i wanna be "shredated"
truss rod adjustment
i have this cheap chinese squier strat which i dearly love (cuz its my only guitar) and i recently took it apart to clean it. the truss rod adjustment is located at the base and not at the headstock (i have to unscrew the bolt on neck to get to it) , and i really don't know how much or which way to turn to get what adjustment (clockwise or counterclockwise=?). help please?
# 1
OK first off...
Why do you want to adjust the truss rod. Were you getting fret buzz, or was the action slightly off? Truss rod adjustments, especially on that type of guitar are not for the faint of heart. Worst case is you turn it too far and break the rod, thereby ruining the neck. For me, I would just repair it by removing the fingerboard, but unless you know how to build/rebuild you should leave it to the pros.
Since trussrods should be adjusted in the playing position, yours is especially troublesome since you have to remove the neck everytime unless you have an access pocket on that end of the guitar.
IF you REALLY want to tackle this yourself, I will paraphrase the how to from the book "Make Your Own Guitar" from Melvin Hiscock.
"Before setting the action of the guitar the truss rod should be adjusted. It is a fallacy to assume that the neck of the guitar needs to be totally straight. There has to be an element of forward bow, known as neck relief, so that the string will not rattle against frets further along the neck. This does not have to be very great and the amount needed will vary with guitars of different types and even with guitars of the same model and with differnt guages of strings.
The strings should be tuned and the topstring fretted at the first and last fret. If the strings touch the frets all the way along the neck, the neck is either bend backwards or is a little too straight. Either way the truss rod needs to be slackened a little. If there is a space of more than about 1/64 in. (0.4mm) the neck is being pulled forward and the truss rod needs to be tightened.
With the string fretted at the first and last fret, the distance between the string and the top surface if the fret in the middle of the neck should be between 1/64" (0.4mm) and 1/32" (0.8 mm). Truss rods vary greatly in their sensitivity and a quarter of a turn on one neck may have little effect whereas a quarter turn on another may 'banana' the neck significantly...As with so many things, the art of adjusting the neck rod on the guitar is to take it carefully and a little at a time.
Depending on the type of truss rod fitted to the guitar, too much or heavy-handed adjustment can damage either the rod or the guitar and so it is essential to proceed SLOWLY. It is also important to ise the correct tool to adjust the rod. Adjustmet nuts come in many different styles and sizes and can be adjusted by spanner, allen key or even a screwdriver but using the wrong tool can damage the adjustment not and make future adjustments difficult or even impossible. Basic adjustment of the truss rod should not. however, cause too many problems.
For all adjustments the guitar should be, if at all possible, strung and tuned to pitch. This is easy enough on guitars which have the truss rod adjustment at the head but some guitars, for example many old-style Fenders..., have their adjustment at the end of the fingerboard and this can only be reached by removing the neck.
In these cases the rod needs to be adjusted a little at a timeand the neck replaced onto the guitar and strung up so that the effect of each adjustment can be measured. It can be a time-consuming and frustrating business. The relief can be seen if one sights along the neck as one would to with a rifle. The string nearest the edge of the fingerboard will be a straight line and the amount that the fingerboard curves away can be estimated.
Sighting along the neck in this way is also helpful when trying to fathom out why a guitar will not play properly. In theory, the relief along the neck will be a gentle, even curve, the same one sige as it is the other.
It is entirely possible that, if using very light strings, a neck will need no adjustment and may even be too straight. If this is the case thae only alternative is to raise the action a little unless the truss rod is one of the two-way types that allow forward movement of the neck."
There the only other thing you need to know is this:
Lefty=loosy
Righty=tighty
Good luck if you choose to partake of this challenge. Keep a 6 pack of beer and if you finish the 6 pack before you get the neck right, it's time to walk away for another day.
Why do you want to adjust the truss rod. Were you getting fret buzz, or was the action slightly off? Truss rod adjustments, especially on that type of guitar are not for the faint of heart. Worst case is you turn it too far and break the rod, thereby ruining the neck. For me, I would just repair it by removing the fingerboard, but unless you know how to build/rebuild you should leave it to the pros.
Since trussrods should be adjusted in the playing position, yours is especially troublesome since you have to remove the neck everytime unless you have an access pocket on that end of the guitar.
IF you REALLY want to tackle this yourself, I will paraphrase the how to from the book "Make Your Own Guitar" from Melvin Hiscock.
"Before setting the action of the guitar the truss rod should be adjusted. It is a fallacy to assume that the neck of the guitar needs to be totally straight. There has to be an element of forward bow, known as neck relief, so that the string will not rattle against frets further along the neck. This does not have to be very great and the amount needed will vary with guitars of different types and even with guitars of the same model and with differnt guages of strings.
The strings should be tuned and the topstring fretted at the first and last fret. If the strings touch the frets all the way along the neck, the neck is either bend backwards or is a little too straight. Either way the truss rod needs to be slackened a little. If there is a space of more than about 1/64 in. (0.4mm) the neck is being pulled forward and the truss rod needs to be tightened.
With the string fretted at the first and last fret, the distance between the string and the top surface if the fret in the middle of the neck should be between 1/64" (0.4mm) and 1/32" (0.8 mm). Truss rods vary greatly in their sensitivity and a quarter of a turn on one neck may have little effect whereas a quarter turn on another may 'banana' the neck significantly...As with so many things, the art of adjusting the neck rod on the guitar is to take it carefully and a little at a time.
Depending on the type of truss rod fitted to the guitar, too much or heavy-handed adjustment can damage either the rod or the guitar and so it is essential to proceed SLOWLY. It is also important to ise the correct tool to adjust the rod. Adjustmet nuts come in many different styles and sizes and can be adjusted by spanner, allen key or even a screwdriver but using the wrong tool can damage the adjustment not and make future adjustments difficult or even impossible. Basic adjustment of the truss rod should not. however, cause too many problems.
For all adjustments the guitar should be, if at all possible, strung and tuned to pitch. This is easy enough on guitars which have the truss rod adjustment at the head but some guitars, for example many old-style Fenders..., have their adjustment at the end of the fingerboard and this can only be reached by removing the neck.
In these cases the rod needs to be adjusted a little at a timeand the neck replaced onto the guitar and strung up so that the effect of each adjustment can be measured. It can be a time-consuming and frustrating business. The relief can be seen if one sights along the neck as one would to with a rifle. The string nearest the edge of the fingerboard will be a straight line and the amount that the fingerboard curves away can be estimated.
Sighting along the neck in this way is also helpful when trying to fathom out why a guitar will not play properly. In theory, the relief along the neck will be a gentle, even curve, the same one sige as it is the other.
It is entirely possible that, if using very light strings, a neck will need no adjustment and may even be too straight. If this is the case thae only alternative is to raise the action a little unless the truss rod is one of the two-way types that allow forward movement of the neck."
There the only other thing you need to know is this:
Lefty=loosy
Righty=tighty
Good luck if you choose to partake of this challenge. Keep a 6 pack of beer and if you finish the 6 pack before you get the neck right, it's time to walk away for another day.
So. If you throw a cat out of a car window, is it considered "kitty litter"?
# 2
tnx for the very comprehensive explanation. just like you said, i think i won't be touching that thing any time soon, i might be changing to a lighter string gauge though. my only problem is that the strings tend to get higher as i approach the end, was this the "action" that you mentioned(high=high action?). i tend to shred a lot and its been giving me problems when pulling off sweep arps. btw, i got the beer part covered.
i wanna be "shredated"
# 3
It's possible that the truss rod is too loose and needs to be tightened. I would do it in 1/16" turns. And take your time. You got your whole lifetime to fix that neck. No need to rush. You could get away with lowering the bridge also.
So. If you throw a cat out of a car window, is it considered "kitty litter"?
# 4
If you put some lighter gauge strings there will be less bowing from the neck which can cause some buzz, which may need some truss rod adjustment which seems to be tricky and a boring job on your guitar type... Also lighter strings gives a weaker tone.
Since you said your problem is higher strings at higher frets , I think we can assume it's a high action problem , this can be adjusted by lowering the bridge towards the guitar body taking care that there is no fret buzzing at any fret (specialy higher pitch ones).
This is a super easy job , but if the results didn't satisfy you or you couldn't get the action low enough without buzzing you'll need to do some work with the truss rod.
Since you said your problem is higher strings at higher frets , I think we can assume it's a high action problem , this can be adjusted by lowering the bridge towards the guitar body taking care that there is no fret buzzing at any fret (specialy higher pitch ones).
This is a super easy job , but if the results didn't satisfy you or you couldn't get the action low enough without buzzing you'll need to do some work with the truss rod.
# 5
ok, so lemme see if i got it right. i assume im gonna have to adjust the truss rod cuz i tried lowering the strings at the bridge but then they started to buzz at the lower frets. so i would have to turn it clockwise 1/16th of a turn? please bear with me :(
i wanna be "shredated"
# 6
# 7
