Truss rod?

Aarfy

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Tinkering around here and came across this - is this…- thing, or am I showing my complete naivety here?

it’s not an alien, honest.
 

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adorshki

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If you're talking about the white stuff, that's the residue from the white grease they applied to the nut when installing it, dries out with age (still keeps nut from rusting on, though.) ;)

Obviously one o' them 12-string necks with the siamese truss rods. Need to be adjusted a little differently than a single truss, as they're intended to compensate for the large difference in tension on each side of a 12-string fretboard, so typically the bass side truss would be a bit tighter than the treble side. In case you're contemplating an adjustment.

It's often recommended to leave those to somebody who understands 'em. It just occurred to me @wileypickett might be your man for 12-string specific advice.
 
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Aarfy

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Ah! They also look kinda…clogged? Maybe or maybe just me!

yep this is my ‘85 D212-NT!
 

adorshki

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I hate changing 12 strings.
Think they just wiped out what residue they could with a rag, it wasn't gonna hurt anything.

You just gave me a million dollar idea:
String Changers Mobile String Changing Service.
"Have Winder Will Travel"
"Yes We Do Theorbos"
images



Gotta see if @Westerly Wood 's looking for a job. He loves changing strings. :devilish:
 
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Boneman

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Me too. There's a Martin 12-string in the living room that has ancient strings and it'll stay that way. It's not mine, but I can't seem to guilt anyone into changing them. Damn!! :rolleyes:
That’s crazy talk! Change them out in 20 minutes and spend the rest of the day enjoying the sweet sounds.
 

SFIV1967

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If you're talking about the white stuff, that's the residue from the white grease they applied to the nut when installing it, dries out with age (still keeps nut from rusting on, though.) ;)
Al, I'm not sure that's the entire story. My believe was always that this is actually the lacquer and polish from sanding the guitar during finishing! When you (wet) sand the guitar the lacquer particles are a white dust or paste and when you polish a guitar you use polishing compound on a buffer. So my thought was it might be a mixture of lacquer dust and polishing compound that get stuck around the nut and nobody cares cleaning it out there. But what you say about it that it is actually old dried out grease also would make a lot of sense. Interesting topic! Maybe one of our luthiers/repair persons here can give their input.

Ralf
 
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The Guilds of Grot

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Al, I'm not sure that's the entire story. My believe was always that this is actually the lacquer and polish from sanding the guitar during finishing! When you (wet) sand the guitar the lacquer particles are a white dust or paste and when you polish a guitar you use polishing compound on a buffer. So my thought was it might be a mixture of lacquer dust and polishing compound that get stuck around the nut and nobody cares cleaning it out there.

Ralf
Pretty sure this is correct. It's polishing compound.
 

wileypickett

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It's often recommended to leave those to somebody who understands 'em. It just occurred to me @wileypickett might be your man for 12-string specific advice.

I wish I was that brave! I've got a houseful of 12-strings, but the double truss rods scare me enough that I leave their adjustment to the pros.
 

Aarfy

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This may not be correct but knowing it’s a double truss I have a little more confidence in neck angle keeping straight

Also— sorry for a *slight* veer here, but any idea where I could get an original TRC replacement for my D212? It’s an 85.
 

Nuuska

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I have tweaked my 2-rod 12:ers when ever needed - read: seldom 😍

Unlike 6-strings which I usually do "one fairly quick session for good" - with doubles I take little more time - up to one hour - depending.

Tweak a little - observe - tweak more if needed - etc.

Then again - thinking how much I tweak tunings - the necks have been amazingly stable over decades. can't remember last time I've touched them rods.
 

adorshki

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Al, I'm not sure that's the entire story. My believe was always that this is actually the lacquer and polish from sanding the guitar during finishing! When you (wet) sand the guitar the lacquer particles are a white dust or paste and when you polish a guitar you use polishing compound on a buffer. So my thought was it might be a mixture of lacquer dust and polishing compound that get stuck around the nut and nobody cares cleaning it out there. But what you say about it that it is actually old dried out grease also would make a lot of sense. Interesting topic! Maybe one of our luthiers/repair persons here can give their input.

Ralf
Indeed. What you say about polishing residue makes a lot of sense, too. Don't recall hearing that before.

I noticed it on my D25 the first time I adjusted my truss rod and just assumed that's what it was. Everything else on the build was so impeccably clean it never occurred to me it could be finishing/polishing residue. But I also knew very little about the process in '97, too.

Bet @Fixit would know. :)
 

adorshki

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This may not be correct but knowing it’s a double truss I have a little more confidence in neck angle keeping straight
Actually, not correct. The trussrod ends are fixed in the heel of the neck, so they travel with the neck.

It's the string tension constantly pulling the headstock towards the bridge that has the neck joint as its fulcrum that pulls the neck up.

The end of the neck's a dovetail that fits into a mating "socket" in the heelblock which is inside the body of the guitar. (And fretboard extension is right on top of the heelblock and beyond) The weak point is that joint, all that torque working against the dovetail in its socket. So as that dovetail gradually deflects in the socket it takes the whole neck including the trusses with it.

The double trusses will assist in keeping a neck flat and help counteract twisting torque when properly adjusted.:)
 

SFIV1967

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Indeed. What you say about polishing residue makes a lot of sense, too. Don't recall hearing that before.
You also see that "white stuff" often in the pickup cavities, here in my 67 Starfire IV:

1638440623685.png

More in my S-300, which clearly would not be "old grease" there. It's from the final clear coat lacquer sanding and polishing.

1638441196033.png

1638441113354.png

Ralf
 
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Guildedagain

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I like to use a lot of lube but that much grease around a tiny truss rod nut would be redonculous.

Also to note, excessive use of oil around the tuners is reputed to rot wood, so excessive greasing would not be recommended at all.

It's as Ralf said, polishing compound, as common as belly button lint ;]
 
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SFIV1967

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