Double Truss Rod help! 6 string bass

[Jahanasaurus]

Hi there folks, some of you may be able to help me out, I'm setting up a friends 6 string LTD bass and it was 2 truss rods, both of which I assumed would be righty tighty and left loosey. It appears that when I turn the rod thats underneath the thicker strings, it looses up and it tightens in the opposite direction, the other rod seems to tighten when turned right. However I'm getting no reaction from the neck and both rods seem to be pretty tight with quite a lot of resistance from another turn. Anyone able to shed any light/ direct me in the direction of some twin truss rod information as I can't seem to find any!

Thanks

 

[facespaz]

Twin truss rods

Hi there folks, some of you may be able to help me out, I'm setting up a friends 6 string LTD bass and it was 2 truss rods, both of which I assumed would be righty tighty and left loosey. It appears that when I turn the rod thats underneath the thicker strings, it looses up and it tightens in the opposite direction, the other rod seems to tighten when turned right. However I'm getting no reaction from the neck and both rods seem to be pretty tight with quite a lot of resistance from another turn. Anyone able to shed any light/ direct me in the direction of some twin truss rod information as I can't seem to find any!

Thanks

I was recently in the same position you were and stumbled upon your unanswered question in my quest. I vowed to return if i found an answer, and from the limited information (if you could call it that- more like hints) that I could find, it seems to me that both truss rods will rotate clockwise to tighten and vice versa. so it's the same as if you were adjusting a single truss rod , just do the same thing to each one, and try to turn them equally (if you turn the one on the left a 1/4 turn counter-clockwise make sure you ALSO turn the one on the right a 1/4 turn counter-clockwise). So both in the same direction.
My only guess as to why you felt one getting tighter as you loosened the other one was that they were at different starting positions to begin with, so when you tried to tighten the truss rod under the thicker strings it still wasn't as tight as the other one so seemed to be loose. Either that or it simply felt that way once you adjusted one because they were both no longer at the same level, since turning both at once would seem really difficult.
anyway that's how it all seems to me and what I've done to adjust the fret buzz on my 6 string - fret buzz means you need to loosen the neck. And it worked. (remember to only turn it up to 1/4 turn per day max.)
Hope this helps you as it did me...This is just what I figured out, so it might be inaccurate. Let us know if a greater authority on the matter fills you in on something.

 

[JayDawg]

If the bass is not a Music Man, why would you go to a Music Man site asking for help? I'm willing to bet you might find people with more knowledge on an LTD bass over at talkbass or some other bass site.

 

[Jahanasaurus]

Hey yeah, I admit it was pretty cheeky of me to ask here, but I was only a member of this forum at the time. It seems that EBMM owners all really know their stuff and with some of the actual luthiers posting on here that they'd be well versed in there areas.

The outcome of all this was that the Truss Rods were definitely working in opposite directions. I managed to sort it out and handed him back a nicely playable bass! This coulda been a lemon though, import guitars never cease to amaze me.

Point taken though JayDawg, I won't do it again

 

[JayDawg]

Jahanasaurus,

I wasn't trying to be a jerk about it or anything. I know BP has asked that content on this forum be kept to EBMM so that is why I mentioned it. I also knew there are a lot of knowledgeable people over at TB too that could also probably help. I'm glad that you were able to figure out the issue though. I don't play 6 string basses so I would have been clueless offering advice.
Jay