Have you ever worked on a “Chibson - Chinese fake Les Paul” ? If so, what was your experience . I saw a luthier on the net that had a guy bring one in because the owner ended up separating the fretboard from the neck, trying to adjust the truss rod. The luthier said it wouldn’t be worth repairing it because it would cost more than the guitar is worth. So he and the owner decided to tear it apart and see what the problem was with the truss rod. The luthier found that the truss rod was actually welded in one piece and was non-adjustable right from the start and that’s why the owner broke the neck trying to turn it. I was just interested to hear if you’ve ever ran into one of these at your shop ? I got suckered into buying two of them, there is some buzz but I have to raise the bridge and/or put something under the A & low E strings to make it play better. I always enjoy your videos and I own a bunch of you tools. They work 👍
@@flashy5150 One came into a shop my brother used to work at for a set-up one time. But unlike yours, he said this one was an extremely well built counterfeit-everything worked and played just as good as the real thing, including the truss rod. He was shocked. I guess things coming out of China really are a crap-shoot.
@@jsullivan2112 Often good counterfeits are made in the US or Europe, not china. Slashes "Famous black Les Paul" was not made by Gibson, and actually better than a Gibson.
This fully explains guitar action, demonstrates it, and stresses the importance of getting it right, far better than any other RU-vid video in existence. Thank you for your service.
The misconception though is that truss rods fix action. Truss rods are only to set the proper amount of relief for the target action to want to achieve. Higher action=slightly more relief while the lower the action, the straighter the neck. Neck relief first, then in a perfect world nut or bridge can be next. Nut slots are also pretty non-negotiable, they're either right, or wrong
#Me too! Lol. That's funny as hell to me because I feel exactly the same and said as much. Check out "twoodfrd" channel. He's another Bob Ross luthier. I don't play or work on guitars but love watching these cats.
@@stewmac on an acoustic guitar if the neck is straight but the action in the middle frets approximately 9 through the last fret is too high, doesn't that mean the bridge is too high? Shaving down the bridge saddle to perfectly level is the solution?
Hey Austin it's great to see you get your advice from Dan Erlewine. he's probably the best there is. you can't go wrong with him. I have learned a lot from him.
So nice to hear experience verbalized. Dan always exudes competence. A real delight. I'm grateful. I would love to see him take on the challenge of performing a neck reset on a classical guitar.
it’s far enough from the headstock angle so it’s safe, but i do agree it’s sketchy looking haha. but he’s doing it for a reason. the fragility of Gibson headstocks comes from the lack of a scarf joint, so the grain through the headstock is very short.
Heard of people talking about breaking trussrods. Very surprised when I saw Fender's official tutorial just told you to do it by absolute force (creating longer lever by attaching another tool to your wrench)
Great video! Never fear the truss rod! I like just a bit of slight relief. I find I like a little more relief on some of my basses and nearly flat on others. Different instruments just behave differently even when seemingly identical in all respects.
I don't understand why anyone would say "using the truss rod will destroy your guitar." That's almost like saying "changing your spark plugs will destroy your car."
Fear the truss rod unless you know what you’re doing. The metal that the truss rod is made of isn’t strong enough to move a neck that is too far out; that’s why you have to use clamps and leverage to force it back to level (or a little beyond). The truss rod will keep it from returning and can make finer adjustments, especially if it’s being loosened. It breaks because people think they can force it and the metal or the threads can’t take that amount of force. Every mechanic knows that leverage can strip threads, or even break a bolt. That’s one of the reasons they use torque wrenches.
@@robinleebraun7739As with all things, use common sense. Nothing on a guitar should be forced after its built. And always know you're limits. I've only stripped 1 truss rod in 40 years, and that was on a bowed and twisted early 70's Jazz bass. That was back in the late 80s while in college. I bought the bass dirt cheap for parts because the neck was a mess. I did the lubing the nut & threads, clamping, detuning and a few other tricks to adjust that neck. Even heat pressed the neck. It was unsalvageable and I knew that it would probably snap or strip going into it, and It did strip. I primarily mess with basses and bass necks being longer tend to move more and need slightly larger adjustments as a rule. Maybe I'm lucky, but I've done so many setups and truss rods are really not difficult to adjust. Maybe I'm mechanically inclined growing up in the 70s when folks fixed things more (cars, TVs, etc). There is a bit of common sense involved. So I'll add 5 rules.... 1. If a nut is extremely tight, there's an issue. 2. Using a cheater bar on the truss rod wrench is bad because you should not have to fight the truss rod. 3. If it feels a gritty or grinding while turning that's not good. 4. If someone is really afraid of or uncomfortable adjusting it, or if its a valuable vintage instrument, take to a qualified professional. 5. Most important, the truss rod WILL NOT fix a badly bowed neck. Its for adjusting a good neck.
Thank you Dan, I just could not adjust the truss rod on my Vintera Strat, the nut was solid and I needed a bit more back bow to get rid of too much relief. I did the clamp trick to take the tension off the truss rod and it worked a treat, very pleased!
Just an opinion here: Do not attempt the buddy method shown here if you don't know 100% what you're doing. (And even then it seems a bit iffy.) Especially with a Les Paul it's easier than you'd think to snap the headstock right off doing something like that.
I still use the capo on the first fret, fret the 6th string at 15th fret, grab a feeler gauge, and check around 6th fret to measure what the relief is. Or failing that grab my notched straight and measure it. I do get what he means though about helping it not fight the pressures caused by other tensions such as the strings if there's too much relief
After watching this video I realize I would have paid $100 for the info in it. Dan is an absolute treasure and his explanation is so informed and experienced and on point that it deserves praise. I, like many, fear(ed) the truss rod. I'm generally pretty handy, but having heard the scare stories and not being totally sure how it all worked, I've always been scared to meddle. But recently, after finding my beautiful solid rosewood Tele neck looking concave and slightly twisted, I knew I had to do something. Absent instructions of this quality and detail I would not have touched it. I would have taken it to a tech and been at their mercy. But by the time I was done with this video, I was brimming with confidence and couldn't wait to get at it. Walking through it step by step, I made an absolutely perfect adjustment to the Tele neck. Confidently, the first time and without a doubt about it. As luck would have it his loosen-tighten-loosen protocol just happened to be in the proper orientation to relieve the twist too. So my neck is now laser straight. As good as factory new. Videos like this should have a donation button as a default option. I can't thank you enough for this info. My Tele is like new and I learned a new life skill. Here's wishing the very best to you!
I didn't know thing about setting up guitars a few months ago. Thanks to Dan and his great videos I'm now fairly proficient at most aspects of guitar setup. I can't thank him enough.
This video is FANTASTIC and extremely well presented. It's amazing what you can communicate when you ACTUALLY KNOW SOMETHING...unlike the many phonies who know nothing and try to gaslight you into thinking they are rocket scientists. But actually knowing something takes time, work and sweat. That's a price most are unwilling to pay. Nice job. This one is saving a 1994 40th edition strat for me.
A true master of his craft. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with our community, Dan. I have the second edition of your book and it has really helped to keep my guitars in great shape and playing just the way I want them. Peace
I've never personally been told that I shouldn't touch the truss rod. Just to never loosen it all the way or tighten it too much. It's one of the first things I learned when trying to set up my first guitar. Great info all around in the video though!
Great video. One thing to note is that the Gibson guitar is about a whole step too high by the time he starts playing it, due to whatever adjustments he made to the rod after initially tuning the guitar (he tuned roughly to concert pitch). A tone higher is a big difference that will affect the setup. I would advise retuning once it’s in the ballpark to ensure the most accurate result.
This is an excellent video and just what I was looking for. I tried it and it worked on a stuck truss rod nut. Before watching, I suspected that bending the neck in the direction of a backbow would take the pressure off the nut.
That “buddy system” scared me to death with a les Paul! Just press down in the nut area instead of tip of the headstock please lol. Especially on gibsons.
@@braderrick unfortunately, I’m no stranger to the inherent weakness of Gibson’s headstock area. I always found it funny that it’s referred to as break angle
Thanks for decades of sharing your experience and innovation. I’m so glad to have started my day with this tutorial, ‘even learned a couple things, and happy to hear you play! You’re an inspiration 🙏
I'm hoping you get this post because some of your wisdom could really help my decision . My son snapped the headstock off an accoustic And lost the headstock as well . I've got some other guitars one has a classical guitar type headstock and is almost a perfect size. If I saw the headstock just behind the nut and used another guitars headstock would drilling 2 deep holes for 1/4" dowels and do the same to the headstock would the tightly fitted glued wood dowels make a good join
The guitar I learned to play on was super cheap and needed the truss rod adjusted massively. I never thought about doing anything like this, so I adjusted it as far as I felt comfortable with, then I left it sit for about a month so everything would settle and get used to its new position. Then I would adjust it again after it felt like it settled into its new position and loosened back up to what felt normal. That thing was about as bad as it can get. It took a long time, but worked fine for me.
Always find your videos very helpful. I have a pretty extensive collection and some get a lot more playtime than others. However I like to make sure they all are idling safely and fully playable when the urge hits. Thank you so much sir.
Thx sir, ive been settn up my own guitars and gear for years. I can set it up to my liking. You be surprised the amount of people that would say they r good players that dont know squat about tech
I like all of the StewMac videos I see, but this guy is my favorite host out of them all. Such a great video. I've been playing and adjusting guitars my whole life, and by the looks of it, I still had a lot to learn.
I think it's worth checking the neck again 24 hours after adjusting the truss rod as sometimes the wood takes time to respond to the change in tension.
Whenever I see the tailpiece jacked up like that, I assume there's some major issue with the factory build. I try to keep them bottomed against the body if possible. I usually top wrap my strings to relieve the break angle over the bridge. Set up is everything, and no one does it better. Great content. Thanx.
not a good idea with modern gibsons! the neck angle is such that putting the stop bar all the way down results in way too much angle over the bridge, leading to string breakage and the bridge itself sagging in the middle over time the stop bar should normally live somewhere off the top a bit, such that the break angle over the bridge isn't too much more than it is over the nut (if you top-wrap then never mind; spin it all the way down, it'll be fine)
Thank you so much for this video it has helped me out so much. I have a 1960 EKO Navajo 12 string and the action was way to high. Now it is actually playable.
Thanks Dan E! Haven't left a comment for a year or three, but, great vid. Very helpful as usual. I've been running up a few electric guitars recently, from kits... a Tele, and a Les Paul. Using all your good tips to get them sounding and feeling great. Cheers and good health. How's the weather out in Ohio? Not too many tornadoes, I hope.
Awesome instruction!! I have two that need tending to LOL! This just gave me the confidence to do it! I love the clamp and level Idea!! Your awesome my friend!! 100% professional!! I have to learn setups, they get expensive!
I love your videos and love that you encourage players to do some of their own repairs! Further more, I love your website with all the wonderful tools and supplies to do fix-up work!!! =)
Thanks so much, Dan! My guitars & I have been "done wrong" by a few different repairmen, who didn't know how to correctly do a particular procedure on a guitar (but acted to me beforehand as though they did). As a result, I've grown extremely wary of most guitar repairmen. I own a number of Fenders, with the adjustment cross-slot at the heel end of the neck. One repairman told me that the only way you can properly adjust a Fender truss rod is by loosening all of the neck heel screws. Thank you for showing us Fender owners that isn't true!
Thank the Good Lord for Stew! I'm on Social Security Disability and now I make less in a month than I used to in 4 days. Needless to say, I had to learn to fix a lot of things myself. If I have to learn, I want to learn from the BEST. STEW MAC IS THE BEST! I could never afford to have "THE MASTER" work on any of my guitars, so THANK YOU STEW FOR SHARING YOUR WEALTH OF EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE STEW! GOD BLESS AND TAKE CARE...
Great video. I've seen many truss rods ship maxed out on new guitars. No room to turn in a given direction. Very frustrating and something most buyers wouldn't know to look for. Years might pass until they find out the hard way.
Great video! Truss rod adjustment can be a scary, worrysome thing.. Unfortunately my first Bass has a seized truss rod as a result of me being too afraid to touch it for many years. Also, I was briefly surprised because the background music is the same one used in another series of True Crime videos I regularly watch.
It's funny cause nobody ever told me I would break a guitar by adjusting the truss rod. I mess with the ones on my guitars whenever the neck isn't to my liking. Easily twice a year. And when I first did it, I remember overdoing it and all of a sudden the neck was all bent and I thought "welp, let's undo that" and that was it! Adjusting the truss rod is easier than changing the strings.
I usually sit on my bed or the floor with my leg under the neck around the 10th or 12th fret & use the weight of the body of the guitar to assist with pulling the neck straight.
Nice, video,always learn something. Like the lube, new to me and makes sense. Essentially, I use the same technique but simpler, I keep strings at tension, 1/8 turn at a time and help it with two hands and my knee to bend the direction I want. Same principle but easier and faster only one tool required, easy even on the road etc. Thanks for the Videos
Love Dan. Bought his book and I've been doing my own setups now. Lots of luthiers I respect reference Dan as their major influence. He's like the modern grandfather of luthery lol
Not to take anything away from Dan, but where I live, it goes from -30 to +95. I like my action low, so I have to make 4 truss rod adjustments every year. Just over 40 years of playing, and owning a bunch of guitars (some for 20 years), I've never had a problem adjusting truss rods with the strings at full tension. It lets me dial it in by eye and feel. I think the secret is to stay on top of things and not let the neck get too far out. In my opinion, small adjustments under full string tension are perfectly safe.
I have gone out of my way to modify humidifiers (added a recirc pump to constantly bathe the filter to prevent crusting, saves huge $$ on filters!) and keep the temps stabile so there's little difference year round in our music room. We also have a whole-house humidifier, but it won't quite keep up. It has made a huge difference, with little change over the course of a year. I do put the vintage stuff away for the winter, in case power fails or the roof blows off. Fifty years ago, I was the only person not afraid of those truss rods; I didn't learn Dan's trick until decades later. I have the first neck I ever built hung on my wall; it's awful. But it does have a removeable truss rod, 'cuz I've seen more than a few stripped or broken.
@UncleKennysPlace Aloha! I 'put away' my best guitar in my rainforest, and the neck was twisted, I wonder how too protect them from moisture! A case and 3 trash bags might do it! No dehumidifier yet..(small kind power here) AlohAz
I would think that if you had ever adjusted your truss rod on your new guitar from the time you purchased it, you wouldn't have to fuss with it that much. It's important to loosen up the strings much. I just turn it a little and tune it up to check it. Repeat! I think Leo Fender specks always work for me. Capo first fret and fret out 22. Check at eighth fret with feeler gauge. I have never had any luck with straight. It is by nature a bow instrument. An old guitar would take more fussing because the rod could be stuck. I think doing adjustments according to how the guitar is held always seems to give me the best results. After all, nobody knows your instrument better than you. I have never found a guitar that sounds right with an electric tuner. I always retune at least one of, if not two or three, strings. But then again, trust a tuner if you're not going to play just about every note on the fretboard within five or ten minutes.
Thanks Dan. This is exactly what I need to do with my Ovation. Terrible back bow. I was under the impression, from other videos, that I should warm up the neck first with a heating pad. Maybe not?
It’s amazing how many guitars I have seen come right from the factory with bowed necks. Thanks for the many years of knowledge Dan. I’ve purchased, and updated your book (the Bible) a couple of times over the years…Invaluable. Many of my guitar playing friends are terrified of adjusting the truss rod, but just a minor tweak of it can make a guitar play so much better.
Just think of all of the temperature & humidity changes that guitar might go through on its way from the factory to you. Plus you might live in really humid area while the guitar is built in Arizona. It ain’t gonna be the same when you inbox it!
Discovered this channel as I was looking up guitar set up and maintenance videos on RU-vid. These guys are so good and explain everything so easily! Good job! Plus, Dan is such a sweet and humble guy!
Adjust the truss without breaking a guitar??? Absolutely. Of course. I've done ALL the maintenance on my guitar & bass since I was a teenager & both are still my main guitars & both are straight as I can get them & both play great.
Not surprised. Most people are idiots. These probably are the same folks who would learn everything note for note, always ask for tabs and stumming patterns and can't tune their guitars with a reference note only.
I could never fathom taking my guitar in for something as simple as a truss rod adjustment I believe everybody should learn this themselves first and foremost
The most challenging or even difficult neck truss rod adjustments were with a Rickenbacker 4001,bass guitar I had. The Rick has two side by side truss rods to stabilize the thin and somewhat flat backed neck. What made it difficult is to not twist the neck as each truss rod had have have slightly different amounts of tensions to compensate for the different tensions between the E and A strings which have more mass then the D and G strings which less mass. The best method I came up with was to use a inch pound torque wrench to adjust the neck. The biggest indication that the neck needed to be adjusted was when the strings went out of intonation. So it wasn’t so much as adjusting to bridge saddles, but to adjust the neck back to its original position. The bridge saddles did occasionally need to be adjusted to compensate for the strings core stretching unevenly, and the strings out layer wrap waring on the frets, but that was also an indicator that the string needed to be replaced, but sometimes I wouldn’t have the $35-$40 spare money to purchase a replacement set of strings for a week or so. As a side note. I used Rotosound Swing Bass strings on that Rick to get that Chris Squire sound. Also. That Rick I had, had factory installed stainless steel frets. So the stainless steel Rotosound strings didn’t eat the frets as much. One more thing about bass guitar strings is that hex core strings are more likely to ware frets then a round core. Also a I mentioned that stainless steel wrapped strings will ware down the standard frets as the stainless steel is harder the normal fret wire. Aside from stainless steel being harder, if seen at high magnification with a microscope, the stainless steel surface looks ruff with flakes almost with the appearance of human hair, again seen with the aid of high magnification. Because of wanting to tech or repair my own guitars and bass guitars first starting with the aid of a book by Martin guitar on how to adjust and repair guitars, then latter with one of Dan’s books, I’ve effected all the repairs and modifications to all the guitars and bass guitars during the 45 plus years I’ve played the instruments. Thanks to an article Dan wrote for I believe GUITAR PLAYER, or BASS PLAYER, that Dan shown how to use cyanoacrylate as a surface finish on a finger board, I converted one of my Jazz Bass rose wood fret board to a fretless. So I like to thank Dan Erlewine for the wealth of guitar repair knowledge he’s compiled in his repair books and now with his free videos he is publishing on RU-vid that has made my experience with guitar and bass what it is. Dan’s biggest contribution is to demystify the instruments.
