From - Fri Jul 12 13:48:27 1996 From: David Means DMEANS@fcc.gov Subject: Re: Beginners question. What is bolt for? In article <4s32ma$6qu@geraldo.cc.utexas.edu>, rmca@tenet.edu says... >(snip) At your level of knowledge, I'd strongly advise you to >ignore it. If your strings ever start buzzing at various frets >or the distance from the fingerboard to the strings seems to increase >markedly, I'd take it to my local music store and see about a >professional neck adjustment (though I'd let the repair technician >determine what it needed). If you choose to play around with the allen >wrench and the truss rod yourself, have another guitar handy. You >might need it while yours is in the shop getting the damage undone. Nonsense! (IMHO) This is the kind of simple adjustment that every player ought to learn to do for himself. And as long as one is forewarned and uses reasonable caution, there really isn't much danger. If there were, they wouldn't pack the wrench the guitar! There are three main cautions to observe when adjusting the truss rod: 1) make small adjustments, certainly no more than a quarter-turn (preferably an eighth) and observe the results of each adjustment before making another, 2) realize that it may take a full day for the full result of the adjustment to show up in the neck, and 3) don't apply excessive force if the nut doesn't turn reasonably easily (you could break the truss rod, resulting in a very expensive repair). What the truss rod does is to adjust the "relief" of the neck. Relief is the term used to describe the amount of desired "upbow" in the neck between the body and the peghead. Most players feel that the neck should have a little bit of relief (not be perfectly flat) to accommodate the fact that, when strings vibrate, they have their maximum excursion in the middle of their span. If you have a very light touch as a player, you might be able to get away with a perfectly flat neck, but only if the frets are perfectly "dressed." The truss rod allows you to adjust for minor differences in neck bowing caused by using string gauges other than what the guitar was initially set up for. Don't just assume, though, that you can use medium or heavy gauge strings if the guitar came with lights -- the guitar may not be designed to handle the extra tension. Here's how to tell if your guitar might need a truss rod adjustment: simultaneously fret a string at both the first fret and the "body fret" (usually the 14th), and note the clearance of the string above the 7th fret. If the string rests on the 7th fret, the truss rod may be too tight. If the 7th fret clearance is much more than about the thickness of the cardboard of a matchbook cover, the truss rod may be too loose. If the relief of the neck checks out all right using the above procedure, but the strings are uncomfortably high above the 12th fret when unfretted (high "action"), DO NOT try to lower them by tightening the truss rod -- you'll only further screw up the playability of the guitar, and quite possibly break something. In most cases (especially with newer guitars) this problem is best cured by lowering the height of the bridge saddle. In every guitar I know of, the truss rod is tightened (to lower the relief clearance) by turning the trussrod nut clockwise when you are facing the adjustment end of the neck. Turn counterclockwise to increase the relief. I would humbly suggest that part of your guitar education should consist of learning how your instrument works, how it reacts to its environment, and how to adjust it yourself. A luthier who frequents this newsgroup, Charles Tauber, recently wrote a comprehensive and excellent treatise on guitar adjustments which he posted here. You should be able to find it in the archives. It was entitled "Basic Guitar Set-up 101" and last posted on May 16. There are also a number of published books and magazine articles that cover the subject. An inveterate guitar tinkerer, Dave Means ===================================== From: scomeau@terra.cnct.com (scomeau) Subject: Re: Beginners question. What is bolt for? Date: 12 Jul 1996 10:20:15 -0400 hol@wizard.com (unknown@unknown.account.com) wrote: :I have just bought an Ibanez acoustic which I am attempting to learn to play. :Packaged with the guitar was an allen wrench and I have noticed that there is an :allen wrench type bolt inside the guitar at the bottom of the neck. What is this :for and what can I hope to accomplish with it? : Dave That's the truss rod adjustment. The truss rod is used to set the bow "shape" of the neck - most guitar necks are very slightly bowed for proper action and playability. In any case, you shouldn't mess with it unless you know what you're doing. If you bring your guitar in to a shop for a setup (cost typically $35-$60) they'll adjust the truss rod if it needs it. Even a guitar that's well cared for can have the neck bow change due to humidity changes and such (in the summer the fretboard swells slightly and the neck gets "flatter", in the winter the dry air makes the fret- board shrink and get more curved). If you want to become a do it yourselfer, there's books and the like that give guidelines on adjusting the truss rod. You might start with Ralph Denyer's "Guitar Handbook". I've even found books on guitar repair at my local library. However, I feel better leaving my setup to a professional who has lots of experience. If you do venture to do your own adjustments remember to be patient. It often takes a few hours - even overnight - for an adjustment to really settle in. So make small adjustments at a time. --- *"Nothin' to tell now. Steve Comeau * * Let the words be yours, scomeau@cnct.com * * I'm done with mine." - Barlow Tel. 201-348-7778 *