First time i encountered a stripped American Standard truss rod nut, i did what you did. When i looked at the nut, the hex socket looked fine. Then i noticed that the socket was packed halfway full compressed dust, dirt, etc, preventing the wrench from seating all the way thus causing it to skip when the nut was tight. Ive probably come across a dozen ’stripped' Fender nuts since then. I take a 6" long 1/16" drill bit and spin it by hand in the socket. Its amazing how much crap comes out. Fixes the issue every time. Also helpful to grind the end of your hex key flat to remove any slight rounding over on the corners of the hex. This gives a little more engagement.
I used the soldering iron but i just held it in there and didn't touch the sides of the plug. It got hot enough and just backed it out with the Stew Mac gripper...no harm to the plug.
Hmmm. That makes me want to design something that would hold the tip centered. Or maybe with the StewMac neck heater thing. We have one of those somewhere.... 🤔
I had to do this on my American Series strat about 6 months ago. I decided to leave the plug unglued in case the nut ever strips out again I won't have to go at it with heat to remove it. Btw: The Stew-Mac "grabber" wrench came in very handy for removing the stripped nut.
That rosewood / maple issue warping was the reason Fender went to the veneer or curved boards ! as you are most likely are aware! The first slab boards they shipped had a return rate was astronomical!
Had the same issue with a 2015 American standard. Seems the stripped nut thing is quite common. Did the same fix on mine! Needed to refinish headstock in nitro, but going slowly and carefully, worked great! Guitar tech/luthier recommended a new neck, but I wanted to keep mine all original!
Great info/guidance/skills thanks. You mentioned that rosewood shrinks more than maple, hence, helping to bow the neck, have you found this to be a general issue or is it more of a specific "Fender thing" - love your channel "This is The Way"
Thanks! I really appreciate it. I do see it more on Fender guitars but I see it on other brands also. Rickenbacker for example, is fairly common for that to happen. Thanks for watching!
@@chingonbass Ouch! Was that with the wooden plug still in place. With the plug removed, if you gently tap it in place with a mallet it might grip. If the nut is completely rounded out, possibly try using an old Allen key with a blob of two pack epoxy resin on the end and stick it into the old nut!
Both my rosewood fingerboard bass necks are completely flat if I remove strings and disengage the trussrod. They are 15 years old. Aren't they supposed to have taken a bow shape?
