Just a nice simple hack today for bypassing the proprietary block that Martin so kindly inflicts upon us by recessing their truss rod keys behind a brace and charging a fortune for what is nothing more than a long allen key with an ego problem.

While I used some electrical tape to secure it, if you’re planning on using it repeatedly and especially if you don’t have any means of fishing it out of the cavity should the tape fail, then I’d suggest ideally welding it to the tip of a driver that you can sacrifice permanently for the job. Epoxy may well work too, but again you’re going to have to pretty much sacrifice a tool, or at least spend a lot of time cleaning and sharpening it back up afterwards.

Whether permanent or temporary, try to use a driver with a hex head on the back as the reduced leverage you have with only a screwdriver does mean you have to squeeze quite hard on the handle to get sufficient grip if the rod tight at all.

It’s not pretty and it’s not supposed to be, but it’s better than not being able to adjust your truss rod!