"A quick and extremely dirty mockup, here" - Ted, at his ever-humble best. The only "confusing" thing to me is your seemingly omnipresent ability to do triage...your patients are always in the best of hands when they visit your home. I hope the owner was thankful and impressed...continual truss rod adjustments are more than a "pain in the neck"...sorry, I couldn't resist.
Of course the irony of this is that Leo designed the necks to be removed easily so they could be replaced. Leo would have said “Hey man, why are you going to so much trouble?”
@@Rxbandit421 I don't know if that holds true for non-vintage guitars like this one. Certainly for 50s, 60s, and probably 70s vintage instruments. But, after that I don't know how much it matters unless it was some special model.
@@moonchild4806 They used Pau Ferro on the SRV and Jaco Pastorius models since the early 1990s. Personally, I prefer a super dark rosewood -- almost ebony.
They often aren't glued in very well. I've seen them pop out without heat just from adjustment on the rare guitar that needs the back truss rod adjustment. That's probably a good thing since you're far more likely to need to replace the nut than to need the two-way adjustment and if you do, it's easy to re-glue.
I think one of the biggest reasons, people ask to ship their guitars across national borders, for you to repair, is because of your knowledge and insight into the craft. I hate to fawn, but you consistently amaze me with your ability. I want to attend a local luthier school, and you set the bar! I’ve watched other luthier and guitar videos, and I just cringe at how I’ve seen work being done. I’ve had work done on my own instruments that have left me very disappointed. My hats off to you twoodfrd!
@@staive70ss well, yeah! I mean ya just have to ask yerself is there a better way to remove it than that? & when you realise there isn’t you just have to admire the guy’s knowledge!😉👍 I’m afraid I have to admit that, in the past, I’ve rigged up some weird complicated drilling jig; unbolted the neck and just cut away with three different bits of increasing width until there is no plug left... 😳
I was not aware of this; didn't know. One of the most informative set-up related videos I've ever seen. Truly a master craftsman type repair! Thanks! 🤟
This channel inspired me to give my 25+ yr old squire a makeover. I gave it a new graph tech Tusq nut, new mojotone electronics, a black pearl pick guard and new knobs. It took about 4 hours. Then after I got it all together I gave it a set up and had to do a truss rod adjustment. It sounds sweet! I watch this channel so much I didn't even need to google anything. This channel is worth it's weight in gold! Thank you sir!
don't go too overboard with mods or replacements on that old squire. they've gained a pretty big collectors market over the last few years, and people want them in factory spec condition if they're gonna pay a high price. those old mik squire II's went from being worth $80 five years ago to being worth $150-250 now.
@@IAmKillEveryone I was shocked when I found out how much my 90s Squire MIJ strat is supposedly worth! It was my second ever electric guitar and its never been messed with and plays great,,,,
Heck yeah, Ted! I've been wanting to see a repair that involves replacing the walnut plug ever since I found out Fender sells them ready to insert and cut/shave to shape.
Nice to hear someone transatlantic tackling the "sudder" / "solder" thing. Yes, words such as Squirrel, Mirror and Solder do get a little mangled sometimes!
Thanks for showing this procedure! My Yankee strat was born, 1/'98; another late '97. Blessed with the Bi-Flex; mine still works just fine. Thanks, again, Mike from Fernwood, BC
I really enjoyed the video. I learn so much from watching the guitar videos for repairs, upgrading parts, how guitars are put together, etc. Another thing I've learned and I see it in your work, is to not rush things and take your time. Seeing that in just about every luthier video has been one of the best lessons I've learned. Thanks for sharing your great work!
Nice job! You do great work and continue to inspire me on my guitar repair adventures! This one definitely would have been a real head-scratcher for me.
With every video Mr Woodford makes it's increasingly clear that patience, planning and preparation are the skills that set him and any good repairman apart. I very much appreciate your content and gain a lot of confidence tackling jobs that are new to me.
As someone who does all my own repairs and mods I really appreciate your videos. Your skills are top notch and your patient approach to repairs is a joy to watch. Much respect.
Excellent ! Had a ‘96 Buddy Guy Sig Strat w/ a truss Rod nut issue. Always wondered how to access a faulty adj nut that would not tighten up any further than I could get to go. Quite frustrating as I did not have quite the skills you have! Well done! I eventually sold the guitar...sigh
While I would never attempt repairs of the this magnitude, I really enjoy watching your videos as they help me understand the inner workings of my guitars. Your articulate and knowledgeable videos are fascinating to me. Thanks for posting.
Wow Ted, that was fascinating. I have a gorgeous Candy Apple Red Strat Plus from the early 1990’s which also has the bi-flex truss rod in it (though fortunately mine works just fine and the neck is in great shape). Have often wondered how that thing works. Had looked at modern bi-directional truss rods, like those you demonstrated, but had no idea if or how the original was different - well now I do! Thank you Ted. Fascinating to see that you can get the nut out like that - you never cease to amaze me what you can come up with. I sure hope I never have to attempt that in mine. 👍
as has been said many times - your videos and voice are perfect and can get someone without any guitar knowledge to sit through the entire thing just engrossed in a small repair. Nice work !
"Wood is unpredictable..." I'm sorry but I just had to get in on these comments....I'm 63 years old but I still hear things like I'm 13 years old.... :-) And I can tell you that with age wood becomes far more predictable.
Amazing! I've been doing this stuff over 30 years and you still constantly amaze me. I'm really good at fretjobs and wiring. I'll just stay in my lane and you handle this crazy stuff.
I’ve seen the term “bi-flex truss rod” a million times and owned dozens of them. I had no idea they also worked backwards like a 2 way rod. Nor did I know about the anchor under the 7th fret marker. Very informative sir and well done as always. Thanks for sharing!
@@garymitchell5899 you have to understand they still work like a regular truss rod. They just can work the opposite way too if they need to. I’ve never had a neck bow the other direction to need that function of the bi-flex truss rod. I’d say it’s pretty rare to need that but handy to know it’s there if you ever did need it.
@@braderrick my friend left his Strat sit unstrung for 20 years in its case but didn’t relieve the truss rod. The neck crept into a slight backbow...a little bit of the forward bend on the truss rod was needed to get the neck relief right.
You really are a master of your craft. Your videos are always so full of gold nuggets of information and procedures. Thank you very much for these videos.
AmaZing insights into the whole fender truss rod system. I’m looking at my American made strat and thinking “you better not do that to me”. 🤦🏼♂️😂😂. Great video and amazing work as always!!!
Had to do this job on my 2012 American Strat this weekend, I had been putting it off for little over a year since I got my new truss nut in, but finally I got my hands on a Stewmack Gripper wrench. I used my soldering iron (with a clean tip) set to its lowest heat and with a little bit of damp towel on the inside of the hole to protect it, and give humidity to help release the glue, after about 10 minutes it screwed out with no problem! New nut installed and the old plug press fit in place as it was in good shape! the action is back down to 2.5 - 3.5 64ths plays like how I remember once again!
I learned something from this video, thanks. A great video, well presented and great detective work. I like the nod to the transatlantic problem of "sodering" or "soldering".
Your comment is so true about a company being married to the past. Some traditional makers have a positive innovation that helps make setup easier, and the people revolt anyway.
I have a 94 American Standard with the same need to constantly tighten the truss rod. So much so that I bought it as a project after the previous owner blew out the front of the fret board between the first and second frets from over tightening too many times without getting some glue in there to strengthen that bearing surface the nut tightens against. This gives me wonderful hope that I’ll be able to repair this once I feel up to the task! Thanks for the informative videos as always!
I’ve been doing my own repairs for the last 20 years. I’ve avoided used Fenders with the biflex truss rod because until today, I had no idea how to deal with this particular truss rod. Thank you for showing how one deals with this.
Stewart Macdonald does a Truss rod repair kit but the kits success is dependant on how much Thread is left on the Rod. In this case it was down to a Ball end Allen key. I enjoy watching you work Ted, the methods i have learnt from you have been valuable at times and i thank you for that. Your a good Teacher as well as being a good Luthier. Thanks Ted.
Dude - Awesome job with this in every regard! Your knowledge of the history of the various truss rod systems, faults and strengths, deep experience with the problems and the causes - and most impressive is your extremely creative methods AND knowing how to MAKE heaters, monitor the process and successfully separate wood parts that were never meant to come apart; AND creatively repair the force bearing wood parts AND do it all with a cosmetically pleasing final repair - WOW! You are certainly one EXTREMELY gifted and skilled technician - I'm VERY impressed! Thank you for sharing your insights and thoughts - you are a great mentor! LOVE YOUR CHANNEL!
That was amazing Ted. I’ve worked on a bunch of Strats from that period but thankfully have never encountered a bad neck or truss rod situation... because if I had I would have been just as TOTALLY CLUELESS as the “fine” shop that last worked on this one. The plug removal rig was f’ing genius, my grab would have been for a drill bit.
You know there is a lot of relief when you can see it on youtube, on your phone.
Ha! Same!
Yeah.
I thought the same thing
Man, nice work on removing that plug. Surgical!
“Be careful not to get any on the threads..”
I know without a doubt I would get some on the threads.
"... F*, I've just got some one the threads"
Same thing I thought. Only twice have I removed a plug at all, let alone putting super glue that far inside. I'd jack it up, I know it!
Same. Smh.....
"A quick and extremely dirty mockup, here" - Ted, at his ever-humble best. The only "confusing" thing to me is your seemingly omnipresent ability to do triage...your patients are always in the best of hands when they visit your home. I hope the owner was thankful and impressed...continual truss rod adjustments are more than a "pain in the neck"...sorry, I couldn't resist.
Agreed. I wish you were in the UK.
Great job. The owner was lucky to find you.
Of course the irony of this is that Leo designed the necks to be removed easily so they could be replaced. Leo would have said “Hey man, why are you going to so much trouble?”
Because most of the time that shoots the value way down is why I’d assume he went to all the trouble.
They should just make steel necks with a glued on fretboard.
@@matthewJ142 damn that sounds heavy
@@Rxbandit421 I don't know if that holds true for non-vintage guitars like this one. Certainly for 50s, 60s, and probably 70s vintage instruments. But, after that I don't know how much it matters unless it was some special model.
@@matthewJ142 I mean they sorta exist, you have Travis Bean and EGC guitars
That little tapered dowel heater was simply ingenious. Awesome!
That is some gorgeous rosewood on that neck
Looks more like Pau Ferro to me.
@@Jonathan_Doe_ It doesn't look orange enough to me, and I could be wrong but I don't think fender was using pao ferro in the 90s
@@moonchild4806 They used Pau Ferro on the SRV and Jaco Pastorius models since the early 1990s. Personally, I prefer a super dark rosewood -- almost ebony.
@@bluemagic5829 ah, that's pretty cool. I prefer maple for my fingerboards over everything, I love the feel of the glossy board.
Looks almost like Brazilian with the thick dark grain
The 11 thumbs down are from the competition who only dream of being this skilled..
There is no competition.
@@fdfsdfsvsfgsg4888 the Chuck Norris of luthiers.
When that plug came out I was astonished.
That little dowel plug heater is marvellous. It worked so well!
Yeah, that was pretty neat.
This guy is good. I’m fascinated by his videos and knowledge. And I’m mainly a drummer!
They often aren't glued in very well. I've seen them pop out without heat just from adjustment on the rare guitar that needs the back truss rod adjustment. That's probably a good thing since you're far more likely to need to replace the nut than to need the two-way adjustment and if you do, it's easy to re-glue.
I think one of the biggest reasons, people ask to ship their guitars across national borders, for you to repair, is because of your knowledge and insight into the craft. I hate to fawn, but you consistently amaze me with your ability. I want to attend a local luthier school, and you set the bar! I’ve watched other luthier and guitar videos, and I just cringe at how I’ve seen work being done. I’ve had work done on my own instruments that have left me very disappointed. My hats off to you twoodfrd!
B E S T BiFlex explanation I’ve ever seen👍
I still don't understand it, my mind was spinning over the MacGyver plug removal part.
@@staive70ss well, yeah! I mean ya just have to ask yerself is there a better way to remove it than that? & when you realise there isn’t you just have to admire the guy’s knowledge!😉👍
I’m afraid I have to admit that, in the past, I’ve rigged up some weird complicated drilling jig; unbolted the neck and just cut away with three different bits of increasing width until there is no plug left... 😳
I was not aware of this; didn't know. One of the most informative set-up related videos I've ever seen. Truly a master craftsman type repair! Thanks! 🤟
Ingenious way of getting that plug out. Truss rods scare the hell out of me - always have. Great job.
That is the smartest way of removing the walnut dowel that I've ever seen!
“Well, there’s your problem!”
Mythbusters ! :-)
Communists!
This channel inspired me to give my 25+ yr old squire a makeover. I gave it a new graph tech Tusq nut, new mojotone electronics, a black pearl pick guard and new knobs. It took about 4 hours. Then after I got it all together I gave it a set up and had to do a truss rod adjustment. It sounds sweet! I watch this channel so much I didn't even need to google anything. This channel is worth it's weight in gold! Thank you sir!
don't go too overboard with mods or replacements on that old squire. they've gained a pretty big collectors market over the last few years, and people want them in factory spec condition if they're gonna pay a high price. those old mik squire II's went from being worth $80 five years ago to being worth $150-250 now.
@@IAmKillEveryone I was shocked when I found out how much my 90s Squire MIJ strat is supposedly worth! It was my second ever electric guitar and its never been messed with and plays great,,,,
Thanks for filming the repair. As always, a real education. Makes my Saturday night. (I should get out more!)
"Stew Mac knows this. They'll charge accordingly." Bahahaha
Heat...or hëät. Englishman almost lost his coffee here :D
Great work, a pleasure to watch.
Heck yeah, Ted! I've been wanting to see a repair that involves replacing the walnut plug ever since I found out Fender sells them ready to insert and cut/shave to shape.
Love the detailed background and context of the truss rod before the repair.
Nice to hear someone transatlantic tackling the "sudder" / "solder" thing. Yes, words such as Squirrel, Mirror and Solder do get a little mangled sometimes!
Your troubleshooting skills are amazing Ted.
Sir you are a true Luthier! The owner made a wise choice of letting you repair this screw up! You have our support! Peace my brother ✌🏻😊👍🏻☮️
That was great! Some proper detective work there - CGI got NOWT on you ...
I´m a Brit in Spain.. Thanks for the Translations & FINBAR SAUNDERS !!!
FNAR FNAR
@@benleydon . YUK YUK !!!!
Loved this one! That nichrome heating is working out well on all your repairs!
Nice work, you are a true craftsman !
BYW you need to get some lanolin on them fingers, you will be happy you did !
Thanks for showing this procedure! My Yankee strat was born, 1/'98; another late '97. Blessed with the Bi-Flex; mine still works just fine. Thanks, again, Mike from Fernwood, BC
Of all the cool tricks that I’ve seen luthiers do. That plug removal is one Of the top five luthier tricks of all time. Very cool man! thanks!
I really enjoyed the video. I learn so much from watching the guitar videos for repairs, upgrading parts, how guitars are put together, etc. Another thing I've learned and I see it in your work, is to not rush things and take your time. Seeing that in just about every luthier video has been one of the best lessons I've learned. Thanks for sharing your great work!
I’m so glad you decided to make this video!!! Amazing as always!!
As a cabinet man for 50 years it is a joy and honor to watch your craft
I love the way you pronounce heat........or "heat"
Or "hüüt".
I laughed out loud. Was not expecting a joke like that lmao
Nice job! You do great work and continue to inspire me on my guitar repair adventures! This one definitely would have been a real head-scratcher for me.
Truly excellent. Ted, you continue to amaze me with your skills, not just the luthiery, but the problem work arounds too. Absolute kudos to you!!
With every video Mr Woodford makes it's increasingly clear that patience, planning and preparation are the skills that set him and any good repairman apart. I very much appreciate your content and gain a lot of confidence tackling jobs that are new to me.
You are a clever man. That heater worked really nice!
Great Job , That was Pretty damn good on That Truss rod repair ...Excellent
Watching you work is amazing. Your experience speaks
volumes but you're also just plain clever. Thanks for the
video.
As someone who does all my own repairs and mods I really appreciate your videos. Your skills are top notch and your patient approach to repairs is a joy to watch. Much respect.
Excellent !
Had a ‘96 Buddy Guy Sig Strat w/ a truss Rod nut issue. Always wondered how to access a faulty adj nut that would not tighten up any further than I could get to go. Quite frustrating as I did not have quite the skills you have! Well done!
I eventually sold the guitar...sigh
Fascinating video. Your explanation and visual demonstration of the dual action truss road system was great. I would never have guessed.
Fascinating diagnosis process and repair... yet another job brilliantly executed. Compulsive viewing Ted, thank you.
Always a pleasure to watch someone who knows what they are doing and talking about... Subscribed!
While I would never attempt repairs of the this magnitude, I really enjoy watching your videos as they help me understand the inner workings of my guitars. Your articulate and knowledgeable videos are fascinating to me. Thanks for posting.
History lesson and repair lesson, all in one video. This is why I subscribe to this channel. Excellent!
Wow Ted, that was fascinating. I have a gorgeous Candy Apple Red Strat Plus from the early 1990’s which also has the bi-flex truss rod in it (though fortunately mine works just fine and the neck is in great shape). Have often wondered how that thing works. Had looked at modern bi-directional truss rods, like those you demonstrated, but had no idea if or how the original was different - well now I do! Thank you Ted. Fascinating to see that you can get the nut out like that - you never cease to amaze me what you can come up with. I sure hope I never have to attempt that in mine. 👍
as has been said many times - your videos and voice are perfect and can get someone without any guitar knowledge to sit through the entire thing just engrossed in a small repair. Nice work !
I just love watching someone not bodge a problem like this. Wonderful, resourceful and educational.
Another really impressive repair. Great job, Ted!
‘Feels like it’s just the tip’ 😂 PHRASING LANA
Glad I'm not the only one with a juvenile sense of humor that died laughing
By the end of it he's telling us "at a certain point the nut reaches the rod"
Lana, Lana, LLAAANNNAAA
Only an eighth of an inch
"Wood is unpredictable..." I'm sorry but I just had to get in on these comments....I'm 63 years old but I still hear things like I'm 13 years old.... :-) And I can tell you that with age wood becomes far more predictable.
My God man! Your dastardly solutions are utterly gripping to watch. Right up my street and subscribed for life.
Amazing!
I've been doing this stuff over 30 years and you still constantly amaze me. I'm really good at fretjobs and wiring. I'll just stay in my lane and you handle this crazy stuff.
Wow - what a thorough understanding of the issue and an elegant repair. I definitely learned from this presentation. Thank you!
We need to start a GoFundMe to buy a year's supply of Band-Aids for Ted's poor fingers. Painful.
Weekly spa treatments with manicures.
What an ingenious way of removing the mahogany plug! Thanks for sharing man. 🤙
I’ve seen the term “bi-flex truss rod” a million times and owned dozens of them. I had no idea they also worked backwards like a 2 way rod. Nor did I know about the anchor under the 7th fret marker. Very informative sir and well done as always. Thanks for sharing!
@@garymitchell5899 you have to understand they still work like a regular truss rod. They just can work the opposite way too if they need to. I’ve never had a neck bow the other direction to need that function of the bi-flex truss rod. I’d say it’s pretty rare to need that but handy to know it’s there if you ever did need it.
@@braderrick my friend left his Strat sit unstrung for 20 years in its case but didn’t relieve the truss rod. The neck crept into a slight backbow...a little bit of the forward bend on the truss rod was needed to get the neck relief right.
You really are a master of your craft. Your videos are always so full of gold nuggets of information and procedures. Thank you very much for these videos.
Another top class repair and a pleasure to see the skill and care taken.
Thanks for showing that process. I learned another great method from you!
Excellent video as always. Thanks for sharing and educating us.
Nice... Also, thank you from the UK for adding the "l" back into "solder"!
Thanks for that inspiring and informative repair masterclass 👏
AmaZing insights into the whole fender truss rod system. I’m looking at my American made strat and thinking “you better not do that to me”. 🤦🏼♂️😂😂. Great video and amazing work as always!!!
... or SOULder.
...or HEEl.
Bout pissed myself.
You are a wizard. That heating element was clever. Quality repair.
Thank you.
GREAT JOB!!!!!! This was a new level of repair for me. Thanks so much for the knowledge and sharing.
Had to do this job on my 2012 American Strat this weekend, I had been putting it off for little over a year since I got my new truss nut in, but finally I got my hands on a Stewmack Gripper wrench.
I used my soldering iron (with a clean tip) set to its lowest heat and with a little bit of damp towel on the inside of the hole to protect it, and give humidity to help release the glue, after about 10 minutes it screwed out with no problem! New nut installed and the old plug press fit in place as it was in good shape!
the action is back down to 2.5 - 3.5 64ths plays like how I remember once again!
Good stuff Ted I always look forward to your show You are the man
Looks great. I love the way that you matched that plug to the color of the guitar. Awesome!!!!
Fantastic job as always, Love watching a master at work!
Outstanding craftsmanship, I learned something new. Thanks for this lesson👍🎸👋
Brilliant work again Ted
Great video. That's the first time I've seen something like that. Very ingenious solution. Love watching you work. Keep 'em coming.
I learned something from this video, thanks. A great video, well presented and great detective work. I like the nod to the transatlantic problem of "sodering" or "soldering".
My favourite CZcams luthier, ALWAYS A TREAT to watch your videos. Thanks so much!!!
Bryan Adams must be very happy with the superb and ingenious work you did. Now he can play "Run to You" and not worry about his Strat. :^D
"I'm gonna trim the walnut plug with this tool. It cuts like a knife, but it feels so right."
@@faunaflage
🤣😂
Man, what a master craftsman. So entertaining, I love your work.
Your comment is so true about a company being married to the past. Some traditional makers have a positive innovation that helps make setup easier, and the people revolt anyway.
Geez Ted, you’re amazing man. Thanks for filming it for us.
that plug coming out was the highlight of my day. Another superb video!
Great work as always, mixed with the usual subtle humor.
Really Great! Thanks. I have wondered about this, but never seen it in person.
Great video! Beautiful work. Thanks!
I have a 94 American Standard with the same need to constantly tighten the truss rod. So much so that I bought it as a project after the previous owner blew out the front of the fret board between the first and second frets from over tightening too many times without getting some glue in there to strengthen that bearing surface the nut tightens against.
This gives me wonderful hope that I’ll be able to repair this once I feel up to the task! Thanks for the informative videos as always!
Brilliant work !!
I’ve been doing my own repairs for the last 20 years. I’ve avoided used Fenders with the biflex truss rod because until today, I had no idea how to deal with this particular truss rod. Thank you for showing how one deals with this.
Stewart Macdonald does a Truss rod repair kit but the kits success is dependant on how much Thread is left on the Rod. In this case it was down to a Ball end Allen key. I enjoy watching you work Ted, the methods i have learnt from you have been valuable at times and i thank you for that. Your a good Teacher as well as being a good Luthier. Thanks Ted.
Dude - Awesome job with this in every regard! Your knowledge of the history of the various truss rod systems, faults and strengths, deep experience with the problems and the causes - and most impressive is your extremely creative methods AND knowing how to MAKE heaters, monitor the process and successfully separate wood parts that were never meant to come apart; AND creatively repair the force bearing wood parts AND do it all with a cosmetically pleasing final repair - WOW! You are certainly one EXTREMELY gifted and skilled technician - I'm VERY impressed! Thank you for sharing your insights and thoughts - you are a great mentor! LOVE YOUR CHANNEL!
My reply to your reply makes it 2ply.
Excellent information & demo! Thank you very much Mr. Woodford!
Dave in the Adirondacks 🤠🎸
Fascinating to watch how you mend up these things , true craftsman !
Amazing work Ted
WOW....you are a true “Master Craftsman”....excellent work my man!!!
Awesome, had a similar issue with a 93 Strat-plus, wish i'd seen this video sooner! Good job as usual! Thanks again!!!!!
Great job! This was a pleasure to watch
Those string guides look sick, good job fender
That was amazing Ted. I’ve worked on a bunch of Strats from that period but thankfully have never encountered a bad neck or truss rod situation... because if I had I would have been just as TOTALLY CLUELESS as the “fine” shop that last worked on this one. The plug removal rig was f’ing genius, my grab would have been for a drill bit.
You made that look so easy, The last repair I saw, the fellow carved the plug out. Thanks
Very good. I've not seen that trick in repairing before now. Thanks for sharing.
Very good info here never knew this I will take note of this now ,thanks for your valued experience