Topmusicanswers
Typically, a properly adjusted truss rod will leave a neck with a bit of forward relief. You can use your strings as a "straight edge" by pushing them down to both the 1st and 14th frets simultaneously. Then the gap between the string and the 6th fret can be observed.
- What happens if you loosen your truss rod too much?
- How do I know if my truss rod is straight?
- How do you know when to tighten a truss rod?
- Can you over tighten truss rod?
What happens if you loosen your truss rod too much?
If your truss rod is too loose, it will result in a concave neck bow, (action too high) and a truss rod that is too tight will result in a convex neck hump (action too low and causing fret buzz). ... First, only use the rod to keep your neck as straight as it needs to be…do not use it to adjust your action!
How do I know if my truss rod is straight?
So, grab your guitar, sit the bottom of it on your foot and take a look at the E string while keeping it parallel to your legs. The lines generated by the string and the neck will tell you if the neck is straight or if it is convex or concave. These conditions can be fixed by adjusting the truss rod on your guitar.
How do you know when to tighten a truss rod?
If you feel like you're making too many small turns and not seeing the effect you want, stop! If you feel like it's taking more pressure than you're comfortable with, stop! If the truss rod already felt tight to begin with, stop! If you get a lot of creaking or groaning (from the guitar), stop.
Can you over tighten truss rod?
Loosening a truss rod nut can't harm anything, but over-tightening can. Loosening the truss rod adjusting nut simply allows the neck to relax and be pulled by the strings. No problem. If you over-tighten the nut, however, you can cause damage.
