how to adjust the neck of a stratocaster and what tool to buy

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Tool for trussrod adjustment without having to remove the neck(strat/tele)?

• Thread starter jbert
• Beginning date Oct xv, 2016

• #1

I don't want to have to accept my necks off anymore. wondering if there'southward a tool fabricated to adjust the trussrod allowing for this. i'll have to sculp the pickgaurd besides. no problem with a dremel.

• #2

Those paint tin openers do the trick if y'all can go far in that location.

• #4

If it's a slotted truss rod nut the Stewmac tool works very well, but only on telecasters and only if they accept the footling aqueduct cut between the pickup and the neck pocket. Then you merely take to remove the pickguard to adapt the truss rod. Unfortunately it won't work on Strats for two reasons: offset, at that place's no way to easily move/remove the pickguard out of the fashion and second, Strat bodies don't have the lilliputian access channel between the cervix pickup and the neck pocket. It may seem like a pain simply it's really faster to remove the cervix. I wish in that location was an piece of cake style to retrofit spokewheel adjusters for heel suit guitars.

Channel:

No Channel:

• #5

If it'southward a slotted truss rod nut the Stewmac tool works very well, but only on telecasters and only if they accept the little channel cut betwixt the pickup and the neck pocket. Then you only have to remove the pickguard to adjust the truss rod. Unfortunately information technology won't work on Strats for 2 reasons: first, there's no fashion to hands motility/remove the pickguard out of the manner and second, Strat bodies don't have the piddling access channel between the neck pickup and the neck pocket. Information technology may seem similar a hurting but it's really faster to remove the neck. I wish in that location was an easy fashion to retrofit spokewheel adjusters for heel adjust guitars.

Channel:

No Channel:

interesting. why is it I encounter strat pickguards grooved where the trussrod is? I always thought that was for access to the trussrod for easy adjustment without having to accept the neck off. oh well. thanks.

• #6

This has been a PITA for years. So much easier on a Gibson.

Y'all don't have to have the neck completely off though.

• #seven

here's what you do:

advisedly dremel a little notch in the pickguard and the body, replace the truss rod nut with a fender american standard blazon which has a one/8" hex hole, so take a i/8" hex wrench and chop off the short end just past the bend.

this is my tele; i stole this trick from john suhr, who builds his guitars with heel-access truss rods in just this mode.

Last edited: Dec 22, 2019

• #8

the Stewmac tool works very well, but only on telecasters and only if they have the picayune channel cut between the pickup and the neck pocket. Then you merely have to remove the pickguard to adjust the truss rod. Unfortunately information technology won't work on Strats

yeah;

as i see information technology, this detail was designed into the original broadcaster/tele, note the neck pickup is

not attached to the pickguard; effortless to pop the guard off and adapt, don't even need to loosen the strings.

when the strat came along in that location was no proficient way to implement the idea, since the pickups and pots were all mounted to the big pickguard. fender just abandoned information technology without changing the truss rod itself, with the unfortunate result that you had to remove the cervix to get to the aligning.

• #ix

If you think you're going to need to suit the neck oftentimes, so WalterW's method is probably best. But, for more rare aligning, you could pull the cervix and lay an 18" straightedge on it, then use a feeler estimate to arrange in betwixt .008" and .012" clearance at the eighth fret or then. Reassemble, and you should be shut enough for rock 'n' roll.

• #10

you could pull the cervix and lay an 18" straightedge on it, then use a feeler gauge to conform in between .008" and .012" clearance at the eighth fret or so.

with no strings?

that would be unplayably loftier once the strings were on!

a expert minimal relief (.010" or less) with strings on ordinarily means

backbow with no string tension.

• #11

That's possible, of form, simply I haven't seen a cervix that springy in a long time. I could be spoiled, though. Most of what I work on is new or relatively so, and often accept dual-action truss rods. Those are pretty solid - almost a "set information technology and forget information technology" design.

• #12

interesting. why is information technology I run across strat pickguards grooved where the trussrod is? I always thought that was for access to the trussrod for like shooting fish in a barrel adjustment without having to take the cervix off. oh well. thanks.

You used to exist able to adapt a Strat trussrod with just a screwdriver, that's why they had a cutatway in the pickguard for access.

• #13

here's what y'all do:

carefully dremel a little notch in the pickguard and the body, replace the truss rod nut with a fender american standard blazon which has a 1/8" hex pigsty, then take a 1/viii" hex wrench and chop off the short end just past the curve.

this is my tele; i stole this play tricks from john suhr, who builds his guitars with heel-admission truss rods in just this way.

walter, thank you and then much. curious.....where exercise I get the proper truss rod nut replacement. also.... can a novice luthier similar myself remove the original truss rod nut without any difficulty. funny. I remember john suhr chiming in long ago saying that he performs this modern on request. his shop isn't all that far from my domicile. I tried calling him today merely there was no answer. i'll keep trying as I also need a fret chore. information technology's a custom shop '56 mary kaye.

• #14

If yous call up you're going to need to adjust the neck oftentimes, and so WalterW'south method is probably all-time. Simply, for more rare adjustment, you could pull the neck and lay an eighteen" straightedge on it, so utilise a feeler judge to accommodate in between .008" and .012" clearance at the 8th fret or so. Reassemble, and you should be close enough for rock 'north' ringlet.

I live in the high desert where it gets extremely humid during monsoon season and extremely dry during the wintertime with the heater going. I have a humidifier to go along things at nearly 30-40% humidity. before that my necks were all over the place. drove me mad. my strat has vintage cervix radius (7.25"). and so I try to keep the acme at 8th fret somewhere around .010"-011". the tele is a custom store '54 with a 10" radius.

• #15

Yous used to be able to adjust a Strat trussrod with just a screwdriver, that'south why they had a cutatway in the pickguard for access.

yeah, if you didn't mind a gouged-up pickguard.

as far as i can tell that fiddling divot in the strat pickguard was put there to tease us, you're non jamming whatsoever kind of tool in there without leaving marks.

• #16

walter, thank you so much. curious.....where do I get the proper truss rod nut replacement. also.... can a novice luthier like myself remove the original truss rod nut without any difficulty.

it'south a fender american standard guitar truss rod nut, and the former one but spins right out.

• #17

here'southward what you do:

advisedly dremel a piffling notch in the pickguard and the torso, supplant the truss rod nut with a fender american standard type which has a ane/8" hex hole, then accept a 1/8" hex wrench and chop off the curt end merely past the bend.

this is my tele; i stole this fob from john suhr, who builds his guitars with heel-access truss rods in merely this style.

Just curious, if you're going to go to the problem of routing the pickguard (and possibly the channel in the body) why not supercede the hex nut with a spokewheel and eliminate the demand for specialized tools for adjustments?

• #18

Just curious, if y'all're going to go to the trouble of routing the pickguard (and possibly the channel in the torso) why non replace the hex nut with a spokewheel and eliminate the need for specialized tools for adjustments?

a perfectly viable choice, but information technology'southward more visually obvious and sometimes a little trickier to cut the right-shaped notch for it.

there are bug with the bearing surfaces, y'all have to space it so that the part within the neck presses on forest before the spoke wheel part hits the exterior of the neck.

yous besides can't use it with an overhanging 22-fret cervix without cutting a huge hole right in the fretboard itself to admission it.

i myself adopt to proceed the guitar part simple and unobtrusive and just use the special tool to adapt it.

• #19

a perfectly viable option, but it'southward more visually obvious and sometimes a little trickier to cutting the correct-shaped notch for information technology.

in that location are issues with the bearing surfaces, you accept to space it then that the function within the neck presses on wood before the spoke wheel function hits the outside of the cervix.

you besides can't use it with an overhanging 22-fret neck without cutting a huge hole right in the fretboard itself to access it.

i myself prefer to keep the guitar part simple and unobtrusive and only use the special tool to adjust it.

• #twenty

at the custum store they can practice it, with what seems similar some kind of screwdriver (?).

At 12:fifty.

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