Hello, I bought a used Warwick Thumb BO 5 bass (2001) years ago and when I was setting it up initially, I noticed the truss rod nut was somewhat stripped out. I was able to get it in a good spot and have left it alone for a long time but I would like to be able to make some changes now. If you are familiar with Warwick Thumb basses, this era of the bass has a non-replaceable rod and nut, and I have been told by a luthier that the fingerboard is impossible to remove without destroying it. A replacement neck/full repair and replacement of the rod would cost what I paid for the bass.
Unfortunately, I'm struggling to get anything to gain purchase on the interior of the hex nut. The primary issue is the rod itself, which is protruding into the nut interior, giving me a very shallow recess in which to place my hex key. I've considered many options, and the best idea I currently have is to use a security hex socket (a hex key with a circular hole in the center of the key-face) in order to allow space for the rod while I push deeper into the nut. I believe that the security socket I have does not have a large enough hole in the center, so I am considering boring it (the hex key bit) out slightly, making a larger hole and maybe allowing enough space to get the key deep in the nut. I'm open to other suggestions (grinding small slots in the nut to allow for other turning mechanisms, etc). Let me know if you have any good ideas! I love this bass and want to be able to adjust it so that it plays perfectly for more years to come. I've attached some pictures (it was hard to get good lighting and good focus, sorry) so you can see what I'm talking about.
Unfortunately, I'm struggling to get anything to gain purchase on the interior of the hex nut. The primary issue is the rod itself, which is protruding into the nut interior, giving me a very shallow recess in which to place my hex key. I've considered many options, and the best idea I currently have is to use a security hex socket (a hex key with a circular hole in the center of the key-face) in order to allow space for the rod while I push deeper into the nut. I believe that the security socket I have does not have a large enough hole in the center, so I am considering boring it (the hex key bit) out slightly, making a larger hole and maybe allowing enough space to get the key deep in the nut. I'm open to other suggestions (grinding small slots in the nut to allow for other turning mechanisms, etc). Let me know if you have any good ideas! I love this bass and want to be able to adjust it so that it plays perfectly for more years to come. I've attached some pictures (it was hard to get good lighting and good focus, sorry) so you can see what I'm talking about.