How to Adjust a Truss Rod on a Danelectro Silver Sparkle Bass
Original 1950s Danelectro guitars and bass guitars are vintage collector items, and Danelectro produces reissues of the original instruments. The Silver Sparkle bass was one of the most popular Danelectro guitar styles. Adjusting the truss rod in a Silver Sparkle bass is a time-consuming procedure. The truss rod is adjusted in the bottom of the neck, where the neck joins the body; however, the neck must be removed to access to the truss rod.
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Instructions
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1
Set up a work bench for the bass. Lay a soft towel or blanket on the bench to protect the guitar.
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2
Visually inspect the neck of the bass. Look down the fretboard from the headstock to the body of the guitar, using the strings as the point of reference. The space between the strings and the fretboard should be nearly the same down the whole length of the fretboard. Too much space indicates that the neck needs to be straightened. The neck needs to be slightly angled backward if the strings are buzzing or too close to the fretboard.
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3
Loosen, but don't remove, the strings until they are floppy.
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Unscrew the four mounting screws the secure the neck to the body of the guitar. Separate the neck from the guitar, and lay the bottom end of the neck on top of the guitar, giving you access to the truss rod.
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Tighten or loosen the truss rod with an Allen wrench. Find the appropriate Allen wrench for the Danelectro. Start with an 1/8-inch wrench. Tighten the truss rod if the neck is bowed backward. Loosen the truss rod if the neck is bowed forward. Turn the wrench in 1/4-turn increments. Reassemble the neck, tighten the strings, and visually inspect the curvature of the neck.
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