I've seen a lot of discussions lately about people needing to remove their necks to adjust the trussrod ... for those who have a body without a trussrod adjustment slot, here's a workflow to add this feature to your bass
This job is easier since I'm working an unfinished body where the centerline is readily visible, and it will be covered with a pickguard so the slot won't usually be visible (allowing you room to route a sloppy slot if your router skills are less than phenominal
or should that be
)
Step 1 is to mark the neck/body centerline, and then draw a line parallel to it 1/2 the diameter of the bullnose (aka core bit) router bit. Once marked, use double stick tape to secure a routing guide for the router bit bearing to follow on
Step 2 is to route the slot utilizing three passes, each one about 1/8" deeper than the previous
Here's what the bit looks like in the slot with its bearing following the edge of the routing guide
And a pair of images of the final results
All totalled this took about 30 minutes if I include the time I spent looking for my box of router bits (they were behind something I slid onto the shelf when cleaning the shop last weekend
)
It's a simple job that will save you loads of frustration if you have a heel adjust neck and no adjustment slot in your body. Once completed, the need to remove a neck to adjust the trussrod is completely eliminated. In the case of this bass build, the new owner will simply need to remove the pickguard before turning the trussrod. Nice!
all the best,
R
