Guitar Truss Rod Adjustment

You can adjust the truss rod with a nut located at one end.

Guitar truss rod adjustment.

You might also want to check out the setup specs of famous players in the last chapter of how to make your electric guitar play great. These have been around since the early 20s. The truss rod pulls the neck backward. Look in the pockets of your case your guitar often comes with the right tool for the job.

This practical feature provides a solution for when a guitar s neck changes due to climate fluctuations or wood movement by allowing you to return the amount of relief to your original preference. Your truss rod adjustment nut may have an allen key a cross head a small brass nut or the rarer spoke hub type as found on stingray basses. Adjusting a guitar truss rod is a key part of maintaining optimal playability. Depending on the type of guitar adjusting the truss rod may require the use of a large crosshead screwdriver a socket wrench or an allen key.

The neck of most guitars has what s known as a truss rod which is a one or two piece adjustable metal rod that goes down the inside of the center of the neck. Adjusting guitar truss rods. A truss rod is the adjustment bar inside your guitar neck also referred to as a tensioning bar. Different manufacturers put them in different places but they re usually at the headstock under a cap just behind the nut or where the neck joins the body just under.

The video below provides a great overview of what a truss rod is and the purpose they serve. This allows you to tweak a truss rod while the neck is under tension. Before you do anything to your truss rod you need to have a reasonably good understanding of truss rods. Occasionally manufacturers supply the necessary tool inside the case.

While the amount of relief is a matter of personal preference most guitars play well. On the ibanez rg we re using as a test subject the truss rod s under the truss rod cover no surprise. Truss rod adjustments are made to alter the straightness flatness of the neck truss rods often require adjusting after changing string gauges or when temperature and humidity change the amount of bow in the neck. Understanding your truss rod.

Some bow is necessary for a guitar to play well but you don t want it to be bowed too much. Adjusting the truss rod of your guitar alters your guitar s neck relief the amount of bow in the neck measured by the distance between the strings and the frets. A truss rod is an interior metal bar running the entire length of a guitar s neck. You can assess the results by playing the guitar.

When tightened it counteracts the tension created by the strings the strings pull the neck forward. Guitar truss rod adjustment guide this article provides a top level view of how a truss rod works and how to adjust a truss rod.