Guitar Experts/Freaks - Jammed Trussrod Help!

Victor · 09-27-2003, 05:27 AM

Hi there,

I am rebuilding a late 80's BC Rich and have removed the fretboard from the neck as it had several cracks near the headstock. These cracks have now been repaired, and I am close to reattaching the fretboard again. The trussrod will not turn more than a few millimeters. I'm afraid to use brute force incase it breaks. There is no noticable corrosion or hinderance.

Does anyone have any experience with this sort of thing? I figured this board has one of the best "brain-trusts" on the internet and have looked everywhere I could think of.

Anyone?

Sonic dB · Sonic dB's Garage

How straight is the neck? Does it need a truss rod adjustment? A slight twist on the truss rod can have a major effect on the skew of the neck.

Victor · 09-28-2003, 02:55 AM

Sonic, at the moment the neck is bowed but I am not sure if this is due to the fact that the fretboard is off. I guess I want to make sure the trussrod is in working order before spending ages re-assembling things.

ronin · 09-28-2003, 02:28 PM

also, which way is it bowed? if it is convex you can't draw a definite conclusion until you have the guitar back together and string tension on the neck.

Victor · 09-28-2003, 04:33 PM

Ronin,

It's bent this way (although nowhere near as bad). SOrry for not having an "actual" pic - I'm at work at the moment.

ronin · 09-28-2003, 04:52 PM

good illustration. (it's convex - a good thing) that's the way (direction) it should be bent (not that much of course, as you said) as it will straighten out with the tension of the strings. once you get her back together again, check the bow and see if it is still too much. you can then make minute adjustments. let me know how it looks once she's back together and we'll see what needs to be done then. remember, it also depends on your playing style

Victor · 09-28-2003, 05:00 PM

OK Ronin. It should all be back together in about 2-3 weeks once I get the paintwork on the body right. (Wetsanding the clearcoats at the moment).

Hey - what do you know about refinishing necks? I want to leave it bare for that "matte" finish as I like the feel but heard that moisture and oils etc from playing can cause the neck to warp and discolour. Can something like Danish oil be used?

ronin · 09-28-2003, 08:15 PM

can't wait to see the paintjob! I have a strat that I've been building for years finally getting ready for paint myself

not sure about the danish oil. I like to have the neck finished for eaxctly the reasons you state. body oils will discolor and stain wood after a few years of use (especially if you don't get into a habit of washing your hands before you play) your body oils shouldn't have any effect on warping the neck, but not having a finish on the neck will enable moisture fluctuations in the air to have more of an effect on possible warping. (so would that be warpage?

)

I prefer a satin (matte) type of finish on the neck myself, kinda like the finish on the strat pluses. keep me informed. I'm eager to see how it turns out

Victor · 09-28-2003, 09:21 PM

Ronin, that's what I thought. I will now definitely be clear coating the neck in a matte finish. The whole guitar used to be a pearlescent purple-pink colour with black chrome hardware, cover panels etc. The reason for the complete rebuild (besides the colour) was also that the body had developed several cracks, some up to 4mm wide. The neck was pretty beat up too. The body is now antique white which will work well with the raw wood neck and black bits.

If all goes well, it should be a nice alternative to the Les Paul especially when in the mood for beer induced crappy renditions of Van Halen/Poison/'Crue riffs.

I'll post some better pics later tonight, but here's an idea of the "before" condition in the meantime. I'm sure I will have more questions as I go along, so thanks in advance.

Victor · 10-05-2003, 07:22 PM

For those interested, the neck has been reunited with the fretboard (still drying) and the body has had the final clearcoat applied. Has not been cut n polished yet but it turned out great. Once again, sorry for the res. I have no idea how to post big images.

Next it needs to be rewired and the neck lacquered.

Victor · 10-05-2003, 07:34 PM

ronin · 10-05-2003, 10:29 PM

Good job so far!! looks excellent

Victor · 10-06-2003, 12:04 AM

Thanks Ronin, I just hope the neck is OK when I take the clamps off on Wednesday. Can't wait to put on some strings and see what happens......

911SC Pilot · 10-06-2003, 09:57 AM

Great job on the rebuild. Is that an american made, or Jap version BC Rich ?

Victor · 10-06-2003, 05:27 PM

911SC, It is definately not the USA version. This one is an Asian made model - I think in Taiwan or Korea.

911SC Pilot · 10-07-2003, 08:25 AM

Prob Korea. I think thats where my BC Rich NJ Series Warlock was built when I actually owed a BC Rich.,,..,.,of course, that was before I was introduced to Jackson USA.

But I have to admire the time and effort you have put into a non american made guitar.

ronin · 10-07-2003, 10:36 AM

one thing though Victor. I would have let the paint cure a bit more before attaching the neck. did you also finish the neck already? don't worry about putting strings on it yet. let things settle a bit more. on stuff like this, patience is a virtue

Victor · 10-08-2003, 12:19 AM

Ronin, no - the neck has not been clear coated yet and it is still separated from the body. I'll start on the neck finishing next week. I had a bizarre gardening accident on Saturday and need to wait until the stitches in my right hand are taken out before I can get stuck back into some serious filling/sanding/buffing etc. So patience is not exactly a problem at the moment. And you're right - the paint on the body probably needs about another 2 weeks+ to cure properly.

911SC, I saw the light about a decade ago and brought a Les Paul. This Korean tragedy sat broken and abused under the attic until I decided to try my hand at this sort of thing but I must admit I would still not be game to do this to a "real" guitar. Yet.

ronin · 10-08-2003, 12:29 AM

ah, I wnt back and noticed I misread your earlier post. you said that you reunited the neck with the FRETBOARD and not the body as I thought, my bad. what wood is the fretboard? I prefer maple (birdseye)

911SC Pilot · 10-08-2003, 10:26 AM

Quote:

911SC, I saw the light about a decade ago and brought a Les Paul. This Korean tragedy sat broken and abused under the attic until I decided to try my hand at this sort of thing but I must admit I would still not be game to do this to a "real" guitar. Yet.

I dont know Victor. Looks like you did a great job with this one, and Im sure with all the experience from this rebuild, you could do this with an American model guitar.

Les Pauls are nice. Thinking about picking one up sometime. Im to happy with my Ernie Ball / Music Man and my Jackson right now. Plus I need to upgrade my amp situation. The new Marshall Mode 4 is a keeper.