Truss rod is all the way loose and relief is .005"

[Chad]

I'd throw on a set of 10s or 11s or even higher, let it sit for a day or so, then you should be able to tighten the rod.

I did try tuning the current strings up beyond standard tuning for a couple days, then I went back to standard tuning, but it didn't change anything. To simplify things, I wonder if I could leave the existing strings on and just tune them to match as closely as possible the tension of heavier gauge strings. I'm fairly proficient with calculating string tension and so forth and don't see why that wouldn't work...provided it doesn't break strings.

[toejam]

Yeah, I guess tuning them up and leaving them for awhile might work.

[Chad]

Well, he has two books. I have both. He discusses a couple of necks (Lep Paul and a Baritone Tele) that need "help" getting relief. He used a jig with a clamp in the middle to help the neck get to where he wanted it.

Yeah, I have both of the books. What Dan discusses in those books is dealing with the exact opposite of what this guitar has going on. I have continued to search about necks that resist relief and found a thread on the Les Paul Forum where a member asked Dan himself about this issue and Dan stated that he didn't cover the issue because it is beyond what he could go into in those books. I can post the link when I get home if you want to read it. I don't have my LPF password with me right now to be able to pull up the thread.

[rattlehead74]

I bought a dk2m from a pawn shop that has been dropped. Has a crack at the neck joint but not severe. the bridge bushings also popped loose. Anyway i took it all apart to set it back up. I know none off the fixes i'm doing is a sure fire repair but I only paid 150 for the guitar. I figured the pups was worth that. I used superglue to fill the minor crack ot the neck joint & at one of the bushings & there both holding tight. after putting back together I found that no matter what I did there was no neck relief what so ever. I figured I would raise the bridge higher find a way to shim the nut but when I took it back apart I found that the neck with the nut completely loose was actually back bowed a little, checked with a straight edge. This is the crazy part, being that I only spent 150. I heated the neck a little and let it sit. I used a micro torch and warmed the back of the neck. Only warm, I didn't melt any glue and was still able to touch the neck right after removing the heat. I'm not by any means telling anybody to try this, it was something I wanted to try on my own without taking it in to be repaired. I checked it a couple of hours and it has moved. It now has relief with out any strings. I don"t see any twist in the neck. Gonna let sit overnight and put it back together tomorrow and keep my fingers crossed that it worked. If not oh well at least I got some duncan pups. Hmmm, wonder if it will have to much neck relief. Fuk it. Sorry for the novel it just wrote.

[rattlehead74]

It worked with no issues! Man I feel better.

[Chad]

Glad that worked out. I understand that you applied heat, but I'm not clear on what you did after that?

[rattlehead74]

I let it sit with some books under the headstock, then I put it up in its case till today. So i really didn't do much but let it sit.

[Newc]

So it laid flat with support only at the head and body, correct? Letting gravity pull on the neck and trussrod? Makes sense to me. I imagine when it was dropped the rod was jammed into the neck heel where the anchor point is (that dowel you see on a neck heel between the screws).

You applied heat the length of the neck, or just in one spot/general area?

Details like that might help someone else with a similar problem.

[rattlehead74]

So it laid flat with support only at the head and body, correct? Letting gravity pull on the neck and trussrod? Makes sense to me. I imagine when it was dropped the rod was jammed into the neck heel where the anchor point is (that dowel you see on a neck heel between the screws).

You applied heat the length of the neck, or just in one spot/general area?

Details like that might help someone else with a similar problem.

Correct I let gravity do the work with the guitar laid on its back, I applied heat to the full length of the back of the neck while watching the binding & fretboard to make sure no damage was being done. Do not stay in one general area of the neck, rapidly moving from the top to bottom. I did not get it so hot that I couldn't touch it afterwards. It maybe possible to do with a blow drier or hot air gun.

[Newc]

Cool. Thanks

[rattlehead74]

Cool. Thanks

Your welcome

[jacksonpc1]

On most Jackson's, since 2002-2003 have a dual action truss rod. Are you sure yours isn't a Dual action? If it is dual action the nut will get loose but after loosening the nut, it will finally start tightening again & putting bow in the neck. It sounds like you are being overly picky to me. You said it plays & sounds great, so I would play it. If it isn't a dual action truss rod then take it to a luthier & have them put a little heat to it & it will fix the problem. Hope this helps!

I recently got an SL1T and set it up with D'Addario EXL 9-46 strings. I normally setup my guitars with relief around .007" to .012". I found that when I loosened the truss rod all the way on this guitar, the relief is around .005". Since it's already all the way loose, I can't get anymore relief/upbow if desired. I've owned over 30 guitars and I've never run into this issue before.

In the Owner's Manual, Jackson lists factory spec for relief at .020" at the 8th fret. I don't know anybody that knowingly runs that much relief on a guitar like this, but it bugs me that I'm not able to adjust it to factory spec if I wanted to.

I'm also concerned that if I ever tried to sell the guitar this could possibly hurt resale value because I would feel compelled to mention this issue. If a potential buyer desired more relief this could be a problem. Or if they wanted to put on super light strings (like 8 gauge or so), then the neck might potentially go into a backbow that couldn't be corrected since the truss rod is already all the way loose.

With all that said.....even though I normally like more relief, I have to say that this guitar plays really well. It's a nice guitar that resonates & sustains well.

My questions:

1. Is this a big enough issue that I should try to return or get a credit from the seller? I bought it used from an individual via Ebay. I specifically asked the seller if the truss rod worked properly before I bought the guitar.

2. Should I try to correct this issue? I'm wondering if I were to put on heavy gauge strings and leave them on for a couple weeks or months if the neck would upbow and stay that way, so that if I put the 9-46 strings back on I could adjust relief like normal. Has anybody tried that before?

Thanks!

[Chad]

Are you the dealer that sold the guitar to the person I bought it from?

I have a few other guitars with dual action truss rods and know how they work. This one doesn't have one. Or if it does, it is defective because it only tightens in the clockwise direction.

This is a unique situation because the guitar does play good. But I typically don't play with a neck this straight and I'm not able to do anything about it. If I wanted to run really light strings like 8 gauge, then the neck might go too straight or into backbow....and play like poo poo. Guitars should be able to be setup to work with a variety of setups and string gauges.

With that said, the fact that the guitar plays good in this exact configuration still doesn't override the fact that it has a defective range of neck adjustment. It is critical that guitars without dual action truss rods are able to go into a decent amount of relief on their own when the truss rod is loosened.....that is the whole problem with this guitar.

I'd be okay with having a luthier correct the neck, but I don't think that should be my expense to have to bear. I'd probably have to ship it off because I live in a small town. I'll run this by the seller.

[Chad]

Update: seller is refusing to help in any way at all. I'd like to set the guitar up with .010" relief. He is telling me that no one could possibly want that amount of relief and that it is crazy to expect a guitar to do that. :think:

I've had a lot of good luck buying guitars from individuals through mail order in the past, but this guy appears to be a con artist. Considering the evidence in this thread, there is no other rational reason for him to be so unhelpful and thick headed.

For the record, the seller is a member here, but for privacy reasons I won't say who. Like always, be careful who you deal with and ask lots of questions.

[Chad]

BTW, if anybody has any more info on how to fix this or a could refer me to a luthier who could, it would be much appreciated.