USA Stratocaster truss rod nut replacement.

A tricky repair. When the two way nut on an American made Fender becomes worn it can be difficult to get enough torque on the nut to tighten it. Removal and replacement is a delicate job.

The tricky part was carefully drilling out the walnut dowel and removing the existing nut. The nut is 3/8" diameter, as is the dowel and therefore the hole. First I carefully enlarged the existing allen hole with a series of drills before working on it with a scalpel and sandpaper. With everything being the same diameter (3/8"), it's a very snug fit. Without any real purchase on the nut, removing it was quite a time consuming task.

Here is the headstock with the dowel drilled out. The old nut is on the left with it's replacement on the right. The old nut was gunked up with what appeared to be glue in the allen key slot, preventing the allen key from getting a good purchase.

I've turned a new walnut dowel on the lathe, drilled it to accept a 1/8" allen key and carefully worked a curve to match that of the headstock face. The brass washer goes between the nut and the dowel giving a baring surface to allow the truss rod to work in both directions.

A dry run. Test fitting all the components before we commit to gluing the dowel in place. I've purposely made the dowel sit slightly low in the hole so as to allow room for the finish coat to lie flush with the headstock face.

The completed repair. I've touched in the finish on the dowel and sanded flush with the surrounding area. The satin lacquer on these guitars makes the touch in slightly easier.