Truss Rod

N

natbot

New member
alright, i've got a new-ish Mexican Fender Tele-Custom. I love the thing. but as all guitars do, the neck is slowly getting out of wack. i'm sick and tired of paying someone $40 to tweak this. i ruined a thrift store guitar when i was a kid by turning the truss rod 30 times in the wrong direction, i dont want to do that again.

is it stupid of me to play with the truss rod (no laughing)? what is the maximum turnage i should give it?

any feedback would be appreciated.
 
Sight the neck from the headstock using the low E string as an straightedge.
If the strings pull the neck up in a bow,tighten the rod.
If the neck backbows,loosen the rod.
Use quarter-turn increments (righty-tighty,lefty-loosey),with constant re-sighting of the neck to observe the results.
Take your time and do it slow.Keep checking as you work and you'll do fine.

Tom
 
Easy does it!

I'd be more conservative than Tom. A 1/4 turn on a truss rod is a big adjustment for a well-built guitar! Go a little bit at a time, and let the guitar settle for a few hours or even a couple of days before dialing in more tension. Check again after a few days and repeat as necessary. Patience is key.

It helps if you can oil the threads before tweaking, but if you can't reach them, don't worry about it. You should feel some resistance, and if the truss rod hasn't been adjusted in a while, it may stick at first. But if it feels like you are bending metal, the rod stops moving, or you hear screeching noises, stop!!

If you are correcting a forward bow, you should pull the neck back (straighter) by hand while adjusting the truss rod. This helps relieve the stress on the threads, and may prevent galling or stripping.

Remember too that there is such a thing as too straight! If the neck is perfectly straight, you will encounter string buzz, and you'll have to raise the action to compensate. Most players prefer a slight forward bow, or "relief"; this gives the string room to clear the middle frets, without raising the action at the high-numbered frets.

You can measure relief by holding down a string at the 1st and last fret with the guitar in your normal playing position, and measuring the distance between the string and the 7th or 8th fret. Somewhere around .010", or the thickness of two playing cards, is a good starting point for most players. The optimum relief varies with your personal playing style; I usually prefer a little more than this.
 
NatBod:

Do you mean the neck requires frequent adjustment? Sounds like there's a bigger problem there. You should be able to get years out of a single adjustment.
 
Give me a break!
Re-setup your axe with every string change.
Wood is dynamic with humidity and temperature changes.Please fellows,get a good tuning program accurate to 1/100 cent (i recommend tunelab97) and intonate your axe every couple weeks.
I was a factory tech for Charvel/Jackson for a couple years and regular guys can take care of their own gear easily.Course if you'd rather pay...

Tom
 
Tom, I agree with frequent intonation adjustments, but are you saying that the truss rod should be adjusted during each change of strings? I adjust my own, but certainly not frequently (I haven't touched my Les Paul's truss rod in almost 20 years - since purchase - and it's still flawless).
 
Don't mess with the truss rod until you figure out what's causing the problem. It's a little like exploratory surgery for a bad hangnail. Or the epedemiologist's theory of viral containment - "kill the host." A 1/4 turn on a truss rod is a big deal adjustment.
 
You don't actually make adjustments each time you check,just as needed.String changes,big humidity or temperature changes can make the wood move and thats when to look.This is also a good time to re-intonate the guitar.
In the several years (95-97)I was a factory guitar tech for Charvel-Jackson,these techniques I previously noted were how all their guitars were set up.Quarter turn increments are not a lot as some suggest.
Just be cautious and take your time each time you make adjustments,resighting often.Other comments about relief bear mention.If you are an electric player with pretty low (fret rattlin') action,dial in a tiny amount of upbow to help stop the buzz,also helps with string bends across the radius of the neck.Otherwise not needed.

Tom
 
Now I'm neither a luthier nor a physics major, but I'm pretty sure that wood is a lot less affected by temperature changes than metal, and the humidity question applies a lot more for unfinished or unsealed wood (like an acoustic). I'd agree on the intonation adjustment (or check) with string changes, but I also agree with Treeline that the truss rod is a prety big deal adjustment and just shouldn't be needed often on a properly set-up, good quality guitar that isn't abused.

just my 2 pennies...

peace.
 
A simple check of tuning after a sudden temp or humidity change will sometimes reveal the strings pitch are RAISED.Obviously the metal has no magic ability to produce extra tension.The wood has instead pulled back and tightened them.Wood is very dynamic (even sandad and sealed wood) and it will spread across the grain at the slightest opportunity.
Now,this "how much to turn" business.This is not a big deal.It seems like there is a strong fear factor out there that you might explode your axe or something.Compared to something really tough like getting a good solder joint,this is really a piece of cake.You would have to screw up big time to cause any damage.Any reasonable person who re-sights the neck with each adjustment will be fine.And you don't need to wait an eon either.Twist,look,repeat untill done!

Tom
 
Dude, I'm going to have to call you on this one, cause as far as I know, metal expands and contracts a lot more than wood with temperature. One of my guitar students is a physics major and works at a wire manufacturer, so I'll have to ask him to be certain, but I'm pretty sure I'm right. As far as the solder joint analogy goes, you can always re-solder or replace that 25 cent screen resistor, screwing up a guitar is a slightly more permanent and costly mistake.

peace,

SolderBoy
 
Not sure where you are coming from here.What I am telling you isn't some casual theory I've been working on.Its the practical real world set up drill of one of the major mfg.s.
If you want to "call me" on this,call AMIC at 817-831-9203.Thats Akai Musical Instrument Corp.,current mfg of Charvel Jackson.Extension #126 is the guitar dept.
Fish or cut bait bud.Ask for Kevin.

Tom
 
I'm not trying to flame you here, so I pray you aren't taking offense. I was simply relating what I remember from high school physics class (very fuzzy, almost 20 yrs. ago, unfortunately). The coefficient of linear expansion due to temperature (OK, I didn't remember that, I actually have some of my old notes) is 2 to 3 times greater for steel as it is for wood (with the grain). I don't know about moisture absorption, but wouldn't wood expand ACROSS the grain while guitar necks and bodies are aligned with the grain being parallel to the string pull? So I'm sorry, I'm not trying to sweat you on this one, just trying to postulate a little theory of my own based on what little scientific knowledge I have. I get very curious when I see something that doesn't seem to make sense to me.

peace.
 
I appreciate the tone of your reply.I'm afraid I lack the technical ability to properly explain what my actual experience tells me.
"Better" wood (close,straight grain)is more stable than other types,so the more expensive axes are generally more stable than Rouges and Squires.But all wood guitars move dynamicly in response to changing external conditions.
I think most guys could easily learn the correct way to set up and intonate their own guitar.But lots are sorta scared of the unknown,especially younger guys with limited experience.
I just want to be encouraging to those who are curious to try this stuff for themselves.Sorry I got my back up.

Tom
 
good luck dude.seems to me you need to many adjustments.i have an american strat that i have had for six years and have had the neck set up twice and once was because of custom work to the neck,and i use eleven guage strings.your neck isn't twisting is it?ask the dealer you bought from to check it out strats come with a pretty good warrenty.
 
One thing about the turn--always give it a small crank left to loosen first, then re-tighten if that's what you want to do. Less chance of stressing the truss rod this way. Otherwise you're up against both the friction of the truss rod in the neck as well as the strain of tightening the rod.
 
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