Dankology Posted July 21 Share Posted July 21 I recently picked up a Japanese P bass (PB 70US) and find that there is a bit too much rattle from all the strings from around the 5th to twelfth fret. I assumed this meant I needed a bit more relief. It's a body-end adjustment so I loosened the neck for access but couldn't get the rod to turn at all - in either direction. It's a cross head rather than the hex/Allen key ones I've been used to so I'm not sure if I'm being too cautious but it really does feel like it's stuck fast. Any pointers or simple checks I can do before I take it to a luthier? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary mac Posted July 28 Share Posted July 28 I would try to introduce a little back bow in the neck by the use of a straight edge and clamps (there are videos on Youtube). You might find that you can then loosen the screw more easily. If that doesn't work, then applying heat via a soldering iron held against the screw, often does the trick. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dankology Posted July 28 Author Share Posted July 28 Thanks for the reply. By coincidence I got this sorted just yesterday. I had intended taking it to a local repairer but a vicious bout of covid took me down so I tried again myself. I don't know if it was changes in humidity or the pressure I'd been intermittently been putting on the neck in the interim but the screw turned relatively easily. A quarter turn anticlockwise seems to have almost completely righted things. Still cursing Fender and their infuriating, but presumably period-correct, body-end, cross-head rod access... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted July 28 Share Posted July 28 4 hours ago, Dankology said: Still cursing Fender and their infuriating, but presumably period-correct, body-end, cross-head rod access... But apparently Leo got it right first time... 😁 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjones Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 (edited) 19 hours ago, Dankology said: Still cursing Fender and their infuriating, but presumably period-correct, body-end, cross-head rod access... I have an Elite Precision (introduced after the Deluxes and before the new Ultra) which has a wheel, at the body end of the neck, to adjust the truss rod. It's just like the one found on Musicman basses and makes it very easy to adjust when needed. I do wonder why they went back to the old truss rod adjuster? Edited July 29 by gjones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dankology Posted July 29 Author Share Posted July 29 48 minutes ago, gjones said: I do wonder why they went back to the old truss rod adjuster? It's a question I've been asking myself repeatedly, in much less poilte words, over recent days. When I went Googling to see if there was some good reason for it, the best I could find was a lot of TB postings by people apparently irate that anyone had any issue with the system. If that's your market, I guess you give them what they want. Surely the little wheel thing would be an excellent compromise though? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
velvetkevorkian Posted August 1 Share Posted August 1 Yeah seems like people want the reissue versions to be "period correct" even when that means being objectively worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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