Quick Trussrod Question

[JD01]

Hey [mention]muttley[/mention] this is probably best for you.
Re-strung one of my guitars the other day (first time since I moved back into the house so the string were pretty rank).

Noticed that the action was a little higher than it used to be. I've not messed with the bridge at all. So I'm guessing this is down to the relief in the neck increasing slightly... not sure why this would be the case, although the temperature has finally started to drop here lately and I've been leaving the windows open overnight. You think this is likely the cause?

The neck still looks very flat, but I was just gonna loosen the truss rod a 1/4 turn and see where I end up.

[WhiskeyJack]

Great Thread JD. Looking forward to this one.

[JD01]

Great Thread JD. Looking forward to this one.

haha, fuck off! I was just a bit surprised. Dunno if new strings have a little more tension in them 'cos they not completely minging. They're the same brand and gauge as the set i took off. But fresh out of the pack whereas the others had been on there for at least 6 months.

[WhiskeyJack]

Great Thread JD. Looking forward to this one.

haha, fuck off! I was just a bit surprised. Dunno if new strings have a little more tension in them 'cos they not completely minging. They're the same brand and gauge as the set i took off. But fresh out of the pack whereas the others had been on there for at least 6 months.

no way dude, i am being honest. I think my guitars are going to get annihilated when our winter comes. My area has had an unbelievably wet damp summer and i can't get the humidity in my basement below 41%. It is just damp and gross. The ground around the house is that saturated. And then when our cracking cold winter hits that furnaces is going to dry our house out VERY. QUICKLY. And i am very concerned about my guitars to be honest. My acoustics neck sounds much like yours, as are a few of my electrics. they are likely going to need some TLC.

Wasn't having a go at you homey. It's a good thread.

[muttley]

Loosening the rod will increase relief (less tension on the neck + string tension). If its a single actrion rod you need to tighten it a little to pull the neck back. What guitar is it? Are they the same gauge strings?

[JD01]

haha, fuck off! I was just a bit surprised. Dunno if new strings have a little more tension in them 'cos they not completely minging. They're the same brand and gauge as the set i took off. But fresh out of the pack whereas the others had been on there for at least 6 months.

no way dude, i am being honest. I think my guitars are going to get annihilated when our winter comes. My area has had an unbelievably wet damp summer and i can't get the humidity in my basement below 41%. It is just damp and gross. The ground around the house is that saturated. And then when our cracking cold winter hits that furnaces is going to dry our house out VERY. QUICKLY. And i am very concerned about my guitars to be honest. My acoustics neck sounds much like yours, as are a few of my electrics. they are likely going to need some TLC.

Wasn't having a go at you homey. It's a good thread.

Ah, no worries - I thought you were taking the piss - and that's fine too!

Yeah, just a little surprised. It has been exceptionally warm here the past month and its just started cooling down the last few days. I decided to re-string and noticed the action was a little higher than it has been... I just wanted to check Mutt's opinion before I wiggle the truss rod too much - I hate adjusting truss rods I find that I never get it quite right.

[muttley]

haha, fuck off! I was just a bit surprised. Dunno if new strings have a little more tension in them 'cos they not completely minging. They're the same brand and gauge as the set i took off. But fresh out of the pack whereas the others had been on there for at least 6 months.

no way dude, i am being honest. I think my guitars are going to get annihilated when our winter comes. My area has had an unbelievably wet damp summer and i can't get the humidity in my basement below 41%. It is just damp and gross. The ground around the house is that saturated. And then when our cracking cold winter hits that furnaces is going to dry our house out VERY. QUICKLY. And i am very concerned about my guitars to be honest. My acoustics neck sounds much like yours, as are a few of my electrics. they are likely going to need some TLC.

Wasn't having a go at you homey. It's a good thread.

When I turn the heating on first time each year I do it room by room. Isolate one room where you keep your stuff and make sure it is well ventilated and keep your guitars in there until they acclimatize. Wood doent mind large changes in humidity but it doesnt like them happening quickly.

[JD01]

Loosening the rod will increase relief (less tension on the neck + string tension). If its a single actrion rod you need to tighten it a little to pull the neck back. What guitar is it? Are they the same gauge strings?

Tighten... good point - obvious now I think of it.

Its my Crimson. I've not adjusted it at all since they did the 6 month service after I got it. Its been really stable for a guitar with such a thin neck.
Its probably the mental weather we've had lately.

My Tele seems fine but that's got a slightly thicker neck. My bass seems a touch higher than normal too.

Yeah, string brand and gauge all the same. It might be that I only noticed it after the re-string 'cos I hadn't really played on it for a couple of weeks.

[muttley]

no way dude, i am being honest. I think my guitars are going to get annihilated when our winter comes. My area has had an unbelievably wet damp summer and i can't get the humidity in my basement below 41%. It is just damp and gross. The ground around the house is that saturated. And then when our cracking cold winter hits that furnaces is going to dry our house out VERY. QUICKLY. And i am very concerned about my guitars to be honest. My acoustics neck sounds much like yours, as are a few of my electrics. they are likely going to need some TLC.

Wasn't having a go at you homey. It's a good thread.

Ah, no worries - I thought you were taking the piss - and that's fine too!

Yeah, just a little surprised. It has been exceptionally warm here the past month and its just started cooling down the last few days. I decided to re-string and noticed the action was a little higher than it has been... I just wanted to check Mutt's opinion before I wiggle the truss rod too much - I hate adjusting truss rods I find that I never get it quite right.

I tighten them until the strings buzz or choke then slacken it off a pinch until that stops. If you end up with too high an action the neck is not straight or the frets are not level.

[muttley]

Without knowing what the action was before you set it down you will never know if it has changed. It could just be your memory playing you. Do you know if it has a double action rod or single action? I'm guessing a double action rod if its a thru neck? Strings are not a factor if they are same brand and gauge regardless of age.

[JD01]

Ah, no worries - I thought you were taking the piss - and that's fine too!

Yeah, just a little surprised. It has been exceptionally warm here the past month and its just started cooling down the last few days. I decided to re-string and noticed the action was a little higher than it has been... I just wanted to check Mutt's opinion before I wiggle the truss rod too much - I hate adjusting truss rods I find that I never get it quite right.

I tighten them until the strings buzz or choke then slacken it off a pinch until that stops. If you end up with too high an action the neck is not straight or the frets are not level.

Cheers - In the past I've always slackened off my strings before adjusting the truss rod, is this actually necessary?

[JD01]

Without knowing what the action was before you set it down you will never know if it has changed. It could just be your memory playing you. Do you know if it has a double action rod or single action? I'm guessing a double action rod if its a thru neck? Strings are not a factor if they are same brand and gauge regardless of age.

I've no idea if its double or single action. I've never adjusted it (how would I check?). It is a thru neck.

Maybe it is my mind playing tricks on me, but it just feels higher than it used to, I had my Crimson and Tele set up virtually identical and now my Crimson feels a bit higher than my Tele - in fact, I'm sure that its higher than it used to be. I've not really been recording over the hot weather period and I've mainly been playing my tele downstairs as I don't mind leaving that laying about on the sofa. I like to keep my Crimson out of the way in my office/studio.

[muttley]

Cheers - In the past I've always slackened off my strings before adjusting the truss rod, is this actually necessary?

Absolutely not. In fact having to remove strings or tension is a real PITA. Better to have the strings on and up to pitch. I do remove tension on them first to make sure they move freely, then string up and fiddle away. If the rod dont move freely dont touch it. and make sure you use the correct size tool. Most of the problems with truss rods are from people fucking about with them and stripping the thread or bullet.

[muttley]

Cheers - In the past I've always slackened off my strings before adjusting the truss rod, is this actually necessary?

Absolutely not. In fact having to remove strings or tension is a real PITA. Better to have the strings on and up to pitch. I do remove tension on them first to make sure they move freely, then string up and fiddle away. If the rod dont move freely dont touch it. and make sure you use the correct size tool. Most of the problems with truss rods are from people fucking about with them and stripping the thread or bullet.

Drop Ben a line and ask him.

If its a double action rod then it will apply tension both ways not just when tightened. The net result is that they can be a little trickier to feel when adjusting them and finding the sweet spot.

[JD01]

Cheers - In the past I've always slackened off my strings before adjusting the truss rod, is this actually necessary?

Absolutely not. In fact having to remove strings or tension is a real PITA. Better to have the strings on and up to pitch. I do remove tension on them first to make sure they move freely, then string up and fiddle away. If the rod dont move freely dont touch it. and make sure you use the correct size tool. Most of the problems with truss rods are from people fucking about with them and stripping the thread or bullet.

Cheers, mate. I'll just give it a gentle 1/4 turn and see what happens.

[JD01]

Absolutely not. In fact having to remove strings or tension is a real PITA. Better to have the strings on and up to pitch. I do remove tension on them first to make sure they move freely, then string up and fiddle away. If the rod dont move freely dont touch it. and make sure you use the correct size tool. Most of the problems with truss rods are from people fucking about with them and stripping the thread or bullet.

Drop Ben a line and ask him.

If its a double action rod then it will apply tension both ways not just when tightened. The net result is that they can be a little trickier to feel when adjusting them and finding the sweet spot.

Yeah - will do. Don't suppose it matters a great deal for this exercise but it would be nice to know. Its probably in the spec for the guitar actually, I'll check. I can see what you mean about finding the spot.

[muttley]

Drop Ben a line and ask him.

If its a double action rod then it will apply tension both ways not just when tightened. The net result is that they can be a little trickier to feel when adjusting them and finding the sweet spot.

Yeah - will do. Don't suppose it matters a great deal for this exercise but it would be nice to know. Its probably in the spec for the guitar actually, I'll check. I can see what you mean about finding the spot.

The main reason they are used is to give you a little extra beef on some necks where the timber is more prone to movement. On a thru neck I would use one as there is more of a chance of getting irregular grain because the timber is longer and harder to select. A double action rod can help to pull the neck straight when there are other factors than string tension that are at play. They are almost exclusively used on basses these days.

[JD01]

Yeah - will do. Don't suppose it matters a great deal for this exercise but it would be nice to know. Its probably in the spec for the guitar actually, I'll check. I can see what you mean about finding the spot.

The main reason they are used is to give you a little extra beef on some necks where the timber is more prone to movement. On a thru neck I would use one as there is more of a chance of getting irregular grain because the timber is longer and harder to select. A double action rod can help to pull the neck straight when there are other factors than string tension that are at play. They are almost exclusively used on basses these days.

Ah... that might be one of the reasons that my shonky old cheapo bass was almost impossible to get right... I think there were many reasons that bass was impossible to get right though.

[WhiskeyJack]

no way dude, i am being honest. I think my guitars are going to get annihilated when our winter comes. My area has had an unbelievably wet damp summer and i can't get the humidity in my basement below 41%. It is just damp and gross. The ground around the house is that saturated. And then when our cracking cold winter hits that furnaces is going to dry our house out VERY. QUICKLY. And i am very concerned about my guitars to be honest. My acoustics neck sounds much like yours, as are a few of my electrics. they are likely going to need some TLC.

Wasn't having a go at you homey. It's a good thread.

When I turn the heating on first time each year I do it room by room. Isolate one room where you keep your stuff and make sure it is well ventilated and keep your guitars in there until they acclimatize. Wood doent mind large changes in humidity but it doesnt like them happening quickly.

Good idea. I think i will do that. Better than the plan i had lol.

[JD01]

Sorted. About a 1/4 turn of possible placebo adjustment done and it now feels much more like it should.

Most importantly the truss-rod moved with silky smooth action... nothing like I had some to expect from my shitty old bass. I'll be happy to adjust this further in future.