Official Luthiers Forum!

Hello! I own an older ESP bolt-on guitar which has access to its 5mm truss rod at the end of the neck and no access to it without unbolting/removing it when making truss rod adjustments. The neck has a strat-style neck pocket and the fretboard is a straight overhang. I own a Wera 5mm stubby end hex L-key which fits fine and wouldn’t require much of a route channel on the body above the neck pocket. My only issue is I don’t own a router and am conflicted about either taking it somewhere or buying a router and trying it myself. I don’t think anyone makes a template for this style of route either. At least not the StewMac guys.

Any assistance and suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Thanks!!

Yeah those suck don't they. So do vintage Fenders with the truss adjustment on the body side and you have to pull the neck somewhat to make the adjustment.

What we do with Fenders, vintage ones is the first two neck bolts are backed out half way about 4 - 5 threads but still engaged in the body. The last two bolts closest to the pickups but on the back are backed out completely. With the guitar in the playing position and the neck in a Leg vice we bend the body back and the neck with the adjustor pops out of the pocket enough to get a flat head screw driver on it (again Fender it could be hex for ESP). Adjustments are made, bolts are snugged up and checked to see if it's where you want it. Clockwise is more back bow counter clockwise is less back bow.

Not a fan of this type of adjustment either so I know and feel your pain. If I am perhaps just a very small turn away from perfect I may not make the adjustment again because it's not easy to do with these and that underscores what's wrong with the system.

Take a look at Suhr guitars and blow up a pic of the adjuster at the end of the neck. They do from the factory what you are envisioning and it works great. They even relieve the pick guard for the wrench access. So does Ernie Ball guitars.

Down side on the ESP is a 5 mm hex can't be right angled (bent) easily when the bent end is only going to stick out perhaps 3/8th of an inch.

Because the wrench can't be bent I think this is chasing your tail and you will still have to loosen neck bolts to get the 5 mm hex wrench in there.

With the pick guard off you could do this with a Dremel tool and a big arse sanding drum with course on it. But again this system depends on a right angle wrench and I don't see how a 5 mm can be bent that short. I bend hex wrenches all of the time with heat and a vice but the bent end only need be 3/8" long and that's like going to crush and distort the hex end of the wrench.

Sorry I can't be more helpful I rail all the time on the forum about poor truss rod adjustment access this is one of those for sure.

Just cut the short end of the allen key shorter. I did that for my new Tele build.