Bad truss rod

$ongWriter · #1 01-17-2010, 09:26 AM

I have a Gurian that was made about 69 or 70. It has alot of miles on it. Had a neck re-set a few years ago and the "block" had shifted toward the bridge. Had that fixed. I bought the guitar for almost nothing but after these repairs plus fixing a broken brace I have in it about what it's worth.
(Neck also has a crack but has been fixed and stable since I've had it...6-7 years). Anyway, my question is about the truss rod. It does nothing. If a truss rod breaks and needs to be replaced how expensive is that?...the guitar plays ok now but the action is a little high and I think the truss rod would be my last fix. Did I mention the guitar has alot of mojo and great tone!!...

mmmaak · #2 01-17-2010, 09:35 AM

hmmm....if the guitar had a neck reset a couple of years ago, shouldn't that have fixed the high-action/low-saddle problem? What's stopping you from simply shaving the saddle to lower action?

Also, what is the current neck relief since you want to turn the truss rod?

brian a. · #3 01-17-2010, 09:51 AM

Go to frets.com and find articles with pictures and read all about truss rods, neck angle, action height and their adjustments.

hempomatic · #4 01-17-2010, 10:06 AM

The truss rod isn't there to adjust the action, but rather the relief. If the relief is satisfactory, shaving the saddle and or filing the nut slots will lower your action. Replacing the truss rod is a pretty big job, requiring at the least, fingerboard removal.

ken

mud4feet · #5 01-17-2010, 01:09 PM

I had a truss rod replaced quite a few years ago (circa 2004) in a '79 Gibson J-55. Set me back about 600 beans and took the guy around a year. Something to consider from my personal experience.

Aaron Smith · #6 01-17-2010, 03:56 PM

It helps to know how the truss rod is broken. If the threads are just stripped, it can sometimes be fixed without removing the fingerboard and replacing it. If it's actually broken, it's going to be very expensive and probably not justified for all but the most expensive guitars.

Tone Gopher · #7 01-17-2010, 04:07 PM

Find a repair shop that knows Gurians. As I recall, the double-acting trussrod is not glued in and may be swapped out by simply unpinning and removing the neck. Once the neck is off, the trussrod assembly can be pulled from the neck and a new one inserted. It is simply a rod bent on itself for its full length and wrapped in foil tape. If original, it was not glued into the channel.

If the fingerboard need to be removed, it is not such a big deal either as the fingerboards are not bound.

Burning question tho' - and some have already alluded to it: How do you know the trussrod is broken? Why do you need to adjust the trussrod to address the action height?

Are you familiar with the Gurian double-acting trussrod? I've never heard of anyone breaking one. Maybe stripping the threads but not breaking it.

mmmaak · #8 01-17-2010, 08:22 PM

A double-action rod, eh? Could that be why the OP thinks it's broken? Since between correcting upbow and backbow, there's a region where it feels loose and unresponsive

BuckMahoney · #9 01-17-2010, 09:40 PM

If the truss rod nut is rattling or just not doing anything when you turn it it could be loose,causing some forward bow in the neck and the high action.If the guitars neck was thin to begin with then there might be some forward bow to deal with and the truss rod will need to be tightened.If you look on the frets.com page it shows how to diagnose this problem.I have a guitar with some bellying of the top and as little as a few centimeters can give you very high action.Something to think about.

Tone Gopher · #10 01-18-2010, 03:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mmmaak

A double-action rod, eh? Could that be why the OP thinks it's broken? Since between correcting upbow and backbow, there's a region where it feels loose and unresponsive

Correcto Mundo! To those not familiar with the inner workings of a Gurian, there may be quite a few surprises. Michael Gurian was a pioneer and innovator in many realms of the guitar. T'was a bad turn that took him out of building guitars. Thank goodness he is still making fret files, purfling, etc. for the building/repair community. Michael Gurian was a visionary and has made the guitar world a better place.