Official Luthiers Forum!

Hi
I have a problem whit the truss rod nut in a 1968 Gretsch Tenessean.
I think it is a 3/8” hexagonal nut but is impossible to use standard socket or any wrench. There is not room around. Removing some wood, is not a option.
I think the nut is original, do you think the same too?
I am dealing whit neck set up.

Some idea about special tool?

Thanks for your help.

Absolutely. Take your nut driver to a bench grinder and thin it until it fits. I just did it to one of mine, and it worked great. Taper it a bit, so you still have plenty of steel.

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!

Put a bit of penetrating fluid or light oil on that nut and let it soak in good before you try to turn it.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

I have special sockets for a socket handle driver that I've taken to our lathe and turned down to fit. Same idea as Richard above but with a lathe.

In the mean time while you are making your socket or driver invert the guitar upward hanging it from the neck and drip some 3 in 1 oil in that adjuster/rod intersection so it turns well when you have the right driver.

We just had one of these in the shop for electronics problems and it was such an early one that there was no double secret access panel to the inside of the box hiding under the leather pad on the back.

Can't comment on the nut being original it might be, might not be. But that crack in the head plate over the rod concerns me that the rod may have a lot of pressure on it to straighten the neck. Something to explore maybe.

Exactly and that ole apprentice that we all have to help us out in our shops named gravity.

Noting the corner edges of that nut being rounded, you would do well to grind down a 6-point socket (as opposed to 12-point). A 6-point socket will have more contact/ bearing surface on the nut.

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Measure Twice,

Karl Borum