Adjusting your guitar neck is one of the scariest things a guitarist can do to their guitar. I'll show you all how to adjust your easily adjust your neck without giving yourself a heart attack!
this helped me so much, after 3 days of my super back bow neck I finally got it to sit straight and lowered my action by 2mm without any buzz on any fret. I can play smoothly now thank you so much!
This is from past experience, some 25 years ago. I would either loosen all the strings (if I had time). If I was in a hurry I would physically pull the neck backwards using the 5th fret as the fulcrum (think of a child's tedar toder). I would set the guitar facing up with fifth fret directly over my left leg. The guitar body to the right of my left leg with head stock to the left of my left leg. I would suspend the body of the guitar without support across my leg, keeping the guitar level with the ground by pushing down on the head stock with my left hand. This will bow the neck such that the strings (in some cases) will come in contact with the frets. This will remove string tension from the truss rod, reducing the force applied to the truss rod. You try to adjust a truss rod with heavy strings without helping the neck in the above way you WILL snap the truss rod. So much Chinese metals in all guitars today, you've really got to be cautious when doing these setups.
This method would certainly work. However, I wouldn't recommend a beginner to try doing this. Too much pressure on the neck could damage it. It is true, you could break the truss rod by applying too much torque, however, I have never had a problem. That being said, I do mention being careful when applying torque to the truss rod and if you feel you have to apply a lot of force, I would take it to a guitar tech. Loosening the strings is always a safe bet as well.
@@ManBunMetalHead Take into consideration all Hardware eventually comes from China and there is absolutely no quality control in the medals they are using. It might be a good idea to determine the exact pounds in torque required to turn a truss rod with strings in tention, and then another test with the highest gauge strings they make just to see if you're even getting close to the breaking point. This fails to take into consideration corrosion that can occur on metals and possibly again for quality control where the trust rod is of a different metal than the nut that you're actually turning, and there can be electrolysis between those two contact points causing resistance.
@@ManBunMetalHead so you dont have to wait a day by setting your guitar aside then picking it up and playing, you can just give it few turns and your good
I just built this guitar and the intonation was WAY out of whack. I kept adjusting the truss rod (to frightening amounts) I tried EVERYTHING but THEN I took off the neck and installed it a second time FIXED EVERYTHING!! I guess the neck wasn't fitting correctly the first time. Now I will watch your video for the correct set up! I have a 12 string I just built as well. It's even more messed up. Wish me luck! Thanks for the video.
This was a very good video on explaining the process. The icing on the cake was the camera work on checking the action. One thing I was told is that because of gravity on the strings you should check it with the guitar vertical, not horizontal. I'm sure the difference in results isn't much. Any yes, that truss rod cover is very cool.
I have an Ibanez Hollow Body Electric and this video was great! Did just what you said and the guitar stays in tune top to bottom. Did not have to adjust the truss rod, but I intonated it. Saved me $50 as well. I have a really beat up white Gibson V from like 1984. Still has the Grovers but that one will need the complete truss rod adjustment and intonation. Its got a really cool ebony fretboard. Needs all new electronics. Ill let you know how I make out. Took about 1 hr but it was worth it. Thanks!
This breakdown definitely feels the easiest to grasp, but i still dont really trust myself after fiddling just a little bit. My second guitar is a buzzing mess, hoping my dad will help me fix if i show him this video 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
If you don’t have a capo, I learned today here on RU-vid, you can use a pen or pencil and a hair elastic! I’m sure a regular elastic and crayon, would work fine as well..
Thank you for a simple and well-explained way to do this. I have an expensive PRS that has been a pig from the beginning. I was finally told that it has a slight warp in the neck so I have to keep setting it up. I would never buy another PRS. I have a very cheap Ibanez and it has never had any problems...luck of the draw, I guess.
Hi there! I’m a beginner, started playing guitar 8 months ago and its going well. But I started to learn everything about guitar adjustments/repairs etc. This might be a stupid question. But here’s the thing: I have a friend of mine setting up my truss rod. I told him I like my action pretty low and my neck pretty straight. I have a Squier telecaster bullet and it’s an awesome piece of guitar. But currently I’m setting up with 9-42 strings gauge that came along with the guitar. Now I want to switch to Ernie ball regular slinky 10-46. But I’m afraid that because I’m changing string gauge, the neck will move forward because of the tension. But here’s the thing: I’ve checked how my neck is set up and it’s pretty straight to the point I can no longer turn the truss rod clockwise, only counter clockwise. It seemed to have a back bow (but not a crazy back bow, maybe slight) but I have no string buzz whatsoever (thank god!). My question is: if I’m changing string gauge, should I FIRST give my neck a little relief, than changing strings, and readjust the truss rod by tighten it up? I’m afraid that if I don’t do that, the neck will bow forward because of the tension of the new strings. Hope you can answer my question. Peace✌🏼
@@ManBunMetalHead hmm okay but as I mentioned, the truss rod can no longer be tighten and turned clockwise. It’s dead straight or maybe even slightly back bowed haha. I can only add relief to it, and I’m afraid that If I put 10s on it, the neck will bow forward if that make sense, unless it’s moving out of itself which I don’t think it would and by that I mean the nut of the truss rod. Sorry I’m still learning a lot lol. I’m feeling like a total noob🤣
Thank you mr metal bun man, every one is very confusing and not understanding what a beginner is concerned about. I will go back to playing smoke on the water and every breath you take... jk. But thank you.
My jazz bass has the first four frets or so tighter in string space than the rest of the frets. At one point I had the action super low and it was those first few frets that played the same while the rest of the neck made a huge gap between the string and fretboard. After I detuned the strings until they were flabby things looked a lot more flat, but with a slight tightness near the headstock.
@@ManBunMetalHead Yeah I got everything good but now I'm having problems keeping it in tune when I want to do drop D on the low E. As soon as I tune the low E down the rest of the guitar goes out of whack and I'm having to tune it a million times over. Then when I lock the nuts it goes out of whack.
sounds like you need a new locking nut. I had to change my mh-1000 nut once because it scored too much and stopped holding, dreaded G string would slip and then I'd dive and it would wreck all the other string tensions. and now I need to do it again.. sigh
I agree with everything in all your vids but those who’s just trying it for the first time don’t make as big of an adjustment as manbun did im surprised it didn’t crack with so much backbow
After you loosen the rod retune before checking the gap. If you need to tighten the rod, define before tightening or you can strip or break the rod. He should have mentioned these things but other then that good deal. Nice guitar. Edit. I guess he kinda mentions tuning but not really. A noob is gonna watch this and break stuff. Be careful. If the rod stops turning, STOP. Genral rule of thumb is don't tighten rod under pressure. You can feel the difference when using the wrench.
I put on the Spa music channel, light some scented candles and oil massage my guitar to get it relaxed before I suddenly twist its neck into submission. Never sees it coming.
Now here's the question. My Guitar lies on the table, the pickguard faces the ceiling. The neck closer to the headstock is bent upwards, in the middle it's bent downwards, from frets 12-14 is goes perfectly straight till the most upper frets. The neck has a portion where it's kin of an S-bent. Any suggestions?
One thing you omitted was to loosen the strings a bit so as not to over tension and break any strings (especially they higher strings) which can happen when adjusting the truss rod. BOING!! (I hate breaking strings.)
thanks that help a lot i have a telecaster kit the neck seems to be nut heavy without any strings on i did not adjust anything yet except preparing the body and neck for a stain job and the electronics r done that was easy did the fret work as well even frets and shiny frets make the neck happy too but how do i get the neck to fit better ? thanks john
Great information, thank you for the video, I bought some feeler thingies a while ago but I never used them, I will perhaps use them now that I know what it's about a little :) Tho I have a little bit of a lump in an older guitar of mine. I don't know how to get rid of that, since it's like not a bow or something. 11:20 : Highest guitar tuning I've ever heard haha.
Man i just bought a gretsch 6228 and we had great cold in canada last week... and what a bad surprise when i went to play it 😱😱😱😱 damn that suck, i know its gonna be okay. But still its the best guitar i ever had and the money it cost me ...
I bought a very old guitar a while ago, the nut on the truss rod would not move for a while but it loosened up and started turning but after loosening it completely off, there was no difference to the neck. Recently I took off the fretboard to find the truss rod and neck completely full of some kind of glue...so thats not very helpful
Help. My guitar had a bow in the neck and was left unplayed for a few years, the truss rod was tight. I have loosened the truss road now, if I leave it long enough with the neck eventually straighten itself? Its a bolt on and maple by the way.
i have a question for you i got an 1989 Greco i’ve had it for some time now i’m guessing since 2005 and i love this guitar it’s probably one of my favorite guitar to play the 14th fret on the D string kinda buzzes like a sitar almost the G string does that a little too and it’s the only place it does it at i thought it was maybe the frets but i was playing the guitar the other night and it stopped doing the sitar noise does it need a neck adjustment or the frets to be worked on or what that’s the only thing wrong with it at this moment thank you for your channel it’s my first time watching it
My first thought would be the 14th fret sits a little too low or the 15th fret sits a little too high in that area which means you'd need a fret level. It's possible that it went away because there's a little extra neck relief. If you adjusted the truss rod to straighten the neck the buzzing would probably come back. Taking the guitar to a tech at that point would probably be the idea.
@@ManBunMetalHead thank you i will but i also want to get a whole new bridge system what i mean is change the bridge and tail piece to a more upgraded version i’m thinking tonepros and change the tuners too the tuners are black right there Grovers i want all gold hardware and possibly change the nut if it needs it if not just make it so it the D and G won’t go out of tune all of my les puals type guitars do that lol i appreciate the reply from you
before i mess with the truss rod i always kind of oil the area of where the wood is before i go cranking it... i wish people would do this i feel like it is necessary
Thank you. The way you showed the "click" was very intuitive. After changing from 9 to 10s my string go really up, so I adjusted, then change again to 9.5 (my gauge). I supposed after adjusting the rod with the new string it will need some time to "settle", but this is becoming a nightmare (almost floyd rose alike). How much time do you think is nice to let settle and determine if more adjust is needed? (12, 24..72). This shit is a Schecter (yep I like the look and feel, horrible setup, thin neck that I suspect bents) thanks a lot bro!
It's hard to say because it varies from guitar to guitar and can be effected by environmental changes (temp, humidity, etc). And a thin neck will be more susceptible to those changes as well. Just keep an eye on it. Check it every day. If the blow isn't changing after a day or two, it's probably set.
@@ManBunMetalHead Appreciate your comment. I'm not new to music, but to guitars. I have to get used to this kind instrument's little imperfections, not the same kind as the ones you get on synths and drums. Anyway tuning is an omnipresent issue. See ya soon!
I am hopefully getting a new squier bullet mustang huh by fender and I need to make sure the neck isn't warped could you maybe please make a video about how to tell if a guitar neck is warped and how to fix it please. Hope you see this
Don't think I'll be able to make a video on this, but I'd just take a look at the neck from the headstock towards the body and look for a twist. It's pretty hard to describe everything that could be wrong, but twisting is one of the biggest problems.
I got a guitar that was put up for years and years with no strings on it. I started putting strings on it but the low string is touching the fretboard on the highest fret while around the 5th and 6th fret there's 2 to 3mm of gap. I need help ples
Dudee so I went on holiday and left my guitar in the tuning for black hole sun I come back and now the frets closer to the bridge r so high from the neck
Picked up my mates old PRS Special 22, the neck is bowed but the strings still sit on the frets at 19-21, even at highest bridge height. The bow is basically like whilst the strings are on the frets at the neck end, about halfway along the neck there is about a 1.5cm gap between strings and fretboard, then the strings are really close to the fretboard at the head end. Not sure how I fix this :(
very nice video brother....anyway, may I know what string gauge did you used on that guitar? I got a problem with my Ibanez S420, the truss rod is fully tightened but still upbow occurs. I'm using a gauge 9 strings....please help....
I use DR Strings Hi-Beam 9-42's. Have you tried loosening your strings before tightening the truss rod? Also, you might want to take the guitar to a tech. Just in case something is wrong.
It can be a humidity issue. The neck can move over time if seasons start to change. The humidity in your room where your guitars are, need to be between 45%-55%. Get a humidifier and hygrometer.
HELP! my Bass neck ( $200 Ibanez GIO soundgear) that fell and got knocked out of wack... I am trying to adjust the rod but it comes out or stops turning. help?
I hate that I found my truss rod cuz I'm always wanting to make my guitar perfect I don't think there's anything wrong with it now but now that I found it I kind of want to mess with it 🤦🏻♂️ I didn't think my guitar had one. But I can't figure out if I have a bow because normally if my strings are too far from the frets I just cut little lines in the nut and the bridge to lower the strings down but at the top my strings are 1/16 from the fretboard they don't buzz but at the bottom towards the 16th fret it's about 3/16 I think it's like that because I cut bigger notches in the nut and I should have done it at the bridge so it would have lowered the strings from the back and cut smaller naches in the nut but the reason I'm saying this all is because since I have that 3/16 of an inch at the bottom I was kind of curious if I mess with my truss rod if I can get those a little bit closer I would like my strings to be 1/16 at the top and 1/8 at the bottom so I can get more of a electric guitar feel out of a acoustic .. I would be more than happy for you to tell me how stupid I am and give me some advice 😂
Great stuff. My Ibanez has a good amount of buzz in the first 3 frets. Any advice what I should do. As there is no guitar tech around where I live. Thank you so much
It's really hard to say without seeing the guitar, but my guess would be your 3rd fret might be a bit high. It could be as easy as hammering it back it, but that would be a temporary fix. Or the fret might need to be leveled. I would advise against hammering it in unless you are experienced cause you could make things worse.
Depends on which way it is bowed. If the neck is concave, you're strings will sit high, then you need to tighten the nut. If it's convex you need to loosen the nut.
Ashlee did you mean why did he back it off a few turns before tightening ? instead of just tightening, i didn't really understand why you did that either. why wouldn't you just tighten right away? seems like unnecessary pointless truss rod turns.
@@donjoseph73 yea for real I got this 50$ neck from Amazon I’ve been cranking on this Mfer for a minute cheap neck came in looking like I ordered it from robinhood
Hi, my first 4 frets and after 13 frets not buzzing but 5-12 frets little bit buzzing is it my guitar little bit concave or convex and which way should turn my truss road?
Around from the middle of the fretboard to the end of it, the strings get farther away from the board itself. The first couple of frets are good, it just gradually inclines from there. How would I fix this?? I ask just to be sure though I’ve never done this before and I definitely do not want to damage my guitar.
If you have to buy a neckrest for your guitar? Well... what can I tell you? Do Not tamper with the trussrod! Stay in bed! Call for help! To help you put your pants on.
I'm trying to fix a backbow neck of my Ibanez Prestige. Exept of the very first turn, the truss rod nut turns very very softly, is that normal? It turns easily with no strenght.
I'm not quite sure what the issue is. I assume you're turning the correct way (clockwise). I don't really have much advice to give because I don't want you to screw up your guitar. You might want to take it to a tech.
My guitar had backbow, what was happening was from the 3-7th fret on the B and high E I was getting dead notes, especially when bending them. I adjusted the truss rod, and the neck is straight, but neck on the side of the high E has more upbow than on the Low E side of the neck. This is a brand new guitar that I bought in Nov of 2019 and got it taken to a luthier where it was playing fine afterwards and then it got all fucked up
Great Video. I just adjusted the truss rod on my strat and I had to tighten it quite a bit. However, it seems to have gone well and the neck is now almost straight. I was a bit afraid to go more than i did .. I think i did probably 4 quarter turns or 4 just under a quarter turns to get it to where it was.
ITS FUNNY, I SAW METALLICA AND GUNS N ROSES AT GIANTS STADIUM IN THE 90S AND AXL RAN OFF STAGE AND SLASH CHALLENGED ANYONE THROWING SHIT TO A FIGHT HAHA
@@ManBunMetalHead thanks man just bought a strat from Arizona and I live in Kentucky. The humidity difference is huge so I was just curious thanks man ya got a new subscriber for sure
I have an 80s guitar probably cheap a marlin superstrat, I'm trying to straighten the neck and the truss rod is becoming extremely hard to turn.. Any tips/suggestions?
My issue is that my guitar is too old and his truss rod is over wrapped, literally I can't turn it back straight anymore because is at the top of his limits
Can you remove it (turning counter-clockwise)? If you can, there may just be a nut that you can remove and replace. Otherwise I'd take it to a guitar tech.
I tooknit to a pro and he said it was messed up and I turned the trust rod clockwise cause it was bowed and it's fine and its straight. If it was broken it would turn if trust rod wouldn't turn? Tell me what u think ty.
It's a guitar truss rod wrench. If you need a hex wrench you can usually buy them in a set of different sizes. They could also be an Allen wrench which are more common.
i have seen another videos where they say you need to adjust a little bit and wait even 24 hrs to check again the neck and make another adjustment if needed, is this true ??? the adjustment works so fast like showed on this video ????
It's never a bad idea to check the neck a day or two after you make an adjustment to see if it has moved. If your neck is way out, it might not be a bad idea to make a partial adjustment, let it sit for a day, then adjust more. Unfortunately, experience really helps. If you're ever unsure, take it to a gear tech.
I'm having an issue with my multiscale orsmby. I've had it for a few years, and i'm getting absolutely horrid string buzz ONLY on the D string. It is the middle string, and only when I play it open. Every single fret on every string is fine. Just this one when played open. No idea the issue. Should i maybe alter my trust rod? I'm a bit nervous to do so. Edit: I'm looking and it might be buzzing against the 1st fret marker. Since it's only close there, it seems everywhere else is fine and makes sense why it's only when I play open. Should I mess with my truss rod, or maybe try to raise the saddle? Or could it be an issue with the nut worn? I'm not sure
@@_Deergod Ya figured it out and used tiny pieces of paper to temporarily fix the issue. Would it be expensive to fix at all? I think the nut is just worn and the strings are set a little lower, happened to the A and D string
It never hurts to detune it slightly but you might be able to get away without detuning it. If it feels like you have to apply a lot of force to turn the truss rod nut, I would consider loosening the strings. Also depending on your headstock, some strings might get in the way of your tool so you'll have to detune those anyway.
Why check neck relief and adjust the truss rod if the bridge height might be off? I mean which adjustment should go first, neck straightness or bridge height?
Always check neck relief (straightness) before bridge height. Adjusting the relief will effect how you adjust bridge height, but adjusting the bridge height won't effect how you adjust your neck relief.
Yes, string tension will affect the bow of the neck. You can make adjustments without the strings installed, but there's no way of knowing if you've adjusted it correctly until you put the strings back on. It's just much easier to do it with the strings on. If you're worried about working against the string tension, you can loosen the strings while making adjustments.
