Acoustic Guitar Truss Rod Direction

You might need to do an acoustic guitar truss rod adjustment for a couple of reasons.

Acoustic guitar truss rod direction.

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. It might be because you need to adjust the action of your guitar. 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.

You can find the adjusting nut either at the peghead or through the sound hole depending on how your guitar is designed. 2 main types of guitar truss rods. Whilst the truss rod adjustment itself isn t necessarily going to set the action how you want it it is a necessary first step. When a quality guitar leaves the factory the truss rod is adjusted according to the maker s taste in setup specs.

Loosening a truss rod turning counter clockwise adds relief to decreases tension on the neck which results in increased higher string action height. Tighten the truss rod adjusting nut to straighten a neck that has an up bow. Adjusting guitar truss rods. S l november 16 2012.

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. An adjustable truss rod is either one way or two way also known as single action or double action. Locate your guitar s truss rod. How to adjust an acoustic guitar truss rod.

With some acoustic guitars you can only adjust the truss rod through the soundhole. If your guitar has one of these covers remove it to get to the truss rod. 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. Some guitars have a small plate that screws in over top to cover the access point.

The types of forces that act on a truss rod are compression tension and torque. Generally you can access your truss rod in the headstock of your guitar. Loosen the nut if the neck is back bowed the trick is knowing when you ve got the neck the way you want it. Here s how to evaluate and adjust your electric or acoustic neck with a minimum of tools.