asked if it was possible to (since the bland 21 fret fingerboard was being replaced with an ebony 24-fretter, It would make things easier). After submitting the requested neck pics – I was given the thumbs up!
How embarrassing; I got carried away & forgot to include “(..possible to) swap the truss rood around for heel access”. Once submitted, I found editing impossible.