How to fix a Gibson truss rod

This job used to be so hard that guitar necks got thrown away as “unfixable.” Dan Erlewine shows that it’s now pretty simple with StewMac Truss Rod Rescue Tools:
Choose the Rescue Tool Set for your specific truss rod, or equip your shop with the Master Set for a wide range of truss rod repairs:
www.stewmac.com...
Individual components are also available separately:
www.stewmac.com...
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StewMac has everything you need to set up, repair or build guitars.
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[@cardsfan2397]

This man literally blows me away. I learned so much from him. Dan, you're the best.

[@funeralbillii9172]

I literally learn something new every day watching Dan, best teacher in the world!!

[@PrinceWesterburg]

FUNERAL BILL II - But the day will come when he goes senile but none notices, they just do what he says.

[@wally3586]

@@PrinceWesterburg Your 'negativity,' is as appalling as your 'spelling' and 'grammar...'

[@jeffbeck6501]

He's the best. He had to have had those tools custom made just for him, and they are amazing tools, and this is an amazing repair. The guy is amazing. He has done so much good for so many future luthiers. This is a really creative and spot on solution, and the correct solution in most cases I think. It's better than the alternative, in many ways.

[@WeyounSix]

I love this channel. I find it so soothing to watch

[@wyattsdad8561]

He's amazing. I wish I could spend about 6 months working with him.

[@peachmelba1000]

I'm always amazed at just how large a cavity there is in a back angled headstock (if there's no volute).

[@snakeeyes7763]

Love the term “rescue tools”, perfect!

[@MrBaldypete1]

Amazing.... truly amazing. I never would've thought of this! I came into this video imagining heat mats and knives and a new truss rod and re-gluing..... love it!

[@richtomlinson7090]

Same thing happened to my 1969 Gibson EB3. You showed me a different way to fix it. I like the way you repaired this one.

[@ebigtom]

Correct me If I'm wrong, but I think the rod was broke, because it was overtightened, and that happened because the neck is bowed. You can clearly see that even after Dan tightens the rod with the new nut, the neck is bowed. I think, to correct this you have to remove the frets, and carefully remove material from the two end of the fretboard, until the bow is corrected. After that, with new frets, the instrument will be better than ever.

[@Chr0nicjamz187]

It's the Bob Ross of guitars😂

[@tarickfoteh8373]

Check out his cousin Mark ... kzbin.info/www/bejne/q5m0pn2KmJqsfLs

[@seanj3667]

Ted Woodford is truly the Bob Ross of guitar repair. His videos are longer form, with more details in his explanations and he's great. This is one of his tougher repairs: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rZS7pn2Qpbh-nNk

[@blackwolf8044]

And super inspirational lol. Make it a happy little trus rod lol. ❤❤

[@ivanr3107]

so wouldn't the acorn just unscrew from the threadhead as I would turn anti-clockwise to give the truss rod a relief?

[@norbertpall9534]

You just gave me the courage to adjust my gibsons neck and it turned out fantastic! I love this guitar! Who cares if I break the truss rod...it can be fixed at anytime:))) Thank you!

[@dwightbrooks2749]

This is how to make a tutorial video. No bs, right to the point and also tells you what he's doing.

[@leenahusa1806]

I don't play guitar, I don't repair guitars, but I loooove watching these videos!

[@metalbornmetalbred]

"The relief cutter is a boring tool..." Nah, I actually find it quite exciting. ;-)

[@andriealinsangao613]

I got that!

[@bentackett6299]

Funny! 🙂

[@officialusmanqureshi]

to bore is to drill

[@FloodExterminator]

@@officialusmanqureshi r/whooosh

[@TheDirtyyoungman1]

Ooooohh the irony!! 😁

[@MikkelClairNissen]

Beautiful work !

[@markkeneson6806]

Just a friendly suggestion, use a little thread cutting oil or fluid when you use a cutting dye to recut the mangled threads. It will make it easier and extend the tool life of your cutting dye.

[@markkeneson6806]

I wrote that before seeing you use the Vaseline.

[@michaelpthompson]

Dan the man Erlewine!

[@ast3663]

awesome technique.. luthiers back in the day would have loved this..

[@Tony78432]

This guy is a master at his craft, I wish someone would teach me this stuff. Well, I can learn through Dan's video's I guess lol

[@216trixie]

Manly_Manthony I guess.

[@Snowy0123]

Manly_Manthony I bought his advanced fretting videos and they're so detailed it gave me the confidence to attempt a level and crown ,worked out beautifully.

[@Sungodv]

Dan is an American treasure. He has written books that I wish were available back when I was a gigging musician...better late than never I guess. I have been learning from Dan even before there was an Internet and a youtoob

[@WeyounSix]

Dan who? I need to know

[@latonc]

​@@WeyounSix Dan Erlewine, the luthier in this video

[@ChickenParmaSean]

Literally the best guitar tech ever

[@blackie75]

I hope Dan lives forever.

[@robertlowe5444]

You make it look so easy.🤠

[@gregoryzischke1372]

Did that sg you rescued the truss rod by boring have a value? I have the same situation on a flying V with no value. And I'm nervous there isn't enough wood material there to cut with that technique . Any thoughts?

[@NootNoode]

HE IS BACK

[@izzynutz2000]

Dan... Dan... He's our man.. if he can't do it no one can..

[@wiseguy9202]

Always making this look easy!

[@user-zd8kr2lx6e]

Thanks a lot. I was able to understand how it works and solve other problems.

[@genekloszewski5484]

Hey, dan, you are the master!, nice job , on s.g. truss rod!,, you saved that guitar !!....

[@Chiefamongsinnerz]

Gene Kloszewski yeah he saved that guitar. I still say throw it out & get a Fender!

[@theallseeingarmpit5519]

Amazing work

[@droy333]

If the nut had been cranked down so far it snapped off, what is the condition of the truss rod.

[@5018jamesb]

Probably fine. Rod is fatter than the threads. The problem starts when the nut makes contact with the shoulder as it runs out of threads. Before it broke a thicker washer or two washers could have worked just fine.

[@_u_t_o_n_]

looks nice, but cannot use that trick with my guitar. the cut area is about 3cm deep inside in a narrow tunnel under the fretboard.

[@vincewood657]

Hey, does anyone knows what is that nut material? I've come across a couple over the years but couldn't find what it really is. It looks like some kind of resin impregnated fibers but I'm not quite sure.

[@krisitantobias]

i love it .. do you also ship your tools to our country in the Philippines?

[@chrism3931]

do you have a tip for a fix for a nut that has been flattened round on the outside? how can i get it off and put a new on

[@littlewing2357]

FYI, I bought the kit for an old Gibson. It threaded the old truss rod so poorly the the nut slipped upon re-assembly. It was a waste of time and money. I even tried a coupler (extra long) nut and the new die threads would not hold. Bad die.

[@paetz4]

Would it fit for a ´76 Gibson Grabber G3 bass? I just broke my trussrod at the same place :((

[@davidausterman5915]

Why was there so much thread exposed out of the back of the original nut? How much is "normal" (roughly)?

[@glytch5]

So... how did you fix the struck truss rod? Isn't something jammed up in there that made the owner turn the nut so hard it snapped?

[@MFKR696]

I have a newer Jackson guitar. Would I be correct in assuming that being a Fender owned company, that they might use the same size-standard of tooling? Just curious. My Jackie is performing wonderfully, and I have no worries about the truss-rod, but I'd like to know anyways.

[@Neadlemeyer]

Nice work Can’t understand why 15 people disliked it!?!??

[@muckinyoface]

They are the 15 people who trashed their old gibsons not knowing how to fix them like this.

[@jimgriggs2184]

@@muckinyoface was gonna say 15 people that sold their 2000 dollar Gibson for 73.27 and a whopper with cheese only to find out that an hour of patience and the right tools could have saved them.

[@Fksu]

My Gibson LP is going in this direction... the washer is buried to the point I had to put a second one as a shim... any advice on how to revert this to avoid the rod from snapping? I already decided to go down in string gauge... I moved to 11-52 a little while ago and that's what I think caused the issue... Trying to force a back bow with weights over time would potentially revert the issue? :(

[@norcal773]

How do you keep half moon shape washer from spinning up when adjusting nut on this type of guitar?

[@stewmac]

The half moon washers used on Gibson truss rods has two barbs (one on the backside of each point) that press into the wood to keep it from spinning.

[@braysanborn6000]

Nice save ...!

[@JorgeCastro-lo6qc]

Woow!!! Thanks MASTER.

[@steliosgiannopoylos]

I want to ask you where I can find as your tool that you use to correct the pass of the truss rod, I am from Greece here I do not find and I have the same problem

[@eformance]

Why did the truss rod break in the first place? You seemed to indicate the rod either stretched, or the user was trying to correct for a warped neck, in which the truss rod won't fix that.

[@jordancochrane3895]

EFormance Engineering possibly needed a neck reset? In which case the truss rod would still need fixing

[@bbmade]

I would be very interested in pulling a fret, cleaning the slot and measuring it to compare the slot measurement to the original fret tang. I wouldn’t be surprised it it was a floppy neck and would benefit from some larger tangs to stiffen the neck. I wonder what the relief was strung back up to pitch. For a rod to be tightened that much with that much thread exposed I’d be concerned it would happen again. But with all that said I think it’s a great tool to at least offer a more economical option for a customer.

[@DeadKoby]

If someone had the truss rod THAT tight, they were either an Air Head, or there was something further that needs to be done with the neck.

[@onpsxmember]

Something has to break...if it's not the headstock, the truss rod will hold up the flag of flawed design.^^ Let's be serious...Stop the video at 0:55 and chose 720p or above. Do you see the dark line at 3 o'clock and the burr below? That shows it creeped slowly to it's demise over a longer time period and not by having one quick overload it couldn't take. (See the necking on the counterpart at 0:17 ) Since the tap is a notch, it's near where the break will happen. I could be better if the tap's "valleys" would be rounder. The thread was also originally cut and not rolled. As you mentioned tightening the truss rod couldn't fix a warped neck, but that could be the reason why the owner overtightened it.

[@graftongodofmemes]

Are trussrods not there to straighten slightly warped necks?

[@SkyfallLodge]

This is an amazing system. I have always heard that if the truss rod doesn't work pretty much throw the whole guitar out. Except if it is vintage obviously.

[@holmes1978]

Excellent

[@ozzmannsanchez6180]

What in case of double action truss rods?...more difficult...what do you do so?

[@The_sinner_Jim_Whitney]

Judging by the no-tension forward bow in that neck, that guitar needed more work than just re-threading the rod, but it was a perfect candidate for demonstrating this repair.

[@jayyadav5478]

My guitar’s truss rod hexagonal allen key hole striped it doesn’t have any grip to allen key what to do......?

[@jwandhistools]

Brilliant.

[@defshepherd9042]

Where can you do get hold of the cutters etc in the uk ?

[@emiliano9321]

4:00 Ouch!

[@arthurc1971]

That is amazing

[@fernando_dias096]

Sou brasileiro, e adorei seu canal sou músico, mais eu sempre admirei muito a arte e o trabalho da Luthieria.

[@davidyisrael007]

What was the reason the truss rod was torqued down so much? I could see the neck is pretty bowed. So I am assuming another issue caused this.

[@stewmac]

Hi David, I'm not certain why this truss rod was tightened down do far. There are a ton of factors that could be causing the neck to be bowed so much. Heavy string tension left unattended over years and then a sudden truss rod adjustment would be my first thought.

[@bluesdriver6354]

BRILLIANT!!!

[@IntegraDIY]

Is it possible to just pull the snapped truss rod out, after using that boring tool, and just replace the rod, repair the chipped wood? Or is this just a solid quick fix

[@sonny7251962]

Integra DIY No it can't be pulled out as it is anchored at the opposite end. One truss rod that I have seen was an old one that was no longer in the guitar. It had a piece of metal welded at the opposite end of the threads, so that when you looked at it, it was a "T" shape, with a small channel cut in for that welded piece. What Dan does is a permanent repair, outside of removing the fingerboard and replacing the truss rod.

[@SpeedisH94]

Modern 2way trussrods also can't be pulled because, the part of the nut-turning end and the welded side on the other end has different dimensions. might be a slightly movable, but that will definitely stuck somewhere.

[@larrytaylor3684]

This channel is invaluable. Thank you

[@TheDirtyyoungman1]

Genius!!

[@resonator_95]

Nice! Do you have any recommendations for polishing banjo metalwork?

[@stewmac]

Hi Angus, does your banjo's hardware just need polished, or is there corrosion that needs removed as well. What type of metal or plating does your banjo have on it? Brasso is a time tested metal polish that can be used to remove tarnish from a variety of platings. The best method is the preventative approach: wipe down your banjo with a soft cotton cloth each time after playing it.

[@resonator_95]

Hi, I'm pretty sure its chrome plating. Basically the metalwork (flange and pot) has clouded up over time and using a jewellers cloth is not working. I'm just wondering if it can be removed?

[@stewmac]

Here's a link to a great article by Deering Banjo discussing the best ways to clean your banjo's hardware. www.deeringbanjos.com/blogs/banjo-maintenance-tips/9210605-spring-cleaning-hardware-tips

[@resonator_95]

Cheers!

[@robozstarrr8930]

When notification first arrived... momentarily thought, now Stu Mac is gonna be discussing fixing Gibson! m_m

[@kungpuk5186]

My trus rod is totally bent, so much that i can hardly, hardly tweak the trus nut. Is there any hope för my Gibson guitar? It also has a 4 inch long stress fracture at the back of the neck (that i covered with super glue.) Any hope at all?

[@ernestochang1744]

i got a peavey T45 that needs your 5/16 truss rod hex wrench, my truss rod is buried a bit deeper then usual on guitars, and i need something similar to a pocket wrench bent into a 90 degree angle for good grip, truss rod nut is smooth and shiny and untouched just need the right tool for the job, and im sorry to hear about yours... i think i would take it to a luthier and see if theres any hope, best of luck to you

[@bufallobill9052]

whew.... this guy is a veteran.....

[@kickit301]

Yep!! That’s right where it broke!

[@PrinceWesterburg]

With Gibsons I prefer the recycling approach: Get a fire and burn the guitar away from the truss rod leaving it in perfect condition. While its still red hot, bend it into a hook and when its cold you've recycled it into a thoroughly useful hook to scratch your backside with!

[@roygutfinski9991]

Would you ever put penetrating oil on the threads or be concerned it might deteriorate the wood?

[@blackwolf8044]

Y'all check out stewmacs guitar kits I think there the best for the price. I want there double neck sg. Soo bad

[@matthewlittler8387]

Watching this man at 60fps feels wrong.

[@wyattsdad8561]

You're awesome

[@ChrisJordanGuitar]

Mr and Master!! all my respects to you but I need to ask you something, PLEASE starts your videos saying "Hello, I want to play a game" trust me that would give you more subs :D

[@hughjanus3798]

Genius!

[@bentackett6299]

Play back at .50 speed and Dan gets drunk

[@MrDreamsAlot]

Stewartmacdoneld how do you get a guitar neck to straighten out if on the gibson truss rod it only allows you to tighten? To loosen the rod the nutt just comes off?

[@stewmac]

If your neck still has back-bow after completely releasing the tension from the truss rod (turning it counter-clockwise until the adjustment nut is not bearing on the half-moon washer), then you will need to do some work to get the neck straight again. You could try switching to a heavier gauge of strings. This higher tension from the thicker strings will help put your neck in an up-bow that will counteract the natural back-bow. If you prefer the string gauge currently on the guitar, you are really only left with one good option: to level the fingerboard. You will need to remove the frets and use a fingerboard leveler to remove wood from the high area caused by the back-bow until the fingerboard is straight.

[@MrDreamsAlot]

stewartmacdonald u r a genius, Very clever thank you for the reply and your knowledge on this channel! Your skills are the best on KZbin hands down!

[@stewmac]

LastDeparture thanks for your nice comments. We're always happy to help, and love hearing that our work is appreciated.

[@marvingomez309]

Amazing

[@Mega_trav]

Any advice on how to fix a twisted neck without replacing it? @stewartmacdonald

[@onpsxmember]

There are stewmac videos here on YT explaining a method with heat and forcing it in a bend. That can help, but it can come back as well.

[@alext9067]

Listen, Dan! I have to ax what the guitar/amp combo is for your intro music. I don't hear that sound everywhere. Lemmy no....Plz?

[@plopzoppers3921]

how do you adjust the truss afterwards? is it still able to be turned with the old alan or would you need a new tool?

[@PavelNygryn]

Just standard gibson-style socket wrench.

[@ray.shoesmith]

Taking wood out of a Gibson headstock. What could possibly go wrong

[@Cigarsnguitars]

That would be horrible to have an unplayable Gibson because of a busted truss rod that can’t be fixed but can’t be played. If that doesn’t make you cry, nothing will.

[@JillandKevin]

Love Dan, but by the time I pay for tax & shipping, you kit is OVER $400!!! Great if I did this all day every day, but WTF??? There's NO WAY I could do this for ONE GUITAR!! Seems I could MAKE these tools for less. I'm gonna pull the board, replace the T rod, and refret the guitar, because it's cheaper! StewMac used to be respectable, but your prices are outrageous these days! Home of the $36 rattle can!!!

[@soyellowsoviolent]

how do you fix Gibson's bankruptcy?

[@jimgriggs2184]

buy more guitars.

[@allentrevena6841]

Dans the Man

[@StealthySpace7]

2:39 hey that’s not very nice, it’s doing it’s best but we can’t all be so interesting

[@dennisschell5543]

That's ok....Headstock will be the next thing to snap off! GYPson...

[@braysanborn6000]

After the head stock is gone it'll be easier to get at truss rod ! 😧🔫

[@arlingtonhynes]

Don’t be so down on your products! I thought the relief cutter was very interesting. Not boring at all.

[@elephantcup]

Wait... what? That truss rod broke for a reason, it didn't just break. Early in the video you alluded to it. Somebody over-tightened that rod for a reason. That reason, something is wrong with the neck, or the truss rod. You didn't even identify or address the underlying issue. You repaired the truss rod and now what- it'll get over-tightened again and broken again? You replaced the large half-moon washer with a much smaller common washer. That'll sink into the wood even deeper. In '71 they used really heavy strings, now we use lighter strings. If a truss rod designed to pull against big thick 1971 strings won't work with modern super slinkys, then something's wrong. I guess if you're just trying to sell Stew Mac tools, then the video served it's purpose. As for properly identifying and correcting the issue with that guitar- not so much.

[@cdavidlake2]

Don't question Dan.

[@johnhulsker1453]

In the old days, we had STRONG fingers, we liked high action and heavy gauge strings for that pile driver metal finger pick sound. Now, it's the weakies with their lightweight strings and music,

[@anatoly_trifonov]

Gibson is the most fragile design.

[@Chiefamongsinnerz]

“HOW TO FIX A GIBSON” Throw it in the garbage & get yourself a FENDER!!!

[@nevilriker5090]

Throw it away and buy a real guitar

[@andriealinsangao613]

Why the hell did you comment on this, anyway?!

[@flahoo2807]

.......

[@rogeriosartori555]

A very easer way to do that: just throw it in the garbage and get a FENDER!!

[@bb.6969]

buy a fender 😂😂😂

[@KREGuitars]

And what if your Fender's truss rod snaps? Yes you can easily replace the neck, but if you have a vintage instrument you'd most likely want to replicate this technique. StewMac posted a Fender version of this video today as well, check it out.

[@bb.6969]

Keith Ellebracht well if i replace a neck its stillcheaper than a gibby

[@KREGuitars]

For a straight up neck replacement, yes, a Fender replacement will usually be cheaper than a Gibson. But I'd imagine for this kind of repair the cost is fairly standard, perhaps with a little bit of variation since a Fender's neck might be slightly easier to work with.