Black Strat with a crook in its neck
Today’s patient is a Fender Stratocaster, circa 2002. The initial complaint from the player was a “stripped truss rod nut, and it’s just not playable.”
I made some quick measurements and found the neck to be quite bowed.
This model of Strat is equipped with Fender’s BiFlex Truss Rod, which works differently than a typical dual action truss rod. A dual action setup utilizes a matched pair of rods anchored at the nut and at the heel of the neck, allowing for quite a bit of movement in either direction, as well as a good amount of man handling. The BiFlex setup utilizes a single rod, anchored in the center, below the 7th fret. The adjustment mechanism is under the guitar’s nut. Turning the mechanism clockwise pulls on the rod, adding a slight backbow; turning counter-clockwise backs the mechanism into a wooden plug, which now exerts pressure on the rod and moving the neck toward an upbow. The adjustment mechanism is turned using a 1/8″ allen key, which can strip if cranked upon with too much force. Which may be how this guitar found its way to me.
After rescuing, then replacing the stripped nut, I was able to determine the neck had developed a bow that was too severe for the BiFlex truss rod system to correct when under string tension. Time for a heat treatment. I was able to heat the neck enough to soften the glue that holds the fingerboard in place, and clamp it into a severe back bow. After it cooled over night, I removed the clamps and was pleased at where the neck ended up. *(This took more than one heat treat session.)
Moral of the story is, if you’re lucky enough to have a BiFlex Truss Rod in your Fender, be sure to relieve the string tension before making an adjustment. Just ask your friends who play classic Rickenbackers; they’ve known about this for a long time!
