Truss rod adjustment

Wizard · 2011-04-30T10:37:14+00:00

My strat neck has a forwards bow; so the string action is too high. Simple question. Which way do I adjust the truss rod nut? (which is at the headstock).

Truss rod adjustment

Wizard

Alan Ratcliffe wrote: Clockwise. Righty-tighty, Lefty-loosey.

Thanks - it worked (albeit with a bit of creaking).
Won't ever forget that rhyme again ?

singemonkey

I'm gonna (gulp) try this on my Pacifica after tonight's gig.

FenderBender

I have never gone wrong using this guide: http://www.ratcliffe.co.za/articles/setup.shtml

Wizard

Graeme Parfett wrote: I have never gone wrong using this guide: http://www.ratcliffe.co.za/articles/setup.shtml

I did read this once before ... but was before I had a guitar to set up ?

So ... now have:
- truss rod adjusted correctly
- bridge height correct

... and know my nut is too high and my intonation is imperfect.

costafonix

ey?? How did adjusting your trussrod affect your nut height? Are you able to post some pics?

Norman86

Wizard wrote: ... and know my nut is too high and my intonation is imperfect.

Is that now as in " in this moment", or know, as in "knowledge you you gained"?

Wizard

CostaFonix wrote: ey?? How did adjusting your trussrod affect your nut height? Are you able to post some pics?

It didn't ?

Just been through the whole evaluation drill and found out what is perfect and what isn't ...

costafonix

ok,,
has the nut ever been worked on before?

Wizard

No.
I was lazy and just dropped in a precut Graphtech nut.

costafonix

if you hold your string onto the 2nd fret, what is the clearance at the 1st fret?

Gearhead

CostaFonix wrote: if you hold your string onto the 2nd fret, what is the clearance at the 1st fret?

Not relevant - if you fret at the first fret, is it exactly half a note up from the open string?

Wizard

Gearhead wrote: Not relevant - if you fret at the first fret, is it exactly half a note up from the open string?

No it isn't.
So when I tune up on open strings, I don't get perfect tunings with fretted notes.
So - nut height is important beyond just action.

costafonix

exactly what I was eluding to.
if your clearance is high your nut is too high.

Gearhead

One of the things one can do is to lower the nut until the half step is precisely half a step. Good tuner needed and some filing.

Wizard

Gearhead wrote: One of the things one can do is to lower the nut until the half step is precisely half a step. Good tuner needed and some filing.

Some call it a semitone ?

AlanRatcliffe

CostaFonix wrote: if your clearance is high your nut is too high.

Yup. Clearance above 1st fret with an open string should be the same (or fractionally greater to be on the safe side) as the clearance above 2nd fret when fretting on the 1st.

I don't usually use the intonation at the first as an indicator, as I find if it's bad enough to affect the intonation, it's clearly visible as being far too high. But then, I favour low nut action, even if I'm raising higher at the bridge than is strictly speaking neccessary.