Guitar Truss Rod Adjustment Direction

Adjusting guitar truss rods.

Guitar truss rod adjustment direction.

While the amount of relief is a matter. Loosening a truss rod turning counter clockwise adds relief to decreases tension on the neck which results in increased higher string action height. The truss rod pulls the neck backward. To add relief to the neck you ll want to loosen the truss rod or turn the truss rod nut counter clockwise.

But a change in string gauges climate especially a change in humidity or simply the player s taste may require an adjustment even on a new guitar. Some bow is necessary for a guitar to play well but you don t want it to be bowed too much. 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 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.

The types of forces that act on a truss rod are compression tension and torque. When adjusting a truss rod in either direction you are changing the force applied to the rod. 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. You can adjust the truss rod with a nut located at one end.

A truss rod is not for adjusting action. 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. Whichever setup you prefer a straight neck is a good starting point. A truss rod is an interior metal bar running the entire length of a guitar s neck.

Despite the fact there is information around the web telling readers to adjust their truss rod to raise or lower action a truss rod is not for adjusting action. And slightly worn frets simply by adjusting the truss rod. When tightened it counteracts the tension created by the strings the strings pull the neck forward. When a quality guitar leaves the factory the truss rod is adjusted according to the maker s taste in setup specs.

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. Despite the fact that until recently a major instrument manufacturing company included information to the contrary in their support materials.