peavey T-40 truss rod - removing wood?

groooooove

groooooove

Dec 17, 2008
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Long Island, NY
#1
i recently had a T-40 with a truss rod that was impossible to get a wrench onto - i was using the 5/16" gibson style "crackpipe" wrench. the nut was pushed snug up against the fingerboard side of the wood and no matter what i did the wrench just wasn't gonna fit.

for other reasons i had to send that T-40 back, but did just win an ebay auction for another. i'm anticipating difficulty adjusting the neck. others have said that a gibson wrench can work. i'd like to make mine fit, since the peavey wrenches appear to be impossible to get, or at the very least way too expensive (some unconfirmed sources saying $19)

would it be unreasonable to remove some wood around the nut so that i have access to get a normal gibson wrench in there? how would you guys go about doing this? small chisel? drill?

any ideas appreciated. should have the bass this week. thanks all!
 
#7
bobdabilder said:
I have had luck taking a nut driver and grinding the walls down on it.
Click to expand...
what did you use to grind down the walls of the wrench?

96tbird said:
Pocket Truss Rod Wrenches | stewmac.com
Click to expand...
the 5/16 is out of stock, and also has walls that are just as thick - actually thicker i believe (they list the outer diameter) than the standard gibson one i have now.

and yes - i suppose if we are on the pipe referance... not literally a crack pipe... point was it looks like a small pipe haha.
 
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#8
Belt sander (benchtop combo belt/disc)

groooooove said:
what did you use to grind down the walls of the wrench?


the 5/16 is out of stock, and also has walls that are just as thick - actually thicker i believe (they list the outer diameter) than the standard gibson one i have now.

and yes - i suppose if we are on the pipe referance... not literally a crack pipe... point was it looks like a small pipe haha.
Click to expand...
 
#12
I have a Peavey wrench that reaches pretty far, but it wasn't quite long enough for a couple of my basses whose nuts had been cranked way down by previous owners. My guitar tech, who had no better luck with his massive wrench collection, suggested using a drum sander on a Dremel to remove just enough wood for the wrench to grab the end of the nut. Go slowly and periodically check that your surgery won't show when the truss rod cover is replaced. If you manage to get the nut off, put a couple of small washers on the rod before putting the nut back on. That way it will be easier to access in the future.
 
#13
I had this problem yesterday. I was able to find a cheap socket set at Walmart. The sockets were thin-walled enough that I could jam the 5/16" socket into the truss rod access cavity. With it in place, I managed to adjust the truss. I used needle nose pliers to remove the socket. It wasn't any fun, but it worked.

Why Peavey recessed the truss rod that far is beyond me. This one was tucked under the fingerboard somewhere between the nut and the first fret. No "hashpipe" wrench was ever going to reach it.
 
#14
I use 1/4" drive deep sockets. They come in both Standard and Metric and fit most truss rod nuts and cavities. Got mine at Sears but there are all kinds of kits out there.
 
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