Would you buy a Warwick with a nonwarwick truss rod?

Alright, so the truss rod is going to be replaced for me, yay! Now, on to the question I have regarding this.

I asked if I should order a warwick rod and bring it to use. He isn't a fan of the truss rods warwick uses, and is going to replace the one he originally did the repair with with another one of the same ones (not an issue, this was definitely a fluke). What he said though was that there had to be some minor work done to the truss rod channel that he thought he could get away with not doing the first time, and apparently couldn't. it think it has to do with the shape of part of the channel, I didn't totally understand him.

So, the question is: should I still go with it, or pay to have it done with a warwick rod and no modifications of the rod channel?
 
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The mod is prolly a slight shave due to a slight difference
in rod diameter. Since he is standing behind his work even
tho it was done for a previous owner, it seems like you can
trust him.

My understanding of a dual acting truss rod is that it works
differently than a simple truss rod. A simple rod is a tension
rod that directly counteracts string tension. A dual acting
rod, IIRC, is not a tension rod. I think it works by "warping"
itself, either positive or negatively, and forcing the neck to
follow that warp. A simple tension rod can pass thru a rod
channel of nonspecific size cuz it does all its work only at
the very ends, by pulling opposite string tension. OTOH the
dual acting rod does not pull at the ends. It needs the rod
channel to fit snuggly around its pair of rods so that as the
pair push or pull against each other thus forming a positive
or negative warp, the neck will assume that same warp.

I'm pretty sure thaz a reasonable description. Plus it makes
sense that if the pair of rods is too tightly constrained in too
snug a channel, then they can't "warp" as intended, and so
the rod breaks when adjusted. Most likely the break is at the
opposite end from the adjusting thread, where the pair are
tack welded to each other. Thus the channel needs a slight
shave to work with the new rod.

Go to a parts site to look at pix of rods and seeing the way
a dual rod is built will explain a lot better than words can do.
 
Got the bass back and the truss rod works now! However, the bridge is sky high so much I can see between the bridge and the bottom metal plate of it. I tried to adjust myself but didn't really get anywhere, so I dropped it off to someone else to try and set it up for me. I know it probably doesn't matter that the bridge is high so long as everything works, but it bugs me. On my dolphin it is a tad high but I can't see light all the way through like I can with this (I can slip two credit cards in the gap). Am I being too picky?
 
Are you adjusting the bridge properly and it doesn't seem to work?
There are some videos online that show you how to do it.

Basically what you do is unscrew the middle ones that lock the bridge in place, and then adjust the bridge on the four corners.
Tighten the middle ones back up again when satisfied and it should be fine.
 
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It's a bolt on neck and maybe when it was
removed for repair a shim was lost. Even
if there was no shim or if the shim is still
in place, it would be no sooprize if it now
somehow needs a different shim. Shims
are a normal part of seting up a BO neck.
No big deal but kinda tedious to deal with.

You can do it yourself. It's not rocket sci,
but is a PITA. The principle is simple but
the execution is tedious. My earliest shim
jobs took all afternoon. Now it's about an
hour cuz I've done a few.

I will not own a neck-thru ax. The ability to
shim as part of set up is a possitive feature,
a benefit. It's not fun, but it's a benefit.
 
golem said:
`


It's a bolt on neck and maybe when it was
removed for repair a shim was lost. Even
if there was no shim or if the shim is still
in place, it would be no sooprize if it now
somehow needs a different shim. Shims
are a normal part of seting up a BO neck.
No big deal but kinda tedious to deal with.

You can do it yourself. It's not rocket sci,
but is a PITA. The principle is simple but
the execution is tedious. My earliest shim
jobs took all afternoon. Now it's about an
hour cuz I've done a few.
Click to expand...

But if the bridge is already sky high, won't shimming the neck raise the fretboard up, requiring the bridge to be raised even more?
 
Gnermo said:
Are you adjusting the bridge properly and it doesn't seem to work?
There are some videos online that show you how to do it.

Basically what you do is unscrew the middle ones that lock the bridge in place, and then adjust the bridge on the four corners.
Tighten the middle ones back up again when satisfied and it should be fine.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I know my way around the bridge system well enough. Im no pro, but I was able to get my Thumb NT6 how I liked it with a little patience and research through youtube. I want the guy to look at it to make sure that there isn't something else wrong that I am missing. Don get me wrong, the bass plays fine as is, but aesthetically, it bugs the shit out of me lol
 
boston asphalt2 said:
But if the bridge is already sky high, won't shimming the
neck raise the fretboard up, requiring the bridge to be
raised even more?
Click to expand...

No. You are imagining a flat shim covering the whole pocket.
Yes, that would be counterproductive, but you need to alter
your concept of shimming. It's about tilting, not elevating.

Are you familiar with tilt-neck mechanisms typical of the old
3-bolt Fenders and many other basses ? By shimming the full
witdth of the pocket but only about a 10% of the length you
imitate the tilt mechanism. To lower the bridge, shim the back
end of the pocket. Don't forget the lever ratio. The pocket is
short, the neck is long, the front edge of the pocket is the lever
fulcrum. A 0.15mm shim may lower the headstock a a full mm
so a typical credit card may be too thick. It might be correct for
a truly "sky high" bridge, but I'm betting it's too thick.

Don't get crazy that the fulcrum is not straight across, as it
would be with an old Fender or such. The curved/angled front
edge of the pocket is not a problem. I know that's hard to buy
into, but it's really OK.

Peeps use bizcards but I avoid paper fearing it's unstable. I use
plastic from small-item retail packaging or aluminum from
disposable pie pans.
 
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`


IIRC I did a detailed post, maybe 2 or 3 posts, about
shimming over at the EBMM bass forum .... where
bolt-on is a way life. I don't remeber how long ago ...
time flies. But you can prolly find it.
 
Last edited:
Hey Boston Asphalt, trying to get a message to you. Can you PM me? 1st time on this new forum and I cant send you a message for some reason
 
Mangas said:
Hey Boston Asphalt, trying to get a message to you. Can you PM me? 1st time on this new forum and I cant send you a message for some reason
Click to expand...
I can't get my PMs to work! Once I figure it out, I will PM you.
 
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