Truss Rod?

Betterman77

Ok im trying to get my action down on my acoustic guitar, I know a thing or two about the truss rod, but i have been turning it clockwise to get the action down, but find its not going down much at all and i have turned it more than a 1/4 turn, i did that a few times, its getting a little harder now to turn, so I stopped cause i know it can bust if you go too tight, Im just wondering how to tell how tight is tight? can anyone give me a rough idea of how tight I can go before the rod snaps?

harrisonmerwin

Betterman77 wrote:

Ok im trying to get my action down on my acoustic guitar, I know a thing or two about the truss rod, but i have been turning it clockwise to get the action down, but find its not going down much at all and i have turned it more than a 1/4 turn, i did that a few times, its getting a little harder now to turn, so I stopped cause i know it can bust if you go too tight, Im just wondering how to tell how tight is tight? can anyone give me a rough idea of how tight I can go before the rod snaps?

your supposed to give it a while to set the neck, like hours, even a day or two, it could take a while before its perfect so dont crank it, or worry that its not working, just wait a few days and see if it improves, it just take s awhile to re-form the wood surrounding the rod

HM

All Those Yesterdays

I always do a max of a 1/4 turn then don't adjust it for a week. Wood takes time.

What you trying to do play metal riffs on a acoustic or something, how much relief you want in that neck? Is the strings buzzing at the height you want the strings? Where is it buzzing at? How hard are you strumming?

Keep in mind its an acoustic. What you going to do in the summer months when that neck naturally tries to straighten out again from the humidity in the air.

Betterman77

All Those Yesterdays wrote:

I always do a max of a 1/4 turn then don't adjust it for a week. Wood takes time.

What you trying to do play metal riffs on a acoustic or something, how much relief you want in that neck? Is the strings buzzing at the height you want the strings? Where is it buzzing at? How hard are you strumming?

Keep in mind its an acoustic. What you going to do in the summer months when that neck naturally tries to straighten out again from the humidity in the air.

Well, my height is a little high, Im told about 3/32 of an inch is about good action measured at the 12th fret, I got about 5/32, which feels a bit high, but looking at what you and the first person said, I Might of turned the rod quite a bit, can my neck or rod snap later on if I did tighten it too tight, i sure hope not, it does seem fine for now.

All Those Yesterdays

Betterman77 wrote:

Well, my height is a little high, Im told about 3/32 of an inch is about good action measured at the 12th fret, I got about 5/32, which feels a bit high, but looking at what you and the first person said, I Might of turned the rod quite a bit, can my neck or rod snap later on if I did tighten it too tight, i sure hope not, it does seem fine for now.

Go to your manufactures web site and see what they recommend your relief to be set at. But do the changes slowly. 1/8 to a 1/4 turn at a time. When it gets humid out the wood will grow and try to straighten out. I don't know how far you went with the truss rod, but invision what happens when the wood grows and the truss rod doesnt'.

Betterman77

All Those Yesterdays wrote:

Go to your manufactures web site and see what they recommend your relief to be set at. But do the changes slowly. 1/8 to a 1/4 turn at a time. When it gets humid out the wood will grow and try to straighten out. I don't know how far you went with the truss rod, but invision what happens when the wood grows and the truss rod doesnt'.

Ok thanks for the info, also if I do accidentally break the truss rod, how will I know, will the neck just snap in half?

who's_pearljam?

Betterman77 wrote:

Ok thanks for the info, also if I do accidentally break the truss rod, how will I know, will the neck just snap in half?

Naah, the neck won't snap in half, but it would be a bummer! The threaded end usually breaks off the truss rod. That's even fixable, but you don't want to have to to that! :shock:

Before you turn the truss rod anymore, though, you want to make sure that's the problem! If the neck is bowed outward, then it may be the cause. You can sight down the neck, or better yet, put a straightedge on it to check the straighness of it. Something like a rafter square or a metal rule. Lay it on the neck and not the saddle and check the bow. If the neck is straight, then the truss rod won't do anything more. If it's still bowed outward, then maybe tightening it will work, but you have to be really careful about it. Loosening the strings helps let it turn easier but if there's a ot of resistance, stop and take it to a tech.

Two other things can cause high action, which are common:
One, the guitar top bows upward right around the bridge saddle because of the constant pull. That causes progressively high action as time goes by. You can see that by looking at the edge. That usually can be cured by shaving the bridge, or shaving the saddle a bit, and best left to a tech, especially if it's a nice guitar.
The other thing is that sometimes the whole neck pulls forward and needs to be reset. It's almost a scheduled repair with Martins and other guitars, and isn't as scary as it seems, but is best left to a luthier! I've reset a fair amount of necks and you can really change a guitar's feel for the better by doing that. You steam out the glue joints and take the whole neck off, shave it here an there, and reglue it. A nervewracking day with a nice Martin!

Good luck!