Truss rod adjustment is on the heel!....Now what?

[Leonardocoate]

I just got an All Parts Strat neck from Statosphere. It feels and looks great. I know I'm going to love the "V" neck, but I just noticed that the adjustment for the truss rod is on the heel. Now what? I'm uncertain how to proceed. It,s pretty straight and it's chunky enough that I don't think it would need much adjusting later. Anybody out there with experience on the matter?

 

[Jakedog]

I hate that. I have no idea why companies are still even making necks like that. Such a completely dumb and outdated design. “But it’s vintage correct!” So what?

The only acceptable way to do it is to put a wheel adjuster on there like Music Man does.

Sorry I can’t be of more help. If it were me I’d just send it back.

 

[guitarbuilder]

You create that little notch behind the neck like Leo Fender did. It will be under the pickguard if you are using a pickguard. You can make it with a hammer and a sharp chisel or rout it out. It's 5/8" deep and .620 wide according to this drawing by Terry Downs. Personally, I like the vintage look myself. Maybe if you have a tele body...the notch is there already...

Fender Classic Series 60's Telecaster SS Alder Guitar Body, Vintage Bridge Mount, Candy Apple Red

Manufacturer's Description Crafted at our Ensenada, Mexico, manufacturing facility, this genuine Fender Telecaster® guitar body is routed for a traditional SS pickup configuration is pre-drilled with four screw holes for vintage-style bridge mounting

www.musicstorelive.com

Fender Telecaster 1957 Blond | Reverb

This beautiful 57 Tele was previously offered with a refinished body that had a crack in the control cavity. We have removed that listing and sold that body, as we had the good fortune to purchase an 8/57 body that had been painted over but subsequently had the over-paint removed. We were advised...

reverb.com

Here you can see where this pickguard has some wear from adjusting the nut.

Fender telecaster pickguard 1959 green celluloid | Reverb

For sale a rare 1959 fender telecaster green guard. Nice shape, has 3 small filled holes, two for the neck pickup adjustment.No trades no returns.

reverb.com

 

[Peegoo]

Set the neck dead straight with the truss rod before you install it. Use a straight edge in the center of the fretboard, and hold the neck up high under a bright light to make sure you' e adjusted it properly.

Install the neck and string it up.

Check relief. If it exceeds about .012" at the 8th fret, loosen all the strings so they are flopping on the frets. Apply a capo at the 1st fret. Loosen and remove the neck mounting screws, gently tip out the neck and turn the rod 1/8 of a turn clockwise. Reinstall the neck and check relief again.

 

[Timbresmith1]

What Peegoo said. You can also grind a long flat blade screwdriver so it will fit into one quadrant of the adjustment nut. Tom Anderson turned me on to that one.
Is it a 22 fret neck? If so, you’ll have to loosen the screws as above. I hate 22 fret necks for that reason alone.
I usually dish out the pickguard for screwdriver access on 3 ply guards if they aren’t already.
I think people make way too much fuss over this. It should be a couple/few times a year adjustment unless you have humidity control problems or swap string gauges frequently.

 

[Leonardocoate]

Set the neck dead straight with the truss rod before you install it. Use a straight edge in the center of the fretboard, and hold the neck up high under a bright light to make sure you' e adjusted it properly.

Install the neck and string it up.

Check relief. If it exceeds about .012" at the 8th fret, loosen all the strings so they are flopping on the frets. Apply a capo at the 1st fret. Loosen and remove the neck mounting screws, gently tip out the neck and turn the rod 1/8 of a turn clockwise. Reinstall the neck and check relief again.

This sounds like what I was preparing for. It is a chunky neck so once it is set it should stay. If this little factoid was in the description I wouldn't have bought it. I guess when they said vintage I should have known. Oh well

 

[Timbresmith1]

This sounds like what I was preparing for. It is a chunky neck so once it is set it should stay. If this little factoid was in the description I wouldn't have bought it. I guess when they said vintage I should have known. Oh well

String gauge could make a difference. 11’s or 12’s may need a touch of backbow

 

[schmee]

I hate that. I have no idea why companies are still even making necks like that. Such a completely dumb and outdated design. “But it’s vintage correct!” So what?

The only acceptable way to do it is to put a wheel adjuster on there like Music Man does.

Sorry I can’t be of more help. If it were me I’d just send it back.

TOTALLY agree. There are some necks Warmoth wont even make a headstock adjustment on. Go figger!
OP: if it is straight now, quite chunky, and if you are playing 10's or 9's, I would just make sure the rod isn't loose and snugged up a touch, then string it and see.

 

[chris m.]

This sounds like what I was preparing for. It is a chunky neck so once it is set it should stay. If this little factoid was in the description I wouldn't have bought it. I guess when they said vintage I should have known. Oh well

It is annoying to get it set up, but as long as you don't require super low action then once you get the action right it should stay pretty stable after that given it's a chunky neck. If you like super low action then even a little movement towards more back-bow results in the strings hitting the frets. But if you like a more standard action then there's room for small, weather-driven changes in the neck bow that result in slightly higher or slightly lower action without it noticeably affecting anything.

I have a vintage Tele neck with a super chunky boat neck profile and I haven't had to touch the truss rod in about 15 years.

 

[old wrench]

There is nothing really unusual about a heel located adjuster - that was the original design that Fender started out with

When I hear the description "vintage Fender neck" or "vintage-style Fender neck", I still picture a neck with a single rod, single-acting truss-rod with a heel adjustment.

The adjuster has a " + " shape to it that looks like a philips head, but isn't - it's just two intersecting slots

Adjusting it wasn't really considered a big deal "way back when", because the adjuster isn't completely covered - usually you can turn it by getting a bite in one of the slots at a time with the right screwdriver or a specially ground one like @Timbresmith1 mentions - worst-case scenario involved removing the pick-guard

Some folks (including myself) sometimes used an old-style paint can opener modified with a couple of file strokes so it would engage the adjusters slot so you could make a quarter-turn without scarring-up the pick-guard

And, there will always be some folks who believe that heel-adjust truss-rod design is part of, or contributes to, the "magic" in the tone of the vintage Teles

.

 

[Leonardocoate]

I like the paint can opener idea. I use 9s so it should be ok

There is nothing really unusual about a heel located adjuster - that was the original design that Fender started out with

When I hear the description "vintage Fender neck" or "vintage-style Fender neck", I still picture a neck with a single rod, single-acting truss-rod with a heel adjustment.

The adjuster has a " + " shape to it that looks like a philips head, but isn't - it's just two intersecting slots

Adjusting it wasn't really considered a big deal "way back when", because the adjuster isn't completely covered - usually you can turn it by getting a bite in one of the slots at a time with the right screwdriver or a specially ground one like @Timbresmith1 mentions - worst-case scenario involved removing the pick-guard

Some folks (including myself) sometimes used an old-style paint can opener modified with a couple of file strokes so it would engage the adjusters slot so you could make a quarter-turn without scarring-up the pick-guard

And, there will always be some folks who believe that heel-adjust truss-rod design is part of, or contributes to, the "magic" in the tone of the vintage Teles

I’m going in with an open mind. I love the feel of the v neck. I have vintage style tuners so I’m sure this neck will work out. I have gotten some good advise so I’m looking forward to it. It just threw me off a bit

 

[Leonardocoate]

String gauge could make a difference. 11’s or 12’s may need a touch of backbow

I use 9s so I’m optimistic

 

[ghostchord]

The last two necks I built are heel access to the truss rod. These are for me so let's see if my future self hates me. I find it easier to build and you get a cleaner headstock look. Also inserts + locking tuners so I can loosen the strings, get the neck off, get it back on, pretty pretty quick. This probably related to where you live (temperature and humidity swings) but I've never had to adjust a truss rod after an initial adjustment (I also use the same string gauge). Another future consideration is that if the truss rod ever broke or needed replacing that's an easier bit of surgery, but I guess that's stretching it I did put in this notch on the guitar I'm building now but to be honest that doesn't seem to actually make things any easier because I don't see how I can access the notch without removing the pickguard which is more work than removing the neck... All that said the wheel adjusted ones are maybe the best option, I should try building with those one day, I think a little bit more difficult to build (need to notch the fretboard for access).

 

[Freeman Keller]

When I'm setting up a guitar with a heel adjust I just assume I'm probably not going to get as fine an adjustment on the relief as I would with head or side heel adjust, I'm just not willing to take the neck off and on enough times. On the other hand, the Gotoh side heel adjuster is quite an elegant solution.

 

[Leonardocoate]

When I'm setting up a guitar with a heel adjust I just assume I'm probably not going to get as fine an adjustment on the relief as I would with head or side heel adjust, I'm just not willing to take the neck off and on enough times. On the other hand, the Gotoh side heel adjuster is quite an elegant solution.

That is interesting but I don't see myself installing that. I'm just going to try to get it right and hope it stays. I will create an access point and hope that works out

 

[Leonardocoate]

The last two necks I built are heel access to the truss rod. These are for me so let's see if my future self hates me. I find it easier to build and you get a cleaner headstock look. Also inserts + locking tuners so I can loosen the strings, get the neck off, get it back on, pretty pretty quick. This probably related to where you live (temperature and humidity swings) but I've never had to adjust a truss rod after an initial adjustment (I also use the same string gauge). Another future consideration is that if the truss rod ever broke or needed replacing that's an easier bit of surgery, but I guess that's stretching it I did put in this notch on the guitar I'm building now but to be honest that doesn't seem to actually make things any easier because I don't see how I can access the notch without removing the pickguard which is more work than removing the neck... All that said the wheel adjusted ones are maybe the best option, I should try building with those one day, I think a little bit more difficult to build (need to notch the fretboard for access).

Can a truss rod nut be taken off/out and replaced with a hex nut or an adjustment wheel like on Musicman guitars

 

[guitarbuilder]

Can a truss rod nut be taken off/out and replaced with a hex nut or an adjustment wheel like on Musicman guitars

On double rods, they are welded/brazed on. On an Allparts, IIRC and they haven't changed, it is a traditional style rod where the nut comes off...like the originals. Allparts sells replacement nuts, but you could have a spoked one machined to fit I bet. I wouldn't, but that's me. Teisco used to sell guitar necks with an outer adjustment nut with a bit smaller diameter.

Teisco Guitar Neck | Reverb

I have available a vintage neck from a Teisco or Tesco-like Japanese made guitar. Neck is in good condition. It has several scuffs and scratches but nothing too bad. The frets do show some wear, especially the zero fret. The neck is flat and straight and the truss rod nut ...

reverb.com

Allparts adjustment nuts are probably at a 3 degree angle to horizontal, so you'd have to take that into consideration if making one.


Stewmac sells this:

Spoke Wheel Truss Rod Nut - StewMac

A modern approach to 'heel-adjust' necks. The spoke wheel allows you to adjust the neck while it's still bolted on.

www.stewmac.com

You may want to read this one:

Truss rod: replacing slotted nut with a spoke wheel nut

Hi all I want to mod my MIJ TL62B. It has a slotted nut at the heel and it's a pain in the ass getting there. Everytime I want to adjust the truss rod, I have to take the pickguard out and then, carefully, make the adjustment with a "tool" made of an ice cream spoon. The right way would be...

www.tdpri.com

This guy used the stewmac one and made his own rod.

Bob J’s 2021 brotherhood build - thinline

I've built a Doug Fir Tele in the past, and wonder how you found the routing and sanding to go. I found that there's really defined hard and soft grain, and that sanding the edges was a challenge to keep surfaces flat without developing scallops between the grains. I used straight vertical grain...

www.tdpri.com

 

[Maguchi]

I just got an All Parts Strat neck from Statosphere. It feels and looks great. I know I'm going to love the "V" neck, but I just noticed that the adjustment for the truss rod is on the heel. Now what? I'm uncertain how to proceed. It,s pretty straight and it's chunky enough that I don't think it would need much adjusting later. Anybody out there with experience on the matter?

Send it back. There are plenty of necks with the truss adjustment at the headstock nowadays.

 

[guitarbuilder]

New Allparts necks with headstock truss rod adjustment

Thought some of you would like to know that Allparts is now selling C profile necks with truss rod adjustment at the headstock. Here are the specs: 21 tall frets (.079” x .051”) Classic C-shape, one-piece maple neck, sanded, unfinished and ready to spray 10" radius Classic 1-5/8" nut width...

www.tdpri.com

 

[jaxjaxon]

There should be a slot cut in the body where the truss rod adjustment is then you use a tool like this. some have flat blades on both ends.