AndrewM

Hey All Just to update you all (since there is some interest).... I have *done* it. That is to say, the fretboard is back on, the new frets are in. Even with the frets not levelled, the buzz is almost tolerable... I guess it can be done, go figure.... Now I just need to scrape together some $$$ to get it levelled and finished by someone who knows what their doing. I know what you're thinking, "why start now?" Well, to answer that I say I dont like to push my luck..

Further Update! Ok, in nothing short of something miraculous, I got my Stew-Mac Hotrod, and it fit with no routing (it just happen to fit w/o.. So I shimmed it on either side to keep it straight (up & down that is) and glued the fretboard back on. I put about a dozen or so clamps on it and it seems straight.. After that I tacked on some ebony binding to the sides. Of course because I am no less than nuts, I couldn't leave well enough alone and I went ahead and pulled the old frets. They were worn to hell anyway so why not right? I have on had problems with 1 fret slot so far... Does anyone know of a GOOD tool to clean out a fret slot. Bear in mind that the binding is already on, so a saw wont work As soon as its done and provided it doesn't turn out a miserable & glorious failure, I will post pictures.. Regards, Andrew

Jay Thanks for your reply. The New rod is about 1/8" on both sides smaller than the rout channel. However, the new rod is longer than the old. So, I need to extend the rout to accomodate the end. There is almost 1/4" on both sides of the rod itself. So, it is not really out of whack, just a bit. So I am ok then? Thanks Andrew

Hi This is part 2 of a previous post entitled 'Truss Rod Blues'. I have my LP knockoff ready to go with the fretboard steamed off, the body repainted, and my stew-mac parts in hand. The suggestion from my previous post was to fill the channel with putty and re-router the channel. There are several problems with this approach: 1) I suck WAY to much with a router to be doing anything like that 2) I cannot afford to pay a professional 3) This is my only electric Guitar. So, my question for everyone is, Since the old truss rod was a lot larger than the new (18" stewmac 'hot-rod'), Can I just shim the new rod in place? or does the truss rod need to be in contact with the wood along the sides of the rod? Thanks in advance for the help, Regards, Andrew

Update! Finally got some money together and I have ordered a stewart-macdonald "hot Rod" truss rod. It is a bit narrower than my current one. Silly question for all of ya..... Do I HAVE to fill & re-route the truss rod channel, or can I shim the rod in there? (put wood braces to fill the cavity in certain parts) Its mostly a matter of not trusting myself with a router. I have used one before, but I dont have the proverbial cohones to try.

Lucky Thank you for your reply. I have one further question: Does this process apply for an Ebony binding? I did not think that you could scrape down wood like you can plastic...

Hi All As posted previously, I am replacing my truss rod. I had followed the tutorial on steaming off a fretboard (which works great btw) and I am putting in a stewart-macdonald 'hot-rod'. Now, when I get the fretboard glued back on, I am getting some ebony binding to replace the plastic crud I took off (well melted really) My problem is that my brother just did a freakin sweet paint job on the guitar, and that includes the neck. My concern is when I glue the binding back on, I will likely have to sand or router the binding to get it flush with the side of the neck. What I need to know is, how do I do that w/o wrecking the new finish? Am I going to have to beg for another coat of paint afterwards? Or is there some fancy trick to doing it? (I doubt the ability of masking tape to do the job) Thanks Andrew

Hi all... Let me tell you my tale of woe.. I have a Pearl Les Paul knockoff that is near & dear to my heart. A week ago, I was at a band practice, and noticed how much it was buzzing. Looking at the neck, it looked flat - no bow at all. Well, having done guitar setups for a while now, I thought it was simply a matter of slacking off the truss rod... So when I popped the plate off to adjust, I saw that the nut was loose. Slightly panicked, I reasoned that perhaps the rod was ceased, so I tapped the end of it with a screwdriver... That caused the rod to push inside the neck. Having a mild stroke, I looked for a way to get it out.. but to no avail... So, after receiving numerous quotes from repair shops, I wasn't going to get this fixed for under $300, however, the guitar wasn't worth that. So I came here and followed the tutorial on fret board removal. It Worked REALLY WELL BTW! Now, I have the fret board off, and I see that I am right that the rod just pushed in on me. I remedied that problem, however, my original problem still prevails: How (besides heavier strings) do I get more bow in my neck when the truss rod was already slacked off? Thanks Andrew