Not sure about the Trussrod....

[tombaker]

ive been thinking about getting my Warwick Corvette Rockbass setup by a professional but i want to be able to set it up myself to save money and so i can get what i want.
i can pretty much adjust everything except the trussrod. ive heard that if you adjust the trussrod too much in one go, you can end up snapping the neck.
so, my questions are.....

- How do you adjust the trussrod safely?
- How do you know which way to turn the trussrod to straighten or curve the neck?
- How do you know if the neck needs to be straightened or curved so the action can be as low as it can go without getting fret-buzz?
- Should i do this myself first off or with someone who knows what theyre doing untill i know what im doing?

Cheers

 

[Gman]

You won't snap the neck adjusting the truss rod - you might bugger the rod itself but you won't snap the neck :wink:

The rules of adjustment:

1) Turn an 1/8 to a 1/4 turn at a time.
2) Looking from the head end, it's righty-tighty...lefty-loosey.
3) Tighten the rod to make it bend upwards (like an upside down bowl) and loosen the rod to make it bend downwards.

Look down the neck (from the head end) so you can see one side of the neck and using the string as a straight edge, assess whether you need to tighten or loosen the rod. See below..pse excuse dodgy pic quality!



Ideally the neck should have a little relief (downwards curve) to allow for the elliptical path of a string...but it really boils down to how you like your setup.

Use either the trussrod tool that should have come with your bass or get the correct sized allen key and you should be fine.

Note: some Warwick truss rods work the opposite to the above (ie the righty-tight rule is reversed).

There's an indepth guide to set up here:

HTH

G

 

[tombaker]

You won't snap the neck adjusting the truss rod - you might bugger the rod itself but you won't snap the neck :wink:

The rules of adjustment:

1) Turn an 1/8 to a 1/4 turn at a time.
2) Looking from the head end, it's righty-tighty...lefty-loosey.
3) Tighten the rod to make it bend upwards (like an upside down bowl) and loosen the rod to make it bend downwards.

Look down the neck (from the head end) so you can see one side of the neck and using the string as a straight edge, assess whether you need to tighten or loosen the rod. See below..pse excuse dodgy pic quality!



Ideally the neck should have a little relief (downwards curve) to allow for the elliptical path of a string...but it really boils down to how you like your setup.

Use either the trussrod tool that should have come with your bass or get the correct sized allen key and you should be fine.

Note: some Warwick truss rods work the opposite to the above (ie the righty-tight rule is reversed).

There's an indepth guide to set up here:

HTH

G

Thanks Gman,
are you sure that you wont snap the neck if you adjust the trussrod too much? If you bend the neck too much wont that crack the neck?
If the neck does break, can i get a replacement from Warwick? if i can, how much would a rockbass corvette neck be (maple neck, rosewood fingerboard)?
thanks for your help

 

[Benjamin]

Warwick necks are rock stable, try your best, it won't break.

 

[Grgzilla]

Dont worry about your neck.It will not break or crack from a truss rod adjustment.Even if the rod comes undone & the neck bends to buggery.Wenge & ovangkol are very stiff woods.Add to that the way the wood is sawn & glued together & you get one of the strongest necks available.

 

[tombaker]

Dont worry about your neck.It will not break or crack from a truss rod adjustment.Even if the rod comes undone & the neck bends to buggery.Wenge & ovangkol are very stiff woods.Add to that the way the wood is sawn & glued together & you get one of the strongest necks available.

yeah but my bass is a Warwick Rockbass Corvette so the neck may not be so strong. besides the neck is made of maple and rosewood.

 

[Gman]

Don't worry - you'll need to go a LONG way with that rod before something like that happens and you'll have a neck like a banana so I think you'll notice that you're overdoing it.

It's really not as scary as you think - most necks will go from 5mm bow to straight with about a whole turn. I'd say you could go 5 whole turns before you'll do any damage.

Maple is also a very strong wood - not as strong as wenge or ovangkol but you'll be just fine.

If you can post a pic similar to mine of your bass, we can see - I bet you're only a half turn away.

 

[Grgzilla]

Dont worry about your neck.It will not break or crack from a truss rod adjustment.Even if the rod comes undone & the neck bends to buggery.Wenge & ovangkol are very stiff woods.Add to that the way the wood is sawn & glued together & you get one of the strongest necks available.

yeah but my bass is a Warwick Rockbass Corvette so the neck may not be so strong. besides the neck is made of maple and rosewood.

It's still sawn,glued & constructed the same as a German Warwick.
You'll be fine. :wink:

 

[trujo777]

Dont worry about your neck.It will not break or crack from a truss rod adjustment.Even if the rod comes undone & the neck bends to buggery.Wenge & ovangkol are very stiff woods.Add to that the way the wood is sawn & glued together & you get one of the strongest necks available.

yeah but my bass is a Warwick Rockbass Corvette so the neck may not be so strong. besides the neck is made of maple and rosewood.

It's still sawn,glued & constructed the same as a German Warwick.
You'll be fine. :wink:

+1 on this. they are still very strong necks and they will stay there for a long while before you bust it... besides before it breaks (been there myself so this is why I tell you) the turning becomes very hard and then after you try with all your arm strength to turn it... that's when you turn a little more and feel the snapping . how old is your bass? it might still be under the 2 year warranty under Warwick IF there is anything wrong with the neck or trussrod and needs replacement. :wink:

 

[tombaker]

Dont worry about your neck.It will not break or crack from a truss rod adjustment.Even if the rod comes undone & the neck bends to buggery.Wenge & ovangkol are very stiff woods.Add to that the way the wood is sawn & glued together & you get one of the strongest necks available.

yeah but my bass is a Warwick Rockbass Corvette so the neck may not be so strong. besides the neck is made of maple and rosewood.

It's still sawn,glued & constructed the same as a German Warwick.
You'll be fine. :wink:

+1 on this. they are still very strong necks and they will stay there for a long while before you bust it... besides before it breaks (been there myself so this is why I tell you) the turning becomes very hard and then after you try with all your arm strength to turn it... that's when you turn a little more and feel the snapping . how old is your bass? it might still be under the 2 year warranty under Warwick IF there is anything wrong with the neck or trussrod and needs replacement. :wink:

its a 2003 Warwick Corvette Rockbass...... the thing is i bought it off eBay in january this year so it wont have any warranty.

is there any way i can get the warwick users kit without the wax? i can get seperates from the online warwick shop but the thing is that it costs around $200 postage to ship to australia......
ill try and get a picture up of the neck (like the earier one that Gman put up) soon.....
thanks for all your help!

 

[Grgzilla]

Where abouts are ya Tom?

 

[tombaker]

Where abouts are ya Tom?

Im in Victoria, Australia.......

 

[Grgzilla]

Where abouts are ya Tom?

Im in Victoria, Australia.......

All ya need is 2 allen keys.2.5mm & 5mm & a Warwick truss rod tool.
Did you get the truss rod tool with your bass?
The rest of the user kit is case candy.Ya dont really need it.

 

[tombaker]

Where abouts are ya Tom?

Im in Victoria, Australia.......

All ya need is 2 allen keys.2.5mm & 5mm & a Warwick truss rod tool.
Did you get the truss rod tool with your bass?
The rest of the user kit is case candy.Ya dont really need it.

Nah i bought the bass off eBay in January this year and it was only the bass, a gator double slinger bag and a strap...... nothing else

 

[Florin]

Where abouts are ya Tom?

Im in Victoria, Australia.......

All ya need is 2 allen keys.2.5mm & 5mm & a Warwick truss rod tool.
Did you get the truss rod tool with your bass?
The rest of the user kit is case candy.Ya dont really need it.

Hey Greg, you wanted to say 1,5 and 2,5 mm :wink: Then you can use either the trussrod tool, or a 5mm allen key for the trussrod.

 

[Grgzilla]

Where abouts are ya Tom?

Im in Victoria, Australia.......

All ya need is 2 allen keys.2.5mm & 5mm & a Warwick truss rod tool.
Did you get the truss rod tool with your bass?
The rest of the user kit is case candy.Ya dont really need it.

Hey Greg, you wanted to say 1,5 and 2,5 mm :wink: Then you can use either the trussrod tool, or a 5mm allen key for the trussrod.

Yes,thank you Flo.
My mind's been elswhere the last couple days mate. :wink:
**cough SS2 baby cough!!! :lol:

 

[tombaker]

Thanks for all your help!!
during the week i adjusted the truss rod (thanks for the truss rod tool greg!) and then yesterday afternoon i lowered the saddles. now the action is nice and low and feels great!