With the nut removed, use a sharp scribe or small brush to remove any built-up debris from the threads and parts. Press the string down firmly at two points: the first fret and the 17th fret. Fender's most popular pick shape in different materials. 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! Tip Here’s how to evaluate and adjust your electric or acoustic neck with a minimum of tools. With a properly functioning truss rod, you probably won’t need more than 1/8-turn in either direction to get what you’re after. Strait out of the box, the EB-0 only needed a quarter of a turn (or so I thought). In a pinch you can use a string as a straightedge. Even when you don’t have a removable adjusting nut, always start by loosening it first. After adjusting the rod I’ll usually let the instrument “settle” into the adjustment for a few hours and then I’ll evaluate it again and tweak it if necessary. Mark the adjusting nut to indicate your starting point, and to show how far the nut gets turned. At this point, I like to loosen and remove the truss rod nut to clean and lubricate the threads before making any adjustments. 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. The trick is knowing when you’ve got the neck the way you want it. Tighten the truss rod adjusting nut to straighten a neck that has an up-bow. Some players (like me) prefer a perfectly straight neck, but a dead-straight neck may not work for someone who really plays hard but still wants to have very low string action. Adjust the truss rod another 1/8 turn or less if necessary. Even when you don’t have a removable adjusting nut, always start by loosening it first. Turn the truss rod to the right to tighten it and straighten the neck. When everything’s clean, add a little bit of lubricant like Guitar Grease or petroleum jelly. The truss rods on Epiphone acoustic guitars are accessible through the sound hole where the neck joins the body of the guitar. Save on Over 900 Items. Threading both ends allows the truss rod to either increase or decrease neck relief before running out of adjustment. 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. Turn the truss rod to the right to tighten it and straighten the neck. Some players (like me) prefer a perfectly straight neck, but a dead-straight neck may not work for someone who really plays hard but still wants to have very low string action. DON'T MISS A BEAT, sign up for StewMac news, Cyber Monday Sale! If it’s in a back-bow, loosen the nut until the straightedge lays flat on the frets. Adjust the truss rod with an 1/8 inch Allen wrench. The improved version of the classic Fender Strat Bridge, The most consistent, top quality Strat® replacement body on the market today. Mark the adjusting nut to indicate your starting point, and to show how far the nut gets turned. This is where I went wrong. Insert the Allen wrench into the slot in the truss rod. With the guitar on its side, look down the fingerboard to check it for straightness. Players: it's no big deal! Also look for humps, low spots, uneven frets or other problems. 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. Now you’re ready to reinstall the nut and return it to its original position using your alignment marks. With the nut removed, use a sharp scribe or small brush to remove any built-up debris from the threads and parts. Adjust the truss rod with an 1/8 inch Allen wrench. This might not apply in your case: not all truss rod nuts are removable. If the frets are too uneven to read with a straightedge, a notched straightedge sits over the frets, letting you read the wood of the fingerboard. When adjusting a truss rod, in either direction, you are changing the force applied to the rod. Keep the grease off of the exposed wood. Learn About Truss Rod Installation + Repair. Let's talk about relief To adjust the truss rod, you’ll need to turn the nut a quarter turn at a time, enabling the neck to adjust after each turn. This might not apply in your case: not all truss rod nuts are removable. This also means you’re less likely to overtighten the nut by cranking away on it if it’s already used up all the available threads. After adjusting the rod I’ll usually let the instrument “settle” into the adjustment for a few hours and then I’ll evaluate it again and tweak it if necessary. Insert the Allen wrench into the slot in the truss rod. Tune the guitar to pitch and hold the guitar in the playing position (not laying on its back), then use an 18" precision straightedge to see if the neck’s straight. For those players, a bit of relief is a good idea. The trick is knowing when you’ve got the neck the way you want it. Follow these steps and you’ll have your axe playing sweet! Keep the grease off of the exposed wood. Here’s how to evaluate and adjust your electric or acoustic neck with a minimum of tools. Tune the guitar to pitch and hold the guitar in the playing position (not laying on its back), then use an 18" precision straightedge to see if the neck’s straight. 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! Some are soldered on. Find the proper fret position with the official Stewart-MacDonald Fret Calculator, Stewart-MacDonald is PCI compliant and validated for secure e-commerce. This’ll give you a good idea of the neck’s current state. (You can play during the adjustment time.) “Relief” refers to a very slight, intentional up-bow that lifts the strings a little higher than they’d be on a perfectly straight neck. You can adjust the truss rod with a nut located at one end. For those players, a bit of relief is a good idea. Adjustments Truss Rod. Adjusting the threads on the end of a truss rod counteracts the strings tension and will either increase or decrease the distance between the … “Relief” refers to a very slight, intentional up-bow that lifts the strings a little higher than they’d be on a perfectly straight neck. Now you’re ready to reinstall the nut and return it to its original position using your alignment marks. If it rises with some relief, tighten the nut until the straightedge lays as flat as possible on the frets. If it’s in a back-bow, loosen the nut until the straightedge lays flat on the frets. When everything’s clean, add a little bit of lubricant like Guitar Grease or petroleum jelly. 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. You don't want to turn your truss rod more than a 1/4 turn at a time. However, if your measurements showed that you still don't have the relief that you want, you still have room to make a second adjustment to get it closer to right. And there’s a great tip for clamping the neck to take tension off the truss rod on page 18 of The Guitar Player Repair Guide. Loosening a truss rod (turning counter-clockwise) adds relief to (decreases tension on) the neck which results in increased (higher) string action height. In a pinch you can use a string as a straightedge. Dan Erlewine's Maintenance & Setup for Electric Guitars and Basses, Dan Erlewine's Maintenance & Setup for Steel-string Acoustic Guitars. The truss rods on Epiphone acoustic guitars are accessible through the sound hole where the neck joins the body of the guitar. Doing this sometimes also reveals loose or uneven frets that need attention. The necessary truss-rod adjustment depends on which way the neck bows: When a quality guitar leaves the factory, the truss rod is adjusted according to the maker’s taste in setup specs. Some are soldered on. Doing this sometimes also reveals loose or uneven frets that need attention. This way, you’ll know how smoothly the nut will turn, and you’ll have a better feel for it when you do your adjustments. With the guitar on its side, look down the fingerboard to check it for straightness. At this point, I like to loosen and remove the truss rod nut to clean and lubricate the threads before making any adjustments. Ive got the Epiphone Les Paul Ultra-II Electric Guitar. Shout out to Alex Allgood of Milwaukee Lutherie for taking care of my Epiphone EB-0. Look for a gap under the string to see if you have an up-bow. How to Make Your Electric Guitar Play Great! Look for a gap under the string to see if you have an up-bow.