Warwick bass truss rod - piece of poo!!!!

roberty

Is the truss rod alive or dead? Why can't I adjust it at the head!

gary_mac

Danielsguitars said:

gary_mac said:

Must admit to fancying a day off from repairs today and just getting out the garden, to enjoy the sunshine.

I overlook 200 acres of farm from my workshop window, it's great to get out for lunch in the sunshine, very peaceful if my work goes well 

Enjoy your lunch in the sun.  

I've clamped some frets. Glued and clamped a classical bridge that had suffered abuse at the hands of its owner and now it's time for a break, the Warwick can wait.

poopot

roberty said:

Is the truss rod alive or dead? Why can't I adjust it at the head!

The tension on the rod has stripped the threads... the adjuster is fine but the rod is mashed!...

gary_mac

@poopot looks like you're doing a great job, I'm really hoping not to have to remove the fretboard on the one that I'm working on. I've now drilled in to the remaining part of the adjuster screw and got a self tapper in there but still can't pull the rod.   Tomorrow I think I'll attempt to clamp the neck down and get it as straight as poss, which will hopefully free up the rod and let me pull it out by getting a wrench on to the self tapping screw.

ICBM

gary_mac said:

I've now drilled in to the remaining part of the adjuster screw and got a self tapper in there but still can't pull the rod.   Tomorrow I think I'll attempt to clamp the neck down and get it as straight as poss, which will hopefully free up the rod and let me pull it out by getting a wrench on to the self tapping screw.

I can't remember for sure - it was a long time ago - but I think I got the Rick rod out by 'working' the neck up and down with the body clamped to the bench, until it started to move in tiny steps and then suddenly came loose.

gary_mac

ICBM said:

gary_mac said:

I've now drilled in to the remaining part of the adjuster screw and got a self tapper in there but still can't pull the rod.   Tomorrow I think I'll attempt to clamp the neck down and get it as straight as poss, which will hopefully free up the rod and let me pull it out by getting a wrench on to the self tapping screw.

I can't remember for sure - it was a long time ago - but I think I got the Rick rod out by 'working' the neck up and down with the body clamped to the bench, until it started to move in tiny steps and then suddenly came loose.

Will keep that in mind, thanks.

roberty

poopot said:

roberty said:

Is the truss rod alive or dead? Why can't I adjust it at the head!

The tension on the rod has stripped the threads... the adjuster is fine but the rod is mashed!...

It was meant to be sung to the tune of Black Sabbath's Iron Man, because you were holding an iron

DLM

poopot said:

ICBM said:

poopot said:

And have you seen how much Warwick want for a pre ‘96 truss rod

No, but at a guess it's still less than paying luthier rates for what you're having to do...

Warwick themselves quoted £700+ to do this...

no one locally wanted to touch it!!!!

That's got to be more than the bass is worth!

gary_mac

I know that this is not my thread but just wanted to report back that I finally managed to get the old truss rod out. Happy days, although did manage to whack myself in the nuts with the mole grips, when it suddenly freed.          Going to be one happy customer though when he gets the bass back, it's a rare old beastie with a very low serial number. 

ICBM

gary_mac said:

Happy days, although did manage to whack myself in the nuts with the mole grips, when it suddenly freed. 

Lucky I didn't have a mouthful of coffee when I read that .

poopot

gary_mac said:

I know that this is not my thread but just wanted to report back that I finally managed to get the old truss rod out. Happy days, although did manage to whack myself in the nuts with the mole grips, when it suddenly freed.          Going to be one happy customer though when he gets the bass back, it's a rare old beastie with a very low serial number. 

What did warwick rush you for a replacement rod?

gary_mac

poopot said:

gary_mac said:

I know that this is not my thread but just wanted to report back that I finally managed to get the old truss rod out. Happy days, although did manage to whack myself in the nuts with the mole grips, when it suddenly freed.          Going to be one happy customer though when he gets the bass back, it's a rare old beastie with a very low serial number. 

What did warwick rush you for a replacement rod? 
My customer knows Mr. Warwick and he supplied it direct to him, so I don't know.

prowla

ICBM said:

Apparently this is common. What's utterly ridiculous is that the old Warwicks have a truss rod that you can replace by pulling it out from the headstock end without having to do any of this.

Having seen the way that's done - like the old Rickenbacker rods, or how RIC do it now where you can get at the body end of the rod and undo the anchor - it's really quite unbelievable that it isn't done that way on every instrument. Completely stupid to have to do this much damage to replace one where there is a perfectly good alternative which Warwick themselves used to use.

Yay - a guitar tech praises Rickenbacker!

ICBM

prowla said:

Yay - a guitar tech praises Rickenbacker!

They do have their constructional faults, much as I love them as instruments. But the current truss rods are not one of them - the old ones could be, although they work very well *if adjusted properly*... it's just that there's a different method from almost any other rod, which *must* be followed to avoid damage.

What really baffles me is that it's perfectly possible to make any standard rod accessible at both ends, just as Rickenbacker do - even on a set-neck guitar, as long as it has a neck pickup cavity at the end of the fingerboard. All you need to do is leave that end of the channel open, and a broken rod could be pushed out a short way at that end, the anchor removed, and the rod pulled out via the headstock. Then a new one fitted exactly the same way.

While broken truss rods are not *that* common, why make it impossible to replace one without taking the fingerboard off, for no good reason?

poopot

A bit of progress... the truss rod is back from the truss rod making pixies... with a bigger block for the heel end... 

managed to get the tank makers to weld it on securely...



As you can see it’s a bit more substantial than the Warwick one...



A chisel later and it’s in...



Filler strip in, glued and clamped



Excess cut off on the spinning blade of doom...



Then shaved flat with the hand held shaving machine...



Then we stopped for lunch and then I got sidetracked by a squirrel...

more soon!...

axisus

Nice job so far.

Removing a fretboard is high on my list of jobs I hate! Done 3, rather not do a 4th!

Andyjr1515

I love the little drop-in line "managed to get the tank makers to weld..." 
- and there, behind the trussrod, is a freaking TANK!!!!

Best line of 2019.  And good job on the truss rod too

poopot

Hokay!... so... tried gluing the old fret board back on and it’s fooked... so... new lump of whengay got...



Was a bit thick (9mm) so was reduced in thickness by the power of positive thought...



Then we we got the measuring tongs out and marked the metal note line slot positions...




Then using the kitchen knife I cut the note line slots...





Then glued the fecker to the neck...



This is really an excessive amount of work considering it’s a bloody bass and only one string will ever get played

Danielsguitars

Be glad when that bloody thing is out the shop, now I'm short of clamps 

Grangousier

He's certainly used all the clamps. It's a clamp festival right there.