That may be safest. I can get the long T handle ones into the allen head, but I don't think they always go all the way in. That could lead to stripping. They work well on angled headstocks. I tried fitting them in some basses that have the tuners installed. They seem to fit, but I am not sure I trust them to be properly seated.Originally Posted by Trevor Davies
The "gripper" truss rod wrenches from Stew Mac seem like a good idea. But they are so long that I am afraid they'd have the same problem that I have with the long T-handle wrenches. Also my wife won't let me spend the kids' college money to get them.
I have had pretty mixed results buying tools to help me with truss rods. The Stew Mac truss rod tool that I bought is another example. It was to adjust the truss rod on a slotted, heel-end adjustment. Stew Mac was the only place I could find a tool that could adjust this sort of truss rod without taking the neck off of the guitar. So I ponied up the $22 to buy one and have it shipped. What I discovered, unfortunately is that it was only half the tool I needed. This is because while most heel end truss rods have an "X" slot nut like the one on the left, mine has a single slot nut, like the one on the right.
What I didn't realize until the Stew Mac tool arrived is that it can only adjust a single slotted nut like mine when it is in two of the four positions in can be in. For a single slot nut you need a tool that fits into has two more positions. The Stew Mac has one blade that is horizontal, and one that points at 45 degrees. OK for a an X slot, but for a single slot you also need a blade that points to 315 degrees, and one that is vertical. I could not find a tool like that anywhere.
So I made one that I am almost embarrassed to show...almost.
The tool on top is, of course, the Stew Mac tool. It is a thing of beauty, although not made of gold as the price would suggest. The one on the bottom was made with a piece of sheet metal, some tin-snips and a couple of pairs of pliers. A tool so ugly that only someone who has used it successfully to adjust a truss rod could appreciate it. Also, the piece of metal, the tin-snips and the pliers combined cost less than the Stew Mac tool.
Still, hope springs eternal, and I hope one day to find an inexpensive truss rod tool that works well on all my 4mm necks ;-)
Reply With Quote