Fender Ultra P Bass Truss Rod Nut

[daws0n]

Morning all

 

I picked up this lovely new bass this week. Bought from original owner, hardly played, 18 months old.

 

All is as expected my only concern being the truss rod nut, it looks a little worn to me? As it's in warranty I took it to a local fender dealer yesterday for their technician to check. He got the rod moving swiftly and corrected the forward bow, relief now at 0.015".

 

All good is for now but I'd rather do the job myself in future. Stew Mac's gripper truss rod wrenches don't come cheap but look ideal for avoiding further wear & tear, are they a worthwhile investment over Fender's bundled T-Bar?

 

Edited September 14 by daws0n
better photo

[Bigguy2017]

I'd replace the truss rod nut.

Take the neck off, wind the nut fully out - you can cut a slot in it once it's proud of the wood.

 

Replace with a nice new nut with a smear of grease.

 

Is it a standard 3/16" allen key? If so it's a Fender #: 0038443000 nut

 

 

[daws0n]

Yes standard 3/16". Good to know they can be unspun and replaced, I didn't know that was an option!

[gjones]

I own an Elite Precision (the model manufactured after the deluxe and before the Ultra) and that has a wheel at the base of the neck, just like a Musicman, that adjusts the truss rod. It's one of the best things about the Elite and I have no idea why they got rid of it when they changed the name to Ultra?

 

[daws0n]

I don't understand it either, I much prefer truss rod adjusters at the neck end for this reason... On my mia Jazz it's not a major problem, the scratch plate comes off in no time and I can get an allen key on the nut OK then. With the P-Bass the scratch plate covers the pots and switches also, so removing would be far more involved.

 

Using the Fender T-Bar the angle of attack is such that nothing is snug and you're relying mostly on the ball end for grip... It feels like there's plenty of bite left but given the value of the bass it's not something I'll make of a habit of adjusting often until the nut is replaced.

 

Compared to the easy access on Ibanez bass below, it feels like a design choice that's asking for trouble long term.

 

 

 

 

Edited September 14 by daws0n

[daws0n]

According to service manual American series basses have a different part number truss rod nut. Same goes for both the Ultra and AMII pro models the rod has a less common different thread size, 12-28

 

part 0048688049 is what's needed, allegedly the same as 0048688000.

 

Not easy to come by the UK currently so I have ordered one from the USA.

Edited September 16 by daws0n

[daws0n]

Incase someone stumbles across this thread looking for the same part, here is Fender's advice straight from the horse's mouth:

 

Quote

Thank you for contacting us. I hope you are well!
 
The only truss rod nut suitable for the Ultra P-Bass is P/N: 0048688049
 
They are not available on our webstore and can only be acquired via special order through authorised dealers in Europe. The other truss rod nuts will not be suitable I'm afraid. The only other option would be to purchase from US dealers such Darren Riley.

 

Darren Riley sells them for a very reasonable price (10 USD) but the shipping cost is 47 USD on top.

 

I'm a bit flabbergasted that these parts are so difficult to come by for MIA guitars, when they are readily available for cheaper MIM fender models for <£10. Not what I expected after paying a lot of money for an instrument!

Edited September 25 by daws0n