Truss rod adjustment???

run_into_the_rain

I was wondering if truss rod movement is universal. I would like to know before I start twisting things.

Thanks

who's_pearljam?

It should be. Turn it like you're tightening a nut and the neck pulls forward. Loosen it and it pulls back

Righty tighty, lefty loosey.


You'll actually feel the pressure. If it's resisting, you're tightening the nut. Make sure that you loosen it a bit to free it, then tighten. Sometimes the nut freezes in place and you can break the truss rod. Sort of rare, but possible on old guitars.

seanw1010

who's_pearljam? wrote:

It should be. Turn it like you're tightening a nut and the neck pulls forward. Loosen it and it pulls back

Righty tighty, lefty loosey.


You'll actually feel the pressure. If it's resisting, you're tightening the nut. Make sure that you loosen it a bit to free it, then tighten. Sometimes the nut freezes in place and you can break the truss rod. Sort of rare, but possible on old guitars.

just to clarify- whe you say loosen and it pulls back, do you mean as in back to the back of the guitar?

who's_pearljam?

seanw1010 wrote:

just to clarify- whe you say loosen and it pulls back, do you mean as in back to the back of the guitar?

Yup..


The strings pull (Tension) the head of the guitar forward, and the truss rod is there to resist that pull. It's a metal rod inside a slot in the neck. The rod is embedded in the wood and is bowed forward a bit in an arc. So if the neck is bowing forward, then you tighten the nut (Righty tighty ) so that the rod pulls back to resist the pull of the strings.

All Those Yesterdays

only do a 1/8 to a 1/4 turn at a time, then re tune and let the guitar sit for the day (it will continue to move after the adjustment). People make the mistake of doing massive adjustments at once. Not very wise.

IDgotI

All Those Yesterdays wrote:

only do a 1/8 to a 1/4 turn at a time, then re tune and let the guitar sit for the day (it will continue to move after the adjustment). People make the mistake of doing massive adjustments at once. Not very wise.

+1

Less is more when it comes to adjusting the truss rod. It's really a feature just intended to cure subtle warping due to weather (humidity and temperature).

who's_pearljam?

Thanks for adding about the 1/8 to 1/4 turn. I guess I've written that so many times I imagine I see it when I post!

We should have a sticky for set up guides!

The truss rod adds stability to the neck, and like IDgotI says, for humidity and temp differences. It's also used to adjust the "relief" so that you get a tiny outward bowto help keep the strings from buzzing.
You usually have to adjust it when you change string gauge, or even if you use a different tuning. If you de-tune a guitar down to Eb, for instance, the neck may backbow because there's less tension on it

These threads have some truss rod tips in them:

http://forums.pearljam.com/showthread.php?t=106327&highlight=truss+adjustment


http://forums.pearljam.com/showthread.php?t=150746&highlight=truss+adjustment


I should have a macro key for this! It's a great book that all guitarists should have:

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Books,_plans/Building_and_repair:_Guitar,_electric/Guitar_Player_Repair_Guide.html


This is also a good book, too, but it's oriented to electrics:
http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Books,_plans/Building_and_repair:_Guitar,_electric/How_To_Make_Your_Electric_Guitar_Play_Great.html

run_into_the_rain

Thanks for the advice. The E and A have recently started buzzing so I needed a fix