American Strat Rides the Lightning!

The Fender Bi-Flex truss rod has a unique feature that can make servicing difficult.

[@joelonsdale]

Nice to hear someone transatlantic tackling the "sudder" / "solder" thing. Yes, words such as Squirrel, Mirror and Solder do get a little mangled sometimes!

[@kbkman7742]

You know there is a lot of relief when you can see it on youtube, on your phone.

[@moleman1961]

Ha! Same!

[@petemoore8923]

Yeah.

[@farfly7]

I thought the same thing

[@Draguitar]

Exactly

[@kenthhamner2641]

Man, nice work on removing that plug. Surgical!

[@altruisticphilanthropic4647]

"A quick and extremely dirty mockup, here" - Ted, at his ever-humble best. The only "confusing" thing to me is your seemingly omnipresent ability to do triage...your patients are always in the best of hands when they visit your home. I hope the owner was thankful and impressed...continual truss rod adjustments are more than a "pain in the neck"...sorry, I couldn't resist.

[@Adipsia1]

Agreed. I wish you were in the UK.

[@senorstrike2852]

That is the smartest way of removing the walnut dowel that I've ever seen!

[@nehpetsamenied9068]

This channel inspired me to give my 25+ yr old squire a makeover. I gave it a new graph tech Tusq nut, new mojotone electronics, a black pearl pick guard and new knobs. It took about 4 hours. Then after I got it all together I gave it a set up and had to do a truss rod adjustment. It sounds sweet! I watch this channel so much I didn't even need to google anything. This channel is worth it's weight in gold! Thank you sir!

[@IAmKillEveryone]

don't go too overboard with mods or replacements on that old squire. they've gained a pretty big collectors market over the last few years, and people want them in factory spec condition if they're gonna pay a high price. those old mik squire II's went from being worth $80 five years ago to being worth $150-250 now.

[@wideyxyz2271]

@@IAmKillEveryone I was shocked when I found out how much my 90s Squire MIJ strat is supposedly worth! It was my second ever electric guitar and its never been messed with and plays great,,,,

[@LostMountainRestoration]

Great job. The owner was lucky to find you.

[@andrewstpierre4837]

That little tapered dowel heater was simply ingenious. Awesome!

[@johnsee7269]

I was not aware of this; didn't know. One of the most informative set-up related videos I've ever seen. Truly a master craftsman type repair! Thanks! 🤟

[@BeesWaxMinder]

B E S T BiFlex explanation I’ve ever seen👍

[@staive70ss]

I still don't understand it, my mind was spinning over the MacGyver plug removal part.

[@BeesWaxMinder]

@@staive70ss well, yeah! I mean ya just have to ask yerself is there a better way to remove it than that? & when you realise there isn’t you just have to admire the guy’s knowledge!😉👍 I’m afraid I have to admit that, in the past, I’ve rigged up some weird complicated drilling jig; unbolted the neck and just cut away with three different bits of increasing width until there is no plug left... 😳

[@dougdeeper2537]

I think one of the biggest reasons, people ask to ship their guitars across national borders, for you to repair, is because of your knowledge and insight into the craft. I hate to fawn, but you consistently amaze me with your ability. I want to attend a local luthier school, and you set the bar! I’ve watched other luthier and guitar videos, and I just cringe at how I’ve seen work being done. I’ve had work done on my own instruments that have left me very disappointed. My hats off to you twoodfrd!

[@harrisonandrew]

Ingenious way of getting that plug out. Truss rods scare the hell out of me - always have. Great job.

[@tochriss]

Thanks for filming the repair. As always, a real education. Makes my Saturday night. (I should get out more!)

[@thebiggerbyte5991]

Heat...or hëät. Englishman almost lost his coffee here :D Great work, a pleasure to watch.

[@acoustic9402]

Great Job , That was Pretty damn good on That Truss rod repair ...Excellent

[@latouselatrec]

As a cabinet man for 50 years it is a joy and honor to watch your craft

[@danaeverhart6487]

Sir you are a true Luthier! The owner made a wise choice of letting you repair this screw up! You have our support! Peace my brother ✌🏻😊👍🏻☮️

[@DANWRIGHTITIS]

That was great! Some proper detective work there - CGI got NOWT on you ... I´m a Brit in Spain.. Thanks for the Translations & FINBAR SAUNDERS !!!

[@benleydon]

FNAR FNAR

[@DANWRIGHTITIS]

@@benleydon . YUK YUK !!!!

[@Aux1Dub]

“Be careful not to get any on the threads..” I know without a doubt I would get some on the threads.

[@acoffeewithsatan]

"... F*, I've just got some one the threads"

[@kevinsibert3160]

Same thing I thought. Only twice have I removed a plug at all, let alone putting super glue that far inside. I'd jack it up, I know it!

[@abarbee81]

Same. Smh.....

[@CharlesHuggins-x5n]

Some of the best guitar repair,setups,and just caring for keeping some guitars original as possible and your approach is just cool I'm learning all the time and I know I speak for a lot of people when we say thank you sir for all you do.Sincerily

[@moonchild4806]

That is some gorgeous rosewood on that neck

[@Jonathan_Doe_]

Looks more like Pau Ferro to me.

[@moonchild4806]

@@Jonathan_Doe_ It doesn't look orange enough to me, and I could be wrong but I don't think fender was using pao ferro in the 90s

[@bluemagic5829]

@@moonchild4806 They used Pau Ferro on the SRV and Jaco Pastorius models since the early 1990s. Personally, I prefer a super dark rosewood -- almost ebony.

[@moonchild4806]

@@bluemagic5829 ah, that's pretty cool. I prefer maple for my fingerboards over everything, I love the feel of the glossy board.

[@kbkman7742]

Looks almost like Brazilian with the thick dark grain

[@kerrykrishna]

Your troubleshooting skills are amazing Ted.

[@DeadKoby]

Your comment is so true about a company being married to the past. Some traditional makers have a positive innovation that helps make setup easier, and the people revolt anyway.

[@rustyaxelrod]

You are a clever man. That heater worked really nice!

[@jimhibert]

Love the detailed background and context of the truss rod before the repair.

[@michaelcross934]

Thanks for showing this procedure! My Yankee strat was born, 1/'98; another late '97. Blessed with the Bi-Flex; mine still works just fine. Thanks, again, Mike from Fernwood, BC

[@timothycormier3494]

Of all the cool tricks that I’ve seen luthiers do. That plug removal is one Of the top five luthier tricks of all time. Very cool man! thanks!

[@fongy200]

Stewart Macdonald does a Truss rod repair kit but the kits success is dependant on how much Thread is left on the Rod. In this case it was down to a Ball end Allen key. I enjoy watching you work Ted, the methods i have learnt from you have been valuable at times and i thank you for that. Your a good Teacher as well as being a good Luthier. Thanks Ted.

[@kenlesko7559]

Hello Ted. I love your channel! I have some tips on this truss rod fix that will save you a lotta time. I'm a gold Fender tech since '94 and got a TSB from Fender over 20 years ago about this truss rod problem. Break the finish around the plug perimeter with a #11 or scalpel blade. Heat the plug area with a hair dryer on high. I hold a piece of masonite to block the heat from the tuners and decal. Give the hair dryer some time. Then back out the walnut plug with an 1/8" hex key or a next size tapered hex key if the nut is sloppy. Apply more heat on the walnut plug and wiggle it out with channelocks. You'll be able to re-use the plug. Add an extra washer, new TR nut, remove the brass washer from the walnut plug, cut away material from the walnut plug ass end to compensate for the new washer thickness, clean off the old glue from the plug, and lightly glue the plug back in

[@ian-c.01]

Nice work, you are a true craftsman ! BYW you need to get some lanolin on them fingers, you will be happy you did !

[@JC-11111]

Heck yeah, Ted! I've been wanting to see a repair that involves replacing the walnut plug ever since I found out Fender sells them ready to insert and cut/shave to shape.

[@natemasterson1727]

I have a 94 American Standard with the same need to constantly tighten the truss rod. So much so that I bought it as a project after the previous owner blew out the front of the fret board between the first and second frets from over tightening too many times without getting some glue in there to strengthen that bearing surface the nut tightens against. This gives me wonderful hope that I’ll be able to repair this once I feel up to the task! Thanks for the informative videos as always!

[@braderrick]

I’ve seen the term “bi-flex truss rod” a million times and owned dozens of them. I had no idea they also worked backwards like a 2 way rod. Nor did I know about the anchor under the 7th fret marker. Very informative sir and well done as always. Thanks for sharing!

[@braderrick]

@@garymitchell5899 you have to understand they still work like a regular truss rod. They just can work the opposite way too if they need to. I’ve never had a neck bow the other direction to need that function of the bi-flex truss rod. I’d say it’s pretty rare to need that but handy to know it’s there if you ever did need it.

[@EdwardT9]

@@braderrick my friend left his Strat sit unstrung for 20 years in its case but didn’t relieve the truss rod. The neck crept into a slight backbow...a little bit of the forward bend on the truss rod was needed to get the neck relief right.

[@jonq8714]

Man, what a master craftsman. So entertaining, I love your work.

[@Rich915]

Excellent ! Had a ‘96 Buddy Guy Sig Strat w/ a truss Rod nut issue. Always wondered how to access a faulty adj nut that would not tighten up any further than I could get to go. Quite frustrating as I did not have quite the skills you have! Well done! I eventually sold the guitar...sigh

[@GraemeSPa]

I learned something from this video, thanks. A great video, well presented and great detective work. I like the nod to the transatlantic problem of "sodering" or "soldering".

[@johnsmith-sm6mh]

Love your videos and humour, yes it’s Solder in England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 😂😂😂🇬🇧 Your skills keep me watching i wish you were here in England i would most definitely be knocking on your door fir my repairs sir. Cheers mate , John

[@hpblack1953]

I subscribe to more than a few guitar fixit/DIY channels. Some are redundant, some are more talk and less hands on. Your channel is professional, well thought out, informative of course and laid back. My hat is off to you. I have subscribed. Yeah, I’ll be visiting often.

[@perihelion7798]

History lesson and repair lesson, all in one video. This is why I subscribe to this channel. Excellent!

[@officialnaplava]

that plug coming out was the highlight of my day. Another superb video!

[@pmartin54BB]

Nice... Also, thank you from the UK for adding the "l" back into "solder"!

[@Jester-Riddle]

Thanks for that inspiring and informative repair masterclass 👏

[@wacokid2532]

as has been said many times - your videos and voice are perfect and can get someone without any guitar knowledge to sit through the entire thing just engrossed in a small repair. Nice work !

[@treecreeperguitars772]

What an ingenious way of removing the mahogany plug! Thanks for sharing man. 🤙

[@TheloniousBosch]

Loved this one! That nichrome heating is working out well on all your repairs!

[@SteveBlackdog]

I just love watching someone not bodge a problem like this. Wonderful, resourceful and educational.

[@spywithme]

You made that look so easy, The last repair I saw, the fellow carved the plug out. Thanks

[@josephbrewer7026]

Fascinating video. Your explanation and visual demonstration of the dual action truss road system was great. I would never have guessed.

[@brendanwalsh108]

My God man! Your dastardly solutions are utterly gripping to watch. Right up my street and subscribed for life.

[@jacksonhoward3743]

Had to do this job on my 2012 American Strat this weekend, I had been putting it off for little over a year since I got my new truss nut in, but finally I got my hands on a Stewmack Gripper wrench. I used my soldering iron (with a clean tip) set to its lowest heat and with a little bit of damp towel on the inside of the hole to protect it, and give humidity to help release the glue, after about 10 minutes it screwed out with no problem! New nut installed and the old plug press fit in place as it was in good shape! the action is back down to 2.5 - 3.5 64ths plays like how I remember once again!

[@scottdunbar4898]

Watching you work is amazing. Your experience speaks volumes but you're also just plain clever. Thanks for the video.

[@richardockenden8669]

Another top class repair and a pleasure to see the skill and care taken.

[@DerekHerbst747]

With every video Mr Woodford makes it's increasingly clear that patience, planning and preparation are the skills that set him and any good repairman apart. I very much appreciate your content and gain a lot of confidence tackling jobs that are new to me.

[@RAkers-tu1ey]

Really Great! Thanks. I have wondered about this, but never seen it in person.

[@ricksalt6860]

The bravery ... I applaud you . Awesome work as usual .

[@ronmarkell4436]

I’m sorry that it is only possible to give this video one “thumbs up”. I was trying to guess how you were about to proceed on the plug removal. My guess was a machined center bit that would have used the center hole for alignment while excavating the larger diameter hole with a flute style cutter. That would have been messy and less accurate. Great job as always and yes, now you have another trick in the bag.

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

Bryan Adams must be very happy with the superb and ingenious work you did. Now he can play "Run to You" and not worry about his Strat. :^D

[@faunaflage]

"I'm gonna trim the walnut plug with this tool. It cuts like a knife, but it feels so right."

[@kentuckywindage222]

@@faunaflage 🤣😂

[@angeloc700]

I did this same thing on an American Standard strat. I used a soldering iron to heat the truss rod nut cover. A few washers later…Worked like a charm!

[@SargentandGreenLeaf]

Those string guides look sick, good job fender

[@daviddouglas7950]

Excellent information & demo! Thank you very much Mr. Woodford! Dave in the Adirondacks 🤠🎸

[@e2jw]

Dude - Awesome job with this in every regard! Your knowledge of the history of the various truss rod systems, faults and strengths, deep experience with the problems and the causes - and most impressive is your extremely creative methods AND knowing how to MAKE heaters, monitor the process and successfully separate wood parts that were never meant to come apart; AND creatively repair the force bearing wood parts AND do it all with a cosmetically pleasing final repair - WOW! You are certainly one EXTREMELY gifted and skilled technician - I'm VERY impressed! Thank you for sharing your insights and thoughts - you are a great mentor! LOVE YOUR CHANNEL!

[@Jesuswinsbirdofmichigan]

My reply to your reply makes it 2ply.

[@SlowerIsFaster139]

I wish I had a nice mom and pop shop where I live. I used to have one but they went out of business and I've had bad experiences with guitar center techs. Anyways thank you for treating each guitar with love. And thanks for sharing

[@wingracer1614]

Ask around with local musicians, I bet you there is some guy in town somewhere that does great work out of his house but doesn't advertise. That's how I found my amp tech. An old country guitarist said take it to the dwarf. Sure enough, he was a little person in a wheelchair but the man knew his amps. Not only did he fix my Carvin bass head but I bought a completely rebuilt Fender combo from him too.

[@SlowerIsFaster139]

@@wingracer1614 that's a good idea. I used to take lessons in town, I'm sure my old tutor could help me out.

[@kirkbolas4985]

I’ve been doing my own repairs for the last 20 years. I’ve avoided used Fenders with the biflex truss rod because until today, I had no idea how to deal with this particular truss rod. Thank you for showing how one deals with this.

[@Pete1390SDR]

Fascinating diagnosis process and repair... yet another job brilliantly executed. Compulsive viewing Ted, thank you.

[@rpmblues7018]

Excellent, I was a journeyman machinist in the trade for 45 years. This is real know how.

[@beytone]

I’m so glad you decided to make this video!!! Amazing as always!!

[@CesarAllGuitar]

Excellent video as always. Thanks for sharing and educating us.

[@pwman]

AmaZing insights into the whole fender truss rod system. I’m looking at my American made strat and thinking “you better not do that to me”. 🤦🏼‍♂️😂😂. Great video and amazing work as always!!!

[@briankientz2926]

I have spent hours whittling out that plug, thanks for showing me a better way!

[@Adipsia1]

I love your channel. I've learned so much from watching your work and - being British - I also love it that you make an attempt at the Queen's English. Keep soldering on. :)

[@Madmanmarque]

Nice job. I build and repair for a living and you can always learn something new.

[@Ibaneddie76]

Ah yes the freaking biflex! I wish they would just get with the times and use dual action truss rods that being said great job as always you have a fine hand sir!

[@John-do9ei]

I have a 90's Tele Plus (with the Lace sensor pickups) that has one of these truss rod designs. The neck always needed a lot of tension from the factory, and one spring, it needed an little seasonal adjustment and "pop." I wanted to salvage that neck because of the age-appropriate yellowing of the finish, but the local guy said, "Yeah, I don't have the tool to do that repair," which makes better sense after watching this. We discussed options and went with a factory replacement. A broken truss rod is a different animal in terms of a repair, but still interesting to see the process and learn about the design. The one complication in my case was Fender didn't want to sell me a neck because they had the serial number in their records as a strat, so I had to do all this photographic documentation to "prove" that I actually had a tele with a broken truss rod. In retrospect, I like the way the old neck played, which might be a matter of attention to detail somewhere between the factory and the local guy's setup, so I ended up not playing it as much, even though it still sounds great. It now gets more attention when I loan it out on occasion to a couple of my Radiohead-fan friends.

[@VirginiaWolf88]

Looks great. I love the way that you matched that plug to the color of the guitar. Awesome!!!!

[@crazywisdom2]

Just watched on a whim. Wow. Very Interesting and informative. thank you. Cool stuff.

[@nboeltjes]

Nothing short of absolutely amazing craftsmanship being displayed here... 99.999999999% of other luthiers/repairshops would have tossed the neck and installed a new one.

[@paulevans4334]

Very good. I've not seen that trick in repairing before now. Thanks for sharing.

[@cradd00]

Interesting video! Very good explanation of what the problem was.

[@HBSuccess]

That was amazing Ted. I’ve worked on a bunch of Strats from that period but thankfully have never encountered a bad neck or truss rod situation... because if I had I would have been just as TOTALLY CLUELESS as the “fine” shop that last worked on this one. The plug removal rig was f’ing genius, my grab would have been for a drill bit.

[@martinlouden9005]

It's very relaxing to watch someone who knows what they're talking about!

[@wizrom3046]

You can buy small stainless rod style "cartridge heaters" in standard sizes 6mm, 8mm, 1/4" whatever. Used in injection mold machines etc. Usually they are mains powered but you can get fine temperature control with any cheap light dimmer etc adjusting the mains power. You did well attaching that nichrome wire to the end of the stainless tube inside your little home made heater! 👍

[@paintbox48]

Brilliant as usual. I've just come back to this since last viewed ages ago - just a thought - it would probably be best to put glue on the plug, rather than in the hole, so an excess would come out of the hole rather than go towards the truss rod nut.

[@zororosario]

Outstanding craftsmanship, I learned something new. Thanks for this lesson👍🎸👋

[@michaelpolutta3131]

Wow - what a thorough understanding of the issue and an elegant repair. I definitely learned from this presentation. Thank you!

[@stephenellis7351]

Good stuff Ted I always look forward to your show You are the man

[@EddieG1888]

Never seen this process done on any other video! Good work, sir.

[@wideyxyz2271]

I chuckled at the sawder/solder thing. Its like my kids saying summat instead of something. Anyway silky skills as always. Subbed....

[@DavidSmith-ne1zp]

How doesn’t love watching a professional at work?! Great skills my friend.

[@kentuckywindage222]

First time watching. Within a few minutes, I'm a new subscriber! Mister you are as smooth as molasses doing surgery on that sweet girl. Outstanding work. Keep'em coming!

[@mikejones-vd3fg]

wow this is the video ive been waiting for, got a american deluxe from a pawnshop a few years ago and it still had the stickers on it so i figured it was brand new, the action was super high i thought no problem, "ill set it up" not knowing anything about setups, i turned the truss rod a few times and thought It was makinga difference but it wasnt, i eventually strip the nut, not by over turning, but by taking the key out, it kept getting stuck and the only way was to twist it out which messed up the nut. So it was stripped, eventually I got it out, after removing that walnut plug, which wasnt fun and put a crack in my first fret, but at that point i didnt care, i was determined to adjust this neck and have the super playable strat ive been dreaming off, so i take the nut off a Fernandes les paul copy and decide to thread it on the fender. It gots a bigger hex socket, i figure it will last and not strip like the wimpy fender one, well apon put it on and turning, i was just getting excitred , finally here we go, kept turning until it creaked, oh thats cool its starting to move! next turn, SNAP, right off the threads the plalcement nut I did. Great, now I gotta replace the truss rod... ok fine i'll do it, but that skunk strip isnt going to be fun to take out, and after watching this video i dont even know whats going on there and if should even bother. Any advice / tips is appreciated.

[@Rakkhun369]

You really are a master of your craft. Your videos are always so full of gold nuggets of information and procedures. Thank you very much for these videos.

[@fletcherchambers7175]

Really, really liked this vid. Thanks for turning the camera on!!!

[@zenguitarankh]

Beautifully done... Thank you. Those 1/8 ball end truss rod wrenches man.... First thing I do is cut those off now...took barely any pressure turning to bust one off and that was it...just too thin.

[@jeffdevries5044]

Thanks for showing that process. I learned another great method from you!

[@stephendixon8575]

Wow Ted, that was fascinating. I have a gorgeous Candy Apple Red Strat Plus from the early 1990’s which also has the bi-flex truss rod in it (though fortunately mine works just fine and the neck is in great shape). Have often wondered how that thing works. Had looked at modern bi-directional truss rods, like those you demonstrated, but had no idea if or how the original was different - well now I do! Thank you Ted. Fascinating to see that you can get the nut out like that - you never cease to amaze me what you can come up with. I sure hope I never have to attempt that in mine. 👍

[@Bulletman426]

Thank you very much for this video. I didn’t know about removing the plug with the way you did it. Nice job!!

[@13Hangfire]

Always a pleasure to watch someone who knows what they are doing and talking about... Subscribed!

[@ErGoyoTV]

These things are the most delicate of all Stratocaster work, nice video!!! Good content no BS videos. Suscribed.

[@mikezingone9471]

I have the exact same problem. I have a 2009 Deluxe fender strat. I have been fretting over this for years! (Pardon the pun)! What an amazing luthier!! I’ve seen several KZbin videos on this. This one is the best and cleanest yet!! My guitar plays fine right now, but if I ever need a truss today adjustment I’d like to contact you. I feel so much better about my guitars future now!! Absolutely awesome stuff!!

[@qua7771]

First time I have seen this procedure. Subscribed