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

[Leonardocoate]

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

View attachment 995036

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

apologies! I did read your post but failed to react or respond. I must have been distracted. My body is already notched but not the pickguard. I decided to keep the neck because I love the feel of the V and the 7.25 radius. I'm hoping for a happy accident. I should've had more caffeine before shopping. Thanks for your advice

 

[Leonardocoate]

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

I'm going to order the spoke from StewMac.....I may not need it. I made a tool from a paint can opener as suggested...thanks

 

[Freeman Keller]

Leon, there are several different truss rod designs and each has advantage and, of course, disadvantages. I put the adjuster in the head whenever I can and I put it in the sound hole of acoustics when I can do that. I don't like taking a guitar apart to adjust it and I don't like modifying a guitar if I can get away from it. Do whatever you think makes sense with yours, remember that you will access it a bunch when doing the original setup and then not much for long periods. Think about the options next time you build something.

 

[Leonardocoate]

So how is the neck, otherwise? This looks to be the perfect neck for a build that I can planning.

The neck is well made. I will have to install a nut and file the fret ends, but it is a well made neck

 

[Leonardocoate]

Leon, there are several different truss rod designs and each has advantage and, of course, disadvantages. I put the adjuster in the head whenever I can and I put it in the sound hole of acoustics when I can do that. I don't like taking a guitar apart to adjust it and I don't like modifying a guitar if I can get away from it. Do whatever you think makes sense with yours, remember that you will access it a bunch when doing the original setup and then not much for long periods. Think about the options next time you build something.

It was a careless purchase for sure...I'm hoping for a happy accident

 

[Leonardocoate]

Unfortunately, some of the reissue bodies dont have that neck heel truss rod route so you can just take the pg off and adjust.

Here’s a shot of my 57 reissue strat

Untitled by D Y, on Flickr

I hate it as well, but,
Oh well, i just take the neck off and adjust it. I usually get the truss rod adjusted and neck relief after 2-3x, and then thats it i dont touch it anymore. Ive been lucky my necks are as stable as that I dont have to touch it after that initial (if new or new to me) tweak.

Fortunately mine is already notched

 

[dreamingtele]

Fortunately mine is already notched

Thats good. Count yourself lucky on that one.

I prefer the modern headstock adjust ment. But this is what comes with my favorite avri line, so its just what it is for me. Hehe

 

[RickyRicardo]

I really don't know what the big fuss is here. Loosen the strings unbolt the neck and you can adjust the rod. How often do you have to do this? I'm sure not very.

 

[Leonardocoate]

I really don't know what the big fuss is here. Loosen the strings unbolt the neck and you can adjust the rod. How often do you have to do this? I'm sure not very.

That is what I am hoping for

 

[chris m.]

I really don't know what the big fuss is here. Loosen the strings unbolt the neck and you can adjust the rod. How often do you have to do this? I'm sure not very.

Depends on the guitar and where you live. (Weather). I have some guitars that are super stable. But I have a few where a quarter turn of the truss rod is needed pretty regularly—several times a year. It sure is nice to be able to do it in about 15 seconds at the headstock.

 

[Leonardocoate]

Depends on the guitar and where you live. (Weather). I have some guitars that are super stable. But I have a few where a quarter turn of the truss rod is needed pretty regularly—several times a year. It sure is nice to be able to do it in about 15 seconds at the headstock.

Humidity and temperature are bouncing all over the place here in Cincinnati Ohio. My chunky all Maple necks stay pretty true. I'm hoping that will be the case with this neck

 

[Freeman Keller]

I really don't know what the big fuss is here. Loosen the strings unbolt the neck and you can adjust the rod. How often do you have to do this? I'm sure not very.

I prefer to adjust relief with tension on the neck, otherwise it is a guess. However usually with a couple of guesses I'm close enough. And yes, you don't have to do it very often but I still check from time to time.

 

[TokyoPortrait]

Hi.

Since you have a body with the cut-out / notch, I think you'll be fine. If everything is straight up vintage style (I'm guessing the neck is 21 frets?), you will just need to take the pick guard off and use the right tool. I use the paint tin opener approach. They are soft and will wear (& I believe some may be brittle and break), but the one I have now has lasted maybe four years. I will need to get a new one in the next year or so probably, but it's no big deal.

Good luck.

Pax/
Dean

 

[Beebe]

Congratulations! You just got the better sounding neck.

And fortunately once you get these set, they are quite stable.

 

[jman72]

I have an Allparts 22 fret vintage style neck (Jaguar scale) with the heel adjustable truss rod for my current build. I prefer a headstock adjustable truss rod, but there aren't a lot of Jaguar-style necks out there to choose from without spending a fortune. So, this is the one I have and will just have to make it work. I have a 50's style reissue Strat with the heel adjust, and I honestly haven't had to adjust it in probably 10 years (although I admittedly don't play it a lot, it is pretty stable).

To make things easier on my new build, I just added the notch in my body build so it shouldn't be a big deal to adjust. Hopefully it will not be a problem.

 

[Leonardocoate]

I have an Allparts 22 fret vintage style neck (Jaguar scale) with the heel adjustable truss rod for my current build. I prefer a headstock adjustable truss rod, but there aren't a lot of Jaguar-style necks out there to choose from without spending a fortune. So, this is the one I have and will just have to make it work. I have a 50's style reissue Strat with the heel adjust, and I honestly haven't had to adjust it in probably 10 years (although I admittedly don't play it a lot, it is pretty stable).

To make things easier on my new build, I just added the notch in my body build so it shouldn't be a big deal to adjust. Hopefully it will not be a problem.

Mine is a V shape and I use 9's. The structure of this neck seems very stable, so I'm optimistic. Most of my necks don't require much adjusting once they get set

 

[telemnemonics]

Much ado about nothing!

 

[jaxjaxon]

Yes. I have one but doesn’t fit quite right. Mine could be the ph3. Thx

You need one that has the flat head blade on it.