Acoustic Guitar Truss Rod Adjustment Direction

Tighten the truss rod adjusting nut to straighten a neck that has an up bow.

Acoustic guitar truss rod adjustment direction.

Locate your guitar s truss rod. The truss rod pulls the neck backward. Starting with a dead flat neck i increase neck relief slightly until the instrument plays without buzzing. 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.

When tightened it counteracts the tension created by the strings the strings pull the neck forward. 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. When adjusting a truss rod in either direction you are changing the force applied to the rod.

Some bow is necessary for a guitar to play well but you don t want it to be bowed too much. Loosen the nut if the neck is back bowed. How to adjust an acoustic guitar 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.

A truss rod is an interior metal bar running the entire length of a guitar s neck. The truss rod is a slim steel rod inside the neck of your guitar. You can adjust the truss rod with a nut located at one end. You can find the adjusting nut either at the peghead or through the sound hole depending on how your guitar is designed.

S l november 16 2012. When making truss rod adjustments i first assess the instrument s action and playability along with the players aggressiveness and playing style. The types of forces that act on a truss rod are compression tension and torque. 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.

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. An adjustable truss rod is either one way or two way also known as single action or double action. The trick is knowing when you ve got the neck the way you want it. Sight the neck to see what condition it s in.