# Carvins Truss rods are a joke



## SirMyghin (Jan 30, 2012)

I am going to vent some here, about the pain in the ass Carvin truss rods are, particularly on their basses. While many folks have apparently had them break in the past, I have not had that issue, but a different one. 

The truss rod, from day one, works but is stiff as hell. So stiff, that adjusting it was an uncomfortable affair (given their penchant for breaking ). So over the last 4 years, I have been adjusting it carefully, and with more force than I like to use on a rod to keep the bass in good working order. Otherwise it is a fine piece, no doubt, but due to this force the truss rod nut is starting to strip. Seriously. I have used nothing but the perscribed 4mm truss rod wrench, and did what I needed to to adjust it, but the cheap steel it is made of is starting to wear. 

So enter adjustment tools, like the gripper series wrenches from Stewmac, tapered hex keys, effectively. They run from undersize to oversize and will help alleviate this issue. With the shallow tilt back headstock, and square truss rod routing, you can't get a tool like this in there, at all. You can only get a damned allen wrench in there without some pretty serious modification to that truss rod access route. So now that I have the tools to effectively tackle this project without it going further to shit, I still cannot do anyting without some serious headstock modification (which I am contemplating doing regardless). That or I need something like this stewmac tool in a hex key, but it doesn't seem to exist. I could make one, in theory, but don't have the precision tools to do more than guess at it. 

This is a pretty frustrating excursion as I have never had issues with truss rods prior to this, and have been setting up instruments for 12 years now. It is a ridiculous problem that should not exist, all that needs to happen is using a better damned truss rod.


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## HighGain510 (Jan 30, 2012)

Yep, I had a DC400TA a long time ago that had a busted truss rod... sold that thing at a MAJOR loss because I didn't want to pay to get the rod replaced and Carvin pretty much told me to fuck off.


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## SirMyghin (Jan 30, 2012)

I hear you, a truss rod replacement is a high repair, considering it will involve fretboard, fretting etc unless you 'add' a skunk stripe.... I am doing everything I can to salvage this and prevent it breaking/stripping out more than a little as I like the damned bass. 

The biggest problem, that prevents me from just selling it now (when nothing is 'wrong') is that my wife had bought this for me... There is a reason I don't like her buying my gear, it makes selling it less easy. I haven't had an issue with the guitar I still keep (fortunately a bolt on), but at the same time my G&Ls rod turns effortlessly, literally no friction at all. Sometimes you aren't even sure you turned it 

I need to get a hold of a bunch of allen keys and a bench grinder or something, in order to make my own 'gripper', that or go that mod the headstock route. The reason I am realuctant to make my own tool is that I don't have the precision milling equipment to make it perfect.


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## renzoip (Jan 30, 2012)

I've had 4 Carvin guitars and have never had an issue adjusting the truss rods. Sucks to hear that. I hope my new Carvin 8 comes with another good truss rod.


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## SirMyghin (Jan 30, 2012)

renzoip said:


> I've had 4 Carvin guitars and have never had an issue adjusting the truss rods. Sucks to hear that. I hope my new Carvin 8 comes with another good truss rod.



I have had 3, the guitars were acceptable (not stellar, but adeqaute), the bass is not.


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## infernalservice (Jan 30, 2012)

I bought a guitar once from a crappy luthier who passed off Carvin neck thru blanks as his own work when he was basically just gluing his own wings onto them. The volute and stiff as hell truss rod was the dead give away.


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## SirMyghin (Jan 30, 2012)

infernalservice said:


> I bought a guitar once from a crappy luthier who passed off Carvin neck thru blanks as his own work when he was basically just gluing his own wings onto them. The volute and stiff as hell truss rod was the dead give away.



You think they would fix that, but I was told before unless the truss rod wasn't working at all they weren't going to do anything (not to mention invoke about 300$ of shipping total to get them to look at it).


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## ZEBOV (Jan 30, 2012)

I'll keep this in mind when ordering and testing an XB76. Makes me wonder if I should get an SR 5006 instead.


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## ZEBOV (Feb 1, 2012)

ZEBOV said:


> I'll keep this in mind when ordering and testing an XB76. Makes me wonder if I should get an SR 5006 instead.



I thought about it when I was working today. I'll order me a Carvin bass, but if the truss rod is stiff like that, I'll return it and get an SR5006.


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## vampiregenocide (Feb 1, 2012)

Wow this is the first negative thing I've heard about Carvin.


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## ZEBOV (Feb 1, 2012)

Same here, not including messing up orders like putting the wrong headstock on a guitar.


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## Church2224 (Feb 1, 2012)

Carvin is no more consistent than most, if not all other high end guitar guitar builders out there. 

Like everyone else they have released their share of lemons. If you dig deep enough you can find that every builder no matter how big or small has released their fare share of bad instruments, but they have released plenty more good guitars out there. 

One of my Carvin had finish flaws on the headstock, wrong specs, and the fretboard was cracking when I got it. BUT I have played a few Carvins and know they have released more good guitars than that.


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## ZEBOV (Feb 2, 2012)

Whether I keep the Carvin or not, I still want an Ibanez SR5006.


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## purpledc (Feb 2, 2012)

Crazy. I have never had a problem with my carvins in this respect. ReallY Ive never had an issue with my carvins at all. But I also have never owned a bass from them. But The truss rods on my guitars are very very easy to adjust. SO easy in fact that I thought a recent build of mine had a broken rod. Turns out it just moves that fast and easy. But it works. Sorry to hear of your issues.


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## LordCashew (Feb 4, 2012)

ZEBOV said:


> I'll keep this in mind when ordering and testing an XB76. Makes me wonder if I should get an SR 5006 instead.



From what I've heard they beefed up the truss rods some time in the mid 2000's. I have an '04 BB76 and the truss has always worked fine. There may not be anything to worry about. Hopefully.


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## Splinterhead (Apr 15, 2012)

I have two Carvin basses, one 5 one 6. My 5, after I had it for four years, the truss rod snapped at the head. The top of the truss rod was only adjustable with Carvin's truss rod tool. If I remember right it was a four sided shape. I called Carvin they said it was under warranty so they sent me a duplicate bass. My 6 is newer and uses a hex key and it seems to turn a little bit better. But I have to agree I get a bit nervous adjusting the neck of their basses.


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