Guitar Truss Rod Adjustment

Understanding your truss rod.

Guitar truss rod adjustment.

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. Its sole purpose is to allow you to adjust your guitar neck against the pull of your guitar strings. 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. This allows you to tweak a truss rod while the neck is under tension.

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 video below provides a great overview of what a truss rod is and the purpose they serve. 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. 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.

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. 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. Adjusting a guitar truss rod is a key part of maintaining optimal playability. Before you do anything to your truss rod you need to have a reasonably good understanding of truss rods.

On the ibanez rg we re using as a test subject the truss rod s under the truss rod cover no surprise. The truss rod pulls the neck backward. While the amount of relief is a matter of personal preference most guitars play well. A little truss rod adjustment goes a long way as you can see by measuring your string height before and after with a string action gauge.

All córdoba guitars come equipped with a lightweight two way truss rod that allows you to adjust the amount of relief in your guitar s neck or the amount of natural bow in the neck. 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. A truss rod is an interior metal bar running the entire length of a guitar s neck. You can adjust the truss rod with a nut located at one end.

A truss rod is the adjustment bar inside your guitar neck also referred to as a tensioning bar. You can assess the results by playing the guitar. Some bow is necessary for a guitar to play well but you don t want it to be bowed too much. When tightened it counteracts the tension created by the strings the strings pull the neck forward.

Adjusting guitar truss rods. These have been around since the early 20s.