Acoustic Guitar Truss Rod Adjustment Direction

Adjusting the truss rod of your guitar alters your guitar s neck relief the amount of bow in the neck measured by the distance between the strings and the frets.

Acoustic guitar truss rod adjustment direction.

Locate your guitar s truss rod. That is why truss rod adjustments are normally done in conjunction with a set up. While the amount of relief is a matter. An adjustable truss rod is either one way or two way also known as single action or double action.

The truss rod is a slim steel rod inside the neck of your guitar. The truss rod pulls the neck backward. 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. You can adjust the truss rod with a nut located at one end.

How to adjust an acoustic guitar truss rod. When adjusting a truss rod in either direction you are changing the force applied to the rod. Tighten the truss rod adjusting nut to straighten a neck that has an up bow. Loosening a truss rod turning counter clockwise adds relief to decreases tension on the neck which results in increased higher string action height.

When tightened it counteracts the tension created by the strings the strings pull the neck forward. You can find the adjusting nut either at the peghead or through the sound hole depending on how your guitar is designed. Here s how to evaluate and adjust your electric or acoustic neck with a minimum of tools. Some bow is necessary for a guitar to play well but you don t want it to be bowed too much.

Loosen the nut if the neck is back bowed. Sight the neck to see what condition it s in. But a change in string gauges climate especially a change in humidity or simply the player s taste may require an adjustment even on a new. When a quality guitar leaves the factory the truss rod is adjusted according to the maker s taste in setup specs.

The trick is knowing when you ve got the neck the way you want it. S l november 16 2012. When making truss rod adjustments i first assess the instrument s action and playability along with the players aggressiveness and playing style. The types of forces that act on a truss rod are compression tension and torque.