Stop Fret Buzz - How far to turn your truss rod & the direction to turn it
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- Опубликовано: 19 окт 2017
- Got annoying fret buzz? This video shows you how to eliminate it by a simple truss rod adjustment.
It also shows you which direction you should turn your truss rod and how much you should turn it.
Three Keys To a Healthy Guitar
You probably already knew that adjusting your truss rod is only one of 3 big parts to completing a full guitar setup. To have a healthy guitar - a guitar that sounds great, feels great, and plays great - every time you play.
After you adjust the truss rod, you’ll still need to properly change your guitar strings, check and adjust the intonation, the bridge, and the string height. Only then will you have performed a complete guitar setup.
Most of the time, there will be a guitar shop near you who offers to do this for you - sometimes they will even scare you into thinking if you attempt to do it yourself you’ll break your guitar, or that to “properly” make the adjustments you need special and expensive guitar tools.
But the reality is - what they are doing to your guitar can easily be done by you, with tools you already own, in your home. And it will save you hundreds of dollars per year if you know how to do it yourself.
I discovered this myself when I was a teenager - I took my guitars to the shop and they were trying to charge me $400 to have my guitars adjusted. I didn’t have that kind of money when I was younger, and I didn’t have any other option than to figure out how to do it myself.
I did what any other hard headed teen would do - I told the guitar shop I’d figure it out myself even if I broke my guitar in the process and I went mission to figure out how to setup my own guitars. After hours of reading books, scouring the internet forums, and talking with other guitarist - I found that it was actually really simple to do myself.
In fact, it’s so easy to setup your own guitar most people make it difficult by over thinking it, which is why they have trouble figuring out the process.
Over the past 15 year I've perfected my process, and now I can setup my own guitars in about 5 minutes.
I finally realized that other people too want to learn how to setup their guitars themselves, but don’t have the time research it the way that I did when I was younger…
So I came up with this solution - The Complete Guide To In Home Guitar Setup - with it you won’t have to pay a guitar shop to do simple adjustments for you ever again and you’re guitar will sound and play like new every time you use this process.
You might have thought a course like this would be a costly because of the amount of savings it will bring you, and it used to be...
I really believe these are things every guitar player should know, so I refunded everyone who purchased the course. Just go to the link below to get your free copy.
Go here to get access to The Complete Guide To In Home Guitar Setup • Complete Guide to Guti...
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Update
There seems to have been some confusion on which direction to turn the truss rod on your guitar. While 90% of guitars function this way they don't all.. The point of this video is to just make it crystal clear which way to turn the truss rod in under most circumstances.
Some have commented that this video is incorrect and you should turn the truss rod the other direction. However it's a matter of perspective. The video is only correct if you are looking at the guitar belly to belly - from the body of the guitar to the nut of the guitar. The truss rod should be turned the opposite direction if you are looking at the guitar from the nut to the body.
Please take a look at these images from Sweetwater Sound and Taylor Guitars for further clarification.
www.sweetwater.com/sweetcare/...
www.taylorguitars.com/support...
Please feel free to comment or reach out to me directly if you have any further questions - Dave 
Видеоклипы
some people think you got your directions backwards. I think it depends on where your truss rod adjusting nut is located. Either at the headstock or heal of the neck. At the heal
of the neck ( all the vintage stratocaster necks are at the heal ) you turn your truss rod screw clockwise to " tighten" the truss rod therefore straightening the neck wood i.e less neck relief. Counter Clockwise to take tension off the neck wood and allowing the guitars strings to have more tension on the wood pulling the neck back and giving it more "forward bow" i.e. more neck relief.
Exactly! And even if it is at the top - it depends on the direction you are looking at the nut - if your looking from head stock to body (directly at the nut) then the chart is backwards, but if your looking at if from body to nut then it's correct. It's just a matter of perspective and which way you did it the first time you learned. It's very confusing - in all honesty I made the chart for myself because I kept forgetting. I use it as a quick reference guide when I do my own adjustments.
I'd also like to point out, I cleared up the confusion with most of the people saying it was backwards as well as added some links to other charts at the end of description for further clarification.
Find Your Next Guitar dude you've got to learn the standard language of the industry you're making a fool of yourself and setting your people down the wrong path.
All industrial standards define clockwise/counterclockwise, ie: right/left as that direction while looking in the axial direction at the face (working access side) of the fastener.
Your "perspective" from any other position is meaningful only to you.
MetallicaFan0503 yes that's correct, backbow meaning the centre of the fingerboard (around the 7th fret) is curved up towards the string path.
Mike Porter it’s brand new I play everyday I do play heavily but the guitar is only a month old about
The screw top is the clockface, regardless of which end it's on, because you're looking down at the top of a screw. Clockwise always tightens the rod (tenses/straightens the neck) and counterclockwise always loosens the rod (relieves/bows forward the neck). It's a screw, so you always have to keep that rule in mind. No matter which end you adjust the neck on, relative to the design of the screw, the screw always turns DOWN (in/towards the object) to tighten, and UP (out/away from the object) to loosen, and relative to those directions, screws are standardized to turn clockwise to tighten and counterclockwise to loosen.
This rule doesn't change based on the orientation of the neck relative to your body when you adjust it, which end of the neck it's on, whatever. You're not turning the neck, you're turning the screw, and you always turn a screw from its top, so that will always be the reference point. Relative to its own design, the screw is still going to screw clockwise to tighten no matter which direction it is pointing, because a downward view of the top of the screw is always the reference point.
Even if a screw is pointing at you rather than away from you, you still have to turn it clockwise relative to its design to tighten it. You may be making what you consider to be a counterclockwise turn relative to your own position, but relative to the screw itself, it's always clockwise. The screw itself ALWAYS turns clockwise to tighten.
As many already pointed out, turning a screw clockwise or counterclockwise does not depend on your point of view, as it has to do with always operating from the perspective of looking at the screw from the head. Anything else creates confusion.👍👍👍
Pretty much common sense isn't it? Someone must have missed that day of the 5th grade where this was explained.
@@pay9011 I hope you both reported this backwards shit as I did.
So it DOES depend on your point of view. Are you looking at the head from the top (the obvious), or the bottom (not obvious, but certainly an option).
@@mliittsc63Turn the damn screwdriver clockwise, unless youre pointing the screwdriver at youeself (such as tightening something underneath a table) but if youre using the tool as a regular person and not icepick style itll be clockwise.
Tightening the truss rod (turning the screw clockwise) brings the center of the neck CLOSER to the strings. Or UNDOING a "U" shape. Loosening the truss rod ( turning it COUNTER clockwise) will remove tension and relieve a "hill" in the center of the neck. So if your strings are high in the center, it's CLOCKWISE, or righty tighty. If your strings are touching or low in the center of the neck, you turn it counter clockwise, or lefty loosey
How do i get the strings closer to the fingerboard
@@vavangzogene6096 by reading the above comment
@@vavangzogene6096 adjust the height action on the bridge after you adjust the trust rod the rule thumb is adjust the trust rod first second adjust the action height on the bridge and last adjust inotation on the bridge
I know to turn the truss rod counter clock-wise to bring the neck closer to the strings, but I do that when the guitar’s body is facing away from me right? On a Les Paul, I turn it right when the body is in further away. Like this
Guitar’s body
|
|neck
Headstock
|
Me turning it -> to tighten
@@TheTrollMastah yes, or turning wrench toward low e string to tighten, toward high e string to loosen.
Really glad i read the comments. I thought i was going crazy when my fretbuzz was getting worse after following his directions
I'm glad you figured it out, the whole purpose of this video to give you the understanding of how the adjustment works, remove any fear of breaking your guitar, and to have you go tinker with it - because that's the real way you learn. Once you get comfortable with it, it's way easier to just feel where the right spot is than to measure and some guitars are vastly different than others, some need adjusted more often some less often...
If you for the first time adjusted your truss rod after watching this, even if you had to go back and turn it the opposite direction I consider it to be a huge success.
Thanks for your comment - Dave
Find Your Next Guitar 🤡
@@Findyournextguitar what's wrong with you?
@@Findyournextguitar That's great, but you're describing the exact wrong way to do it; why not just say "go futz with it until it works'?
Once again, this video saved the day. Bought a used guitar that has pretty bad buzzing in the first three frets. Without thinking, I immediately went to adding a shim under the locking nut. It did nothing. Then I remembered this video that helped me a few years ago. Luckily, I found it again. A few turns of the allen wrench, and I was golden. Thanks!
Clear as mud! The directions are wrong -> clockwise you tighten, anti-clockwise you relieve. Just like a screw. Simple.
"Clear as mud" hahahaha
So if my bass has a forward bow do I turn the truss rod clock wise?
I think he's referring to truss rods that adjust from the base of the neck, not the headstock
@@angelv5800 yes. For forward bow it should be clockwise. And backbow would be counterclockwise.
You're bang on mate! What sort of """" head makes an instructional video about something he knows """" all about?? Crazy? Stupid? Or cruel??
Agreed.. Everyone should learn to set their guitars. When adjusting truss rod with the strings is in pitch turn 1/4 at a time always. You are safe.. Some guys are charging ridiculous pricing for this basic setup.. Right now I'm learning to change my frets. I understand the amount of labour involved, but the cost is just insane!
Hi from sunny south west FranceI figured out my Epi 339 thanks to you buddy! I thought I would never have it sorted, so thank you so much! Some of us appreciate it!!
Hey Dave, I'm really glad it helped and you got everything sorted out it - I really appreciate comment and thanks for taking the time to share - Dave
This chart is one of the first that show up on Google images if you search for truss rod adjustment. As people have already pointed out, the vast majority of people are going to interpret the chart opposite of how you see it. That could be a problem. Just putting it out there.
Thanks for your comment Mats - you are more than welcome to make a better video and un-seat this one as the top google search, I beleive this would solve your problem :)
Until then, I guess it will just stay here...
P.S. I never planed for this to be the # 1 video on the subject, it's nearly 10 years old, I never thought it'd get more than 1,000 or so views...
I've gotten thank you mail for ppl all around the world with people thanking me for giving them some understand on how to make the adjustment, even if you go the wrong way the first way, it's pretty easy to figure it out and go the other direction.
Contrary to popular beleive, this will not damage your guitar in anyway unless you are being abusive with the adjustment.
Lastly, this guy has got to be #2 by now and will probably eventually kick this out of the #1 spot... ruclips.net/video/NzEsWhdqvF0/видео.html
Ace one bud,solved my fret buzz out in a couple of minutes thanks
thanks Colin, glad it helped
Sorry dude but you have the directions needed to turn the truss rod wrong in both cases! Turning clockwise tightens the rod, straightens the neck and reduces forward bow, whereas turning anti(counter)-clockwise loosens the rod, allowing the neck to bow forward and adding relief.
Perhaps they put the truss rod in upside down in your guitar, but what I've talked about in the video is how 99% of guitars are built. I even had the head of ESP's custom shop review it before I posted the video so I'll have to respectfully disagree with your opinion here.
Find Your Next Guitar No offence intended mate, but you are sorely wrong. And for your information, I own guitars from around 10 different manufacturers (including Gibson, Fender, Gretcsh, Jackson, Hamer and Guild) and each and every one of them works in the way I have stated! Also, if you would care to take the time to do a little research, every single guitar repair or how to set up a guitar book ever written, agrees with my description and disagrees with yours. Even try watching a few set up videos by some of the many respected professional repair guys and luthiers here on RUclips, and you will find they all disagree with your directions. Please understand, I am not trying to be awkward or disagree with you for the sake of it, but your information could potentially be dangerous, as it could easily cause someone to severely damage their precious or expensive guitar, causing a major repair bill or even irreparable damage. I appreciate what you are trying to do, and respect that, I even think the way you presented the information was very good, but unfortunately the information that you have provided to the public is ultimately wrong!
David, I've taken several years to research and develop my information and I've in person met with and even interviewed some of the top guitar builders in the world. My content here is correct, though there is one possible way I see we could both be correct on this issue...
Which way are you looking at the guitar? Because the way I'm describing it in the video, which to my fault I may not have made crystal clear - would be if your looking at the guitar from the bottom up - so your belly to belly with the pickups.
If you are looking at the guitar from the perspective of the neck down then we would both be correct here and it would in turn revers which way clockwise is.
If that's the case I should find a way to make the a bit more clear, but that's the only thing I can think of where we could actually both be right because the change in viewing perspective would alter which way is clockwise or counterclockwise.
That would mean that we're both technically correct, there was just a miscommunication. I bet that's what's going on because I've literally had dozens of people write to me and tell me their guitar plays perfectly now, as well as my own guitars all play flawlessly - that's not possible unless this part is correct.
David Sutherland - would you be willing to jump on a quick Skype call sometime to discuss this? I appreciate your comment and I want to get to the bottom of where the confusion is coming from. I take this very seriously - if something I said is creating confusion or harming peoples guitars I want to know why and fix it.
My graphic is showing the same as this graphic from Sweetwater - www.sweetwater.com/sweetcare/media/2017/02/Adjusting-Truss-Rod.jpg though I intended it to be from the opposite side of the guitar... so if this is where the confusion is I think I can fix it with out having to take down or redo the video.
Find Your Next Guitar OK, this possibly explains everything. I have looked at the image from Sweetwater that you linked to, and that image is correct and agrees with the method I described. If you are looking at the guitar from the bottom with it lying flat, that would indeed reverse the perceived direction that you are turning the trussrod. When most people describe how they adjust their trussrod, they tend to describe it from the perspective of looking directly on to the head of the trussrod(as if they were describing addressing a screw with a screwdriver) This is easier to understand, as some rods are accessed from the heel of the neck and not the headstock, in this case it would appear to turn in the opposite direction from usual, if using your method. I hope you understand that I didn't intend any offence by challenging your directions, I was simply concerned that you were providing inexperienced guitarists with potentially damaging information. As it turns out, your directions are not actually wrong, they are just slightly confusing and maybe require some further information to explain how you are approaching the guitar. Once again, I do appreciate what you are doing, and that you are trying to get this information out to people new or inexperienced in guitar repair, and do enjoy your manner in presenting and the way you went about giving out this information. Apologies if I came across otherwise.
My guitar was the opposite direction, but the business card trick helped so much. THANK YOU!!! No more BUZZ.
Hey Judd, I'm glad it helped.
@@Findyournextguitar YOU COULD HAVE BROKEN POOR JUDD'S GUITAR WITH YOUR POOR ADVICE IDIOT.
report this excuse laden egomaniac piece of shit people.
I don't think people recognize and appreciate the importance of getting a no-fluff channel producing instructional videos without unnecessary chatter. Ad-libbing unrelated information distracts attention away from the demonstration making the simplest process seem difficult. Thank you for keeping it simple. I subbed when I found this and came back to refresh my memory loving the fact that I didn't need to fast-forward or rewind one time. I'm wondering why all of these experts are looking for truss rod adjustment videos when experts have truss rod adjustment videos of their own. Weird.
@donfaulkner852
Thank you Don! I really appreciate that you noticed this...
Believe it or not - it took me a good 20 hours or so to make this 7min video - I re-filmed it about a dozen times - I really tried to make it as simple as possible because when I was learning how to do this myself I couldn't find anything that was clear and to the point - after hours of looking I was just more confused, so then I bought a book and course and talked with a bunch of repair shop tecs... the problem was - Everyone is trying way to hard to be very technical for something which is literally as simple as turning a screw/alan wrench.
It really comes down to try 1/4 turn one way and if that doesn't work go the other way until you find where the truss rod wants to settle.
Most of the other things are personal preference, yeah it can be really precise, but I figure most ppl are just looking for a quick fix to stop their fret buzz, not a doctoral dissertation on guitar structure and physics...
It's also why i haven't really made any more "tech" videos - I have some other simple repair things in the hopper, but I'm mostly just doing cosmetic stuff now since it's more fun and I'm much better at painting than "fixing" or doing repair work.
@@Findyournextguitar I won't go into all the different issues on different platforms, but after all of those, I went through a series of camera issues trying to put the content together for my music theory series. Finally get that resolved and the monetization I had set up on 2 platforms changed the entire format for monetization that is so unbelievably difficult to navigate I'm stuck in a holding pattern about to run outta fuel.
@@Findyournextguitar after saying I wasn't going to talk about the platform issues, I received an email from the devils matrix reminding me that all of the photos, reviews and places I added to maps has just reached over 22 million views, so I replied thanks for reminding me that reward for all of that free labor is being locked out of my account for over a year now. I'mon here now with a visitor visa because I'm locked out of the account their fake copyright claims had destroyed the monetization with for complaining about that being the second round of fake copyright claims on my intellectual property., luckily I was able to get the most important content removed before the lockout, or would have had to file suit in an entirely corrupt justUS system.
Clockwise is tightening the truss rod. You dont put yourself with the screw pointing toward you and say im going to thread it in anticlockwise.. your info is backwards
Yeah. You got it back wards. Loosen the truss rod (counter clockwise) to let the strings pull the neck forward if you have fret buzz. I like your capo/16th fret business card system. Just did my custom acoustic by Del Langejans. It worked perfect. Retune, go play.👍🏻
report it dude, I did. This is dangerous info that will break people's guitars. Plain and simple.
Amidst this cesspool if comments, yours was the one that stood out to me as offering clarity and dispelling all my doubt. Thank you.
this guy's an a hole for sure
@@ballsrgrossnugly - It's not wrong. It depends on if you're looking from the top down or from the bridge up. I understood just fine and followed the instructions just fine. Take a deep breath...
@@jeffmartinaz Deep breath, the way it was described is wrong, 3 people here agree and you are the lone dissenting voice. I suggest you take yourself a deep breath of reality.
Had fret buzz and choking between the 10th and 14th fret and after a quarter(maybe a bit less) turn counter clockwise and bingo all is fine and dandy. Les Paul plays great and thank you.
Awesome man! I'm glad you got it adjusted and thank you for your comment :)
Thanks, so many how tos do not address the most simplistic way to address this. You did and having the visual helped.
My goal was to simplify it as much as possible, it can bit a bit confusing the first few times you do it. Feel Free to Reach out if you have any other questions :)
@@Findyournextguitar also feel free to take this video down and make a correct one
DO NOT FOLLOW THIS VIDEO IN FACT TURN THE OPPOSITE WAY TO WHAT THIS FUCKWIT SAYS. He thinks you turn a screw by looking at the pointy end, and won't admit he is wrong about it. Please report this trash.
HE DOES HAVE THE DIRECTIONS BACKWARDS. UNREAL>. LOL
The diagram is completely wrong
Hey Dangerous Dan, could you please say what specifically you think is wrong? What do you think it should say instead?
So, my flying V is buzzing/dead from the first 5 frets, but no buzzing pass the 12 fret or any other area, what would I do there?
I got a new ESP Black Metal Arrow and changed the 9s to 10-52. I admit, I didnt do truss rod or intonation, just action height. Well I have been having fret buzz exactly in the area of when theres too much bow. Thanks for the vid and helping me figure it out
You should be able to seamlessly switch between 9's and 10's on most guitars... some might need a minor tweak, but since you went up in string gauge then I would look at string height first - might need to slightly raise the action - I would double check that before a truss rod adjustment and then adjust the truss rod if it's still not where you want it.
It's important to do the action first because it will save you from having to change it again after adjusting the truss rod.
I realize you said you already adjusted those - I'm mainly just saying it for anyone else reading this - thanks for your comment - Dave
This guy is EXACTLY CORRECT! I have a completely straightened neck. Of course, it is now in 2 pieces along with the fretboard...make that 4 pieces!
His shit was wrong or you over tightened?
I think you got your clockwise vs counter-clockwise backwards. Tightening the truss rod (clockwise when looking at the end of the truss rod) reduces the distance between the strings and the frets. Loosening does the opposite, of course.
He did and this video should be reported.
Well done,took me 4mins. To get it. I'll still need to refresh alot.😊🎸👌
I'm glad it helped - I was hoping to make it very easy to understand what's going on - or at least to remove the fear anyone had from doing their own adjustment - just to note - sometimes you need to go one way and then back the opposite direction if the guitar hasn't been adjusted in a while - so if you get stuck - try one way, then back to where you were, then the other way - this way too don't need to look at the chart and then after not too much time it becomes like tying your shoes and you can do it by feel for your main guitar :)
Hi, I got an EVH stardard that has the truss rod on the heel, that means is different the direction for adjust the neck? or is designed the same as the ones that has the trust rod at the nut.
Hey Nicky,
If you follow this chart (see link below) and are looking at the truss rod from top of the screw (nut) you will be good.
www.sweetwater.com/sweetcare/media/2017/02/Adjusting-Truss-Rod.jpg
Please let me know if you need more help or have any other questions - Dave
Congratulations. You have taken the confusing topic of truss rod adjustment to a whole new level of clusterfuckery. This is a spectacular train wreck you've created here in the comments section.
Thanks man!
@@Findyournextguitar not going to,deny it good
Strings pullit forward tighten holds against forward poolfull
Thought you’d mention the importance of the nut cut for the first few frets and saddle heights for the end frets. All three are needed for good action without buzz.
Cutting a nut is the absolutely last resort. I'd replace it with a new one before I'd think about cutting a nut.
my 5 to 12 frets buzzing which way should I turn my trus road is it my neck concaive?
I have an Epiphone Les Paul and I get fret buzz on the the 3rd fret the worst and on the some of the other frets next to it but its the worst on the 3rd fret G and D string, any help
Hey ThaCarti - I just made this available for FREE yesterday:
The Complete Guide To Guitar Setup
ruclips.net/p/PLrSYW7_mqXddxQHNljZAY7uK-FAi37uaI
The 3rd video in the playlist "How to adjust a TOP adjustable truss rod" should answer all your questions - if you don't know how to setup your guitar, string height, pickup height, action/bridge adjustments, setting intonation - I'd recommend going through the entire course.
Let me know if you have any question after watching those.
- Dave
WAIT don't try this yet!
Thank you, horrible directions could've cost me my guitar. I see what you did but damn man come on.
Dr. Hoffman, if your getting at I did it on purpose to get views that honestly wasn't the case... I actually got really angry with the first couple people who said it was backwards because I put a solid 10 years of research and trial and error into the video - I didn't want them to confuse others...
By chance the guy who taught me - adjusted from the base of the guitar and not the neck. The reality is both ways are correct so long as your looking at the guitar from the right direction.
There isn't really a set standard unless you've been working in the industry for 20 years, and even then some will say my way is correct and others will say the opposite.
I created the video because I really struggled learning this and I wanted to make it easier for others. I don't earn any money from the video or run ads on it. It was just too much work to recreate the video. Also, thousands of people have reached out to me telling me how helpful it's been for them.
With all due respect your one of 25 people out of near 100,000 who have said it's backwards so it seems like the other 99,975 understood the video well enough to properly make the adjustment.
@@Findyournextguitar you are a liar 25 people and 100000 I never who where are these mystery 100000 the only comments I see on your video is that you are wrong and a chance few non confrontational people or bored or idiots agreed with you your full of shit no one is claiming you helped them set there neck correctly with this video straight up bold face lies you are a liar period
Wow, you can’t just admit that you are wrong? I can’t believe what I just read from your comment. Think of all the people that believe you and end up damaging their instrument. Everyone makes mistakes. You learn from them and move on. Instead you’ve chosen to double, triple down on the bull shit. No integrity
@@charliedarwins exactly. Some people just suck at explaining things and dont take into consideration the term "point of view". Im so glad i read all of the comments before trying this. I was wondering why this is the only video thats says it backwards
@@Findyournextguitar You still don't explain why your "perspective" is wrong for acoustic and tele's and I don't see any changes made to the ACTUAL VIDEO.
You can argue views and comments all day long, FACT is that you got it backwards, didn't explain yourself enough to illustrate that fact and won't admit any wrongdoing.
Personally, all of the "I have 10 years experience and thousands of views" bluster is proof that your fragile ego can't take the hit and admit you are WRONG.
I believe I've made my point and others agree. Verify and read comments before listening to one opinion. Thanks and better luck next time with a video.
Thanks, I really did enjoy our chat - even if you were mean and incorrect 🤓
I bought a new guitar it was working fine but after a month in summer it's all strings are stick to first fret and the distance between strings and fret board is continuously increasing from second fret to end of guitar. It is a single action truss rod. Please help
We can adjust the truss rod with the guitar is tuned. We don't need to loose the strings slightly to adjust the rod. Correct me if this is not right?
These directions for counter or clockwise adjustment is totally backwards.
Thanks for your comment Danny - please take a look at some of the other comments as well as the links at the bottom of the description - it depends on the perspective you are looking at the guitar from. The directions are correct if you are looking at the guitar from the opposite side you are referring to.
@@Findyournextguitar no shit no one is looking at it the way you describe it is that what you think the way you describe it is wrong hold guitar as you are playing it toward the ceiling or toward the floor remove this video you are ruining guitars
Jeff Smalley if you play a vintage strat, like the guitar in the illustration, the truss rod nut is at the heal of the neck, not the headstock. So the directions would be correct.
@@JethroBoDean can you edit this so it makes more sense?
@@pmayh3m if your truss rod is at the headstock hold the guitar as if you were playing it adjust by turning it toward the ceiling or toward the floor way easier than the dumb ass who won't correct his stupid instructional video and wont admit that he tells you to adjust your truss rod the wrong way every one who has ever turned a screw bolt nut knows you turn it as orientated over the top of the screw bolt nut not from,behind it. Pissed off he is telling mostly new players to turn their necks to,make,them,even more unplayable so they just give up guitar all together he claims he is trying to,help well he is doing quite the opposite
YOU KNOW, EVERYONE ELSE, STEW MAC, JOHN FROM ELIXER, ALL SAY OPPOSITE TURN FROM WHAT YOU RECOMEND...THIS COULD CAUSE BIG PROBLEMS FOR NEWBIES....GET YOUR WORDS STRAIGHT BEFORE COMMITING TO THE YOU TUBE.
Simple question : if I need to get forward bow out of my jazzmaster, which has access to the truss rod at the heel of the neck where it meets the pickguard, and I am looking directly at the truss rod opening from the bridge of the guitar moving up toward the neck, not from the headstock down toward the bridge - I do need to adjust the truss rod to the right to tighten it and a forward bow calls for tightening, to take away relief because a forward bow indicates the neck has too much relief - this is all correct?
I'm no expert but on my guitars if the strings are too close to the frets 7 through 12 area, usually loosening the rod will allow the neck to bow away from the strings,usually solves the problem, hope that helps
So after some examination of my guitar i saw that the first 3 frets of the a strings te buzzing and the almost the entire d string is buzzing. At this point what kind of bow do I have and I should loosen it so what direction should I go?
I couldn't say for sure without actually seeing your guitar, but you can test a small 1/8 turn in one direction and see what happens - did it get a little better, did it get a little worse, or did it almost stay the same?
Do that until it's obvious which direction you need to go - I'm sure this isn't what you want to hear, but if you make very small turns, take it slow, and don't force anything - you will not damage you guitar and it is really the only way to learn how to do it yourself.
For reference look at the chart from Sweetwater Sound I posted at the very bottom of the description. If you're still having trouble after that feel free to ask me more questions - if I tell you which way to turn it now and it's wrong because I didn't see the guitar in person or mis-read what you wrote it doesn't help you and you're probably going to get mad at me - so the real answer is go slow one direction with 1-2 small turns no more than a 1/4th rotation of the allen key or truss rod tool.
Then take a look at what happened to the guitar after you made the turn.
Sometimes you need to go one way and then the other when the guitar hasn't been adjusted for a long time.
Sometimes it's so hot and humid or so cold that you need to make an second adjustment a few hours later.
You will not, and can not damage your guitar unless your are being abusive, and by abusive I mean very consciously over turning the allen key. If you hear some cracking and poping it's likely a little bit of wood glue stuck to the truss rod, if it's very difficult to turn by hand stop, it should be almost like turning a very small screw - as long as you don't force anything you should be perfectly fine.
^^ if you have never used a screw driver / allen wrench before then maybe don't do this, but other than that you pretty much have to be trying to break the guitar on purpose to damage it unless it was already broken or you have like a 50 year old guitar that needs very delicate work.
I’m sorry, I mean no disrespect and I certainly do not claim to know more about guitar setup than anyone else, but I followed your methodology and made a complete mess of my guitar. I turned the truss rod, in small increments, counter-clockwise to remove excess relief, (backbow) until the truss rod became completely loose. After doing more research, I discovered that I was adjusting the truss rod in the opposite direction required. I agree with the comment below that the graphic on the Sweetwater site is the opposite of what your graphic depicts. In the Sweetwater graphic, turning the Allen wrench to the right (to gain less relief) would be a CLOCKWISE direction. Fortunately, I caused no damage to my guitar. Does it matter that my guitar is an LP style and the truss rod adjusts from the top?
Yes it does matter - which is the reason I posted the picture from Sweetwater to go along with this - the day I filmed this I was working on my bottom adjustable strat - which adjusts in the opposite direction of your les paul - at least if you are looking at it from the headstock down.
Did you by chance follow any of the instructions from the complete guide to guitar setup video series - also linked in the description.
I'm asking because there's about 4 hours of detailed instructions and I want to know if you found any of that confusing - I split it up into three sections for different guitars, including bottom adjustable and top adjustable truss rods, strats and les pauls.
I'm specifically asking if you used any of those videos because there is a specific order in which you need to setup your guitar so you don't have to redo/undo work.
Sometimes you don't need to adjust the truss rod at all, you need to tweak the string height, bridge, etc...
Sometimes you need to adjust the truss rod, and then adjust all the other things and the act of adjusting the truss rod will completely throw all the other stuff out of whack.
I'm really glad you figured it out, that was really the point of the video - to remove the fear of working on your guitar so you can do it yourself.
I stress tested multiple guitars before posting the video to make sure no one could break their truss rod...
I mean I man handled the necks, put them in a vise, and cranked the alen wrench with a level until failure.
The only one I got to fail by hand was my first guitar - a $50 behringer strat - the truss rod didn't fail, but the weld did - the nut snapped off after about 20 turns.
The thing is - you know have the ability to adjust your own truss rod so all in all did my video help you understand how guitar work a little bit better and help you make your own adjustment or hurt it?
^^ I'm not being passive aggressive here, I genuinely believe by the comments and messages I get that this video helps many people adjust their guitar for the first time. I'm just curious if you would consider yourself in that category.
If you have any issues or specific questions - I'm happy to help the best I can - Dave
I also thought you should tighten ( clockwise) to relieve forward bow ...
Hi Alisa, please see the "update" section in the description of the video for further clarification on this... sorry for any confusion :)
@@Findyournextguitar remove this video all ready good Lord how are this many people getting it wrong they are not you suck
Remove this video. You’re a joke. Just admit you were wrong and move on
@@Findyournextguitar Please "clarify" the wrong information in the video rather than hide behind excises that don't stand up mr "10 years experience"
report this video.... PLEASE!
What direction are you facing the guitar for clockwise or counter-clockwise? If your at the head stock looking down the neck clockwise is towards the low E string, if your facing the other direction clockwise is towards the high E string.
Are SG guitars more susceptible? My SG had fret buzz across first 5 frets, loosened truss rod and fret buzz gone. 3 weeks later, buzz starts to come back. I've adjusted it 3 times in 2 months. Is this normal?
Not necessarily - guitars with maple necks for sure are - they tend to have a higher moisture content so the weather effects them more.
If they guitar was older, hasn't be adjusted in a while, or went through changes in temperature or humidity it can cause it to need more work.
I'd say if this is your first time or first few times doing the adjustment yourself - you tend to notice more when the guitar is out of alignment when you set it where you want.
If it's an SG special or studio there are some possible quality control issues from Gibson on certain years - I have a LP standard and my PRS holds it's adjustment a lot longer and always needs less work. It's hard to say.
I mean if you've played it everyday for 3 weeks, switched strings, or switched tunings - depending on how you play or if you were gigging 3 weeks could be normal.
The only thing you might not be aware of - if you change tunings a lot - your guitar will need adjusted a lot - unless your just going from standard to say drop D - the string tension has a huge impact on the neck staying in place.
Also if you live in an area with high heat and high humidity that can make it need to be adjusted even on a daily basis - it really just depends on the conditions the guitar is kept, how old it is, how well you take care of it, and how much you play it.
Does this answer your question?
Nothing specific comes to mind about SG's not being stable, but typically the more well built the guitar, the less it needs adjusted. I had a studio SG for a while say around 2008-2009 I never had any issues with it, but I also didn't play it that much, just never liked the feel of how it hung - vs - a les paul.
I'm happy to answer anything else you'd want to ask - Dave
Clockwise or counter-clockwise viewed from which end of the instrument?
please refer to this chart for more clarity... www.sweetwater.com/sweetcare/media/2017/02/Adjusting-Truss-Rod.jpg
Exactly numb nuts describe it correctly in a new video and quit trying to justify your ego get some aspect of you did this video for the purpose of helping people with there guitar then you should have no problem with taking the video down and starting over
It SHOULD be looking at the head of the screw, as truss rods can adjust from the body or head end depending on the guitar, and he has it backwards because he is looking at it as if screwing in a screw into his own eye... not good. report this please this has been here giving bad advice for 2 years and it's not his "priority" to fix it.
acousticguitar.com/how-to-adjust-an-acoustic-guitar-truss-rod/
This is the correct way to go, whether you are looking from the body or head end, as long as you are looking DOWN on the screw you are turning.
report this trash if you haven't already.
These instructions are on a par with your instructions on truss rod adjustment. Both are wrong!
I only have the fret buzz near the headstock on the first two frets but on the lower frets it's fine is it maybe my nut is too low?
I have a question and I hope someone can help me.. I bought an electric guitar a couple of months ago and now I hear buzzing especially on the low E string.. If I look at the neck the way shown in the video I realised that the strings on the first fret are very close to the frets and the more you go towards the bridge the higher they go from the frets.. How can I fix that?? I have no guitar technicians nearby.
Clockwise to tighten and anti clockwise to slacken and give relief, on everyone of my guitars. In fact, I'm yet to own a guitar that is the way round in the video
I hope you reported the video for blatant incorrect information. I am betting he has made money from the ads for the last 2 years. This should not be the case.
You got it backwards. I drew the same diagram and I labeled the nut (where my truss rod adjustments are made on all my guitars). Also I drew a diagram as seen looking from the headstock down towards the bridge. Then I drew and labeled CCW and also CW on that diagram, to make it completely clear.
Hey Peter - there was some confusion about this... I don't have it backwards - it's just were look at the guitar from the other side... please refer to the comments below and this chart www.sweetwater.com/sweetcare/media/2017/02/Adjusting-Truss-Rod.jpg
Ok, I Saw the link showing the Sweetwater diagram. Thanks for clearing this up.
I made several drawings a few years ago to help me understand this. I used terms like concave, convex when talking about the bow in the neck when viewed from the side, and drew pictures from the side and also the top end point of view, just to clarify in which direction (from the nut looking down to the bridge point of view) that clockwise turns the rod and in which direction counter clockwise turns the rod.
Hey Dave, do you realize that the diagram you linked to (which is correct btw), OPPOSES what you said to do in your video.....review what you said starting at around the 1:40 mark.....it does not agree w/ what that Sweetwater link shows!!! Those of us disagreeing w/ you are not crazy lol
Hey Andrew - again - it does if your looking at the opposite side of the guitar... from the body of the guitar to the nut instead of from the nut to the body of the guitar. I'm not quite sure yet how to best address it with out taking down the video to make it more clear. But I very much appreciate you pointing that out because the last thing I want to do here is create more confusion for an already very confusing subject.
I think part of this comes down to it depends on how you were taught to do the adjustment - I was taught to do it this way and I didn't ever think to look at the guitar from the other side. If you were taught the other way then you would think the same and I could just as easily take an image from the opposite side of the guitar and say the Sweetwater chart is wrong, but they would both be saying the same thing - clockwise and counter clock wise are reversed from the opposite perspective of the guitar.
Unfortunately RUclips does not let you make major edits to videos with out making you create a new video so I'm going to see if there is a way I can insert the Sweetwater image somewhere and do a voice over to clarify this. I'm open to any other suggestions as well.
I mean I could just delete all of these comments and ignore it but I don't think that helps anyone and I want to make sure all of my content is clear and easy to understand. Eventually I'm probably going to just redo it.
Thanks, eventually I saw your exchange w/ David Sutherland where you explained the source of the confusion. I think you are making a sincere effort to clear things up & I hope I wasn't being too disrespectful in disagreeing w/ you publicly. I don't know exactly how to clear things up, maybe a few sentences in the video description describing in which direction you were looking when you turn the truss rod? But idk if YT would allow you to edit the video description after it's already posted? No one ever taught me how to do it, I taught myself via experimentation, watching YT videos & reading guitar repair blogs & posts. And this particular video/article published by Taylor Guitars might be helpful when people find there way here in the future:
www.taylorguitars.com/support/maintenance/truss-rod-adjustments
Ok. So is this looking at the bass while in hands position or opposite ??? Pls help.
Do you need to loosen the strings before adjustments??
Don't use a business card. They commonly range from .010" to .016" inches (.254mm to .40mm). They can be thinner or thicker. I'm a printer and we daily print cards of varying thickness.
Julian, thanks for sharing that - I didn't realize business cards varied that much in size. Although if you have too much back bow it might still be useful to use one - if you can't get it under the strings at all then you for sure need to make an adjustment. I guess it a business card could still be helpful in a pinch if there isn't anything else to measure string height with.
Julian do you have any suggestions on something similar that might be more consistent that people might find just laying around?
That's a darn good question. Even the thinnest picks are too thick. I've heard of people using a piece of one of their strings. The paper that you buy for your home printer is typically 20lb bond which is .0035". So you could use 4-5 layers of that. Make sure it's labeled as 20 lb bond. However it isn't going to lay perfectly flat so it may be difficult to use. Anything else I've heard of using, like a Minila folder, could be varying thickness also (usually .011" but sometimes .014"). I've also had repair techs tell me they don't measure they just want there to be a little bit of play between the string and fret. So it depends:
1) If you're anal about it and it has to be perfect you are going to need a feeler gauge.
2) Does it have to be exact? If not then you can probably use the thickest business card that you have laying around and give it a little more space. Again, the majority of business cards are 10pt to 12pt so they aren't really thick enough.
3) In general paper products are a good idea if you have the packaging because it will either say how thick it is or you can google it.
If I think of a common item that has a reliable thickness I'll post it.
Regarding which way to turn the truss rod. My neck was flat so I needed to add bow to it. On my Epi Les Paul. looking down the neck from the head stock, I had to turn it CCW. Which is exactly what your diagram(4:04) says to do. (and the opposite of how I would have guessed it to work so thanks for the diagram).
Edit: I read your diagram to mean turn it CCW to ADD forward bow. I guess it could be interpreted the other way though. Maybe that's confusing.
Julian, for my own guitars - especially my go to which is my PRS Mira (one of the 2008 ones before they had the S2 line) for one I haven't needed to adjust it in 6 months. And secondly it typically needs such a minor adjustment I can do it by feel. Not so much by eye - but I know what it's supposed to feel and sound like when it's setup properly.
So unless it's way off or if when I do it by feel the adjustment doesn't go the way I think it should then I'll measure it with a mechanics ruler - you can get nice aluminum ones on Amazon for like $2.
Sometimes the neck will look like it should turn the opposite way it should and it's a bit trickier with the PRS because almost all the core PRS guitars have a dual action truss rod (it's noted by a steel nut - if you see a brass nut on a PRS it's a single action truss rod). I say trickier here because a tiny turn goes a long way - a 1/8 turn could be too much with the dual action rods I normally end up turning it just a tiny amount and it's good to go.
I guess ultimately for someone wanting to know what they should use if a business cards aren't consistent - probably fold a piece of paper in half two times and use that. Were talking about measurements that are hard to see with the naked eye so feel is the next step towards the perfect setup here, although it's probably way overkill for most people who just want their guitar to play like normal again.
A lot of those tools like feeler gauges aren't really used by working pros for basic adjustments - absolutely yes when you get into cutting the nut, fret leveling or more advanced things, but most people will buy these tools then never use them. I learned that the hard way myself when I bought a kit a few years ago. After the second or third time you begin to realize it's an extra step you don't need - at least if your always working on the same guitar.
Julian Wells agreed! Automotive feeler gauges work perfect!
@@Findyournextguitar don't forget to tell her how wrong your directions are if she made it this far and is still willing to have a conversation with you is astonishing in itself
All six of my guitars turn the truss rod clockwise to tighten. Turn counterclockwise to loosen. If there's too much relief tighten clockwise. If there's not enough relief loosen counterclockwise. In other words 'righty tighty lefty loosey'. Also loosen the strings before touching the truss rod. Then retune and check. And just turn 1/8 or 1/4 of a turn at a time.
How about on my ovation acoustic electric guitar because the normal adjustment on classic guitars is on the soundhole but on the ovation where can i find?
I'm not 100% sure, but there are only two places you'll ever find the truss rod - where you said in the sound hole or at the top of the head stock. It might be under a truss rod cover or hidden, you'll need to contact ovation.
It's also possible that you don't have an adjustable truss rod in that guitar - not all guitars have then
Also get a fret board ruler - I just used it to check the straightness of my neck as I adjusted and it helped me get my action back after adjusting fret buzz out.
Any straight edge will do here - you don't need to buy the $75-$100 stew mac one...
I got mine from a metal smith in Ohio a few years ago - just search for an aluminum straight edge if it's more than about $20 your probably getting ripped off for no reason.
You want something roughly 14" long, but not longer than 20" - otherwise it will be too long and potentially scratch parts of the guitar when you are trying to measure.
Also, the straight edge isn't essential to do a truss rod adjustment, but I can sometimes help you see the neck bow more clearly. It can also help you see if your frets are un-even or need leveled. I would recommend having one getting one, but you can do it without one.
If your in a pinch you can use a 2x4 turned on its side, a normal ruler, or even a string. Anything that can give you a true straight line will help you see whats going on so long as you measure the correct spot - for more specific details on this check out the complete guide to guitar setup - where I go into much more details about how to do a complete guitar setup, as well as which tools you need to do a complete guitar setup.
It's 100% free, here's the link:
ruclips.net/p/PLrSYW7_mqXddxQHNljZAY7uK-FAi37uaI
You are helping confuse guitarist break there guitar ! If it's forward bow, you need to tighten (clockwise) while facing on your hand (nut/bolt) you are working with, to have proper relieve of your choice. Your middle pic says the opposite..
Thanks for your comment Nath, I'm sorry you feel that way...
...so far the opposite has held true.
Of course the directions could be more clear, but not one person said they broke their guitar from this video. Thousands of people have contacted me saying they finally now how to adjust their own truss rod even if the went the wrong way the first time.
@@Findyournextguitar every one feels,that way dumb ass ego maniac take it down
As you requested, here is a spread sheet (of sorts). I counted the first 78 comments I came to, I excluded my own. Of the 78 comments there were 51 that had an obvious opinion as to the correctness of your post. 45 disagreed with your instruction and 6 agreed. Sorry but those are the facts.
This is a screen shot I just took - 8/22/2019
drive.google.com/file/d/1NWmPXwfvnr4Yb--q-P2weDLvEhDjlktv/view?usp=sharing
Your missing the other 500 comments there are 577 total so call it 90 negative comments (including yours) and that comes out to about 15%.
Typically even if your video is fantastic your going to be 10% negative in general so I'm quite happy with that it means I'm helping the majority of people who watch the video.
The likes are roughly 2000 (the actual number is 1.92k) to less than 400 dislikes.
So I really don't get your point... you can never please 100% of people, but I'll take 85% any day.
On top of that, I also have the ability to delete all the negative comments if I want, but I chose to leave them because I wanted to create an open and clear channel of communication.
Full disclosure I did delete a few, where some suggested I kill myself also with some other vulgar things, but other than stuff like that everything stays.
I guess my point is, if I was trying to hide something or be malicious, why keep the negative comments when I could just wipe them away with one click?
@@Findyournextguitar thats why there are so many positive comments huh I guess you cant count im,sorry
How do I set the bridge height on a floyd before adjusting the truss rod . . .
Sorry, I do not know. I've never learned how to adjust a floyde rose because I've never owned a guitar with one.
Rabea Massad has a decent video on how to re-string a floyde rose - it might be helpful to you.
sorry I don't know more on the subject.
ruclips.net/video/aGn-xmCduNU/видео.html
I just got a new Saers S9S classical which has a truss rod. I have buzzing on the A and D strings only, and only when fretting notes away from the fret eg chords where two or more fingers play the same fret and mean at least one finger is away from the fret wire, such as open chords Em, E and A plus e shaped Barre chords. This happens on these two strings almost all the way up the neck. When fingered up against the fret wire there is no buzz. My other classical has no such issue.
Would s truss rod adjustment cure this please?
Hey Ian,
Honestly I'm not sure, when you say "NEW" is it brand new from a guitar shop? My first recommendation would be take it back to the shop and have them check it out because if there is a twist or quality control issue and you tinker with it they might blame you...
If it isn't new, you can try to adjust the truss rod, I am honestly not too familiar with acoustics, but the basic function is still the same.
I will say, keeping the acoustic properly humidified can make a substantial difference as well as make the much more likely to crack or get damaged if they acoustic has been dried out too much.
If you have buzzing on the A and D string all the way up the neck I suppose it could be a twist in the neck - as in you can't fix it the neck was warped from the factory.
If it's brand new, it is pretty likely that the frets are fine and don't need leveled so that's ruled out, unless it's really some freak issue with one of the frets sticking up too high - that' you probably would notice.
You could try to turn the truss rod a 1/4th turn - a very very small amount, one direction and then the equal amount the opposite direction and then back to center - sometimes with new guitars - especially if there is high heat/high humidity the truss rod can stick to the glue from when the fret board was installed. The purpose of this would be to set the truss rod free from any glue it's stuck on and you might here a cracking / snapping noise when you do this - BE CAREFUL - DO NOT OVER DO THIS - like if it feels really really hard to turn don't turn it....
I don't think it could really do any hard to do this ^^ before you take it back to the shop to have them look at it, it might save you a trip, it might not fix the issue at all - if you notice after turning it a little in one direction it's way better and where you want - then problem solved, if it gets worse you could trying going a tad further in the opposite direction - with a brand new guitar it's really better to try and feel it out than follow the instructions and figure out which way to go because the neck is probably still setting into it's resting position.
I want to be clear here, you will not damage your guitar, unless you knowingly force the truss rod to over turn, if it's not fairly easily turning leave it be and take it back to the shop.
If you ddidn't get it brand new at the shop, I'm happy to try and walk you through it a bit more, it's just hard for me to say what the issue is if I can't physically see the guitar and look it over.
@@Findyournextguitar many thanks for the reply and the great information.
The guitar was bought brand new online and delivered to me on Saturday. I noticed the issue almost immediately and contacted the retailer (400kms away).
At first he insisted he had checked the guitar thoroughly before shipping it, and under no circumstances would he entertain refunding me.
So I opened a PayPal case stating that the guitar was not fit for purpose. This must have had some affect as he contacted me within an hour stating that he couldn’t get his money from PayPal, and that if I send him the guitar, his tech will resolve the issue and set it up free of charge.
For what it’s worth I contacted the manufacturer and they suggested a truss rod adjustment, 1/4 turn anti clockwise (towards the 6th string). I tried that, waited an hour, retuned, no difference at all. They then suggested another 1/4 turn. Did that, still no change. Buzz still present. Finally made another 1/2 turn (so a full turn in total), left it overnight, retuned, no change, still buzzing. So I’ve turned the truss rod back to it’s original position and the guitar is boxed up ready to send back to the retailer for them to fix
@@2134yanto That sounds about right lol... I have a friend who used to work the return department for a major guitar brand, a lot of the time some of the lower end stuff they made - lower edn as in guitars under $3000 ish - they would leave the factory not completely setup up/built and the deal was the retailer was supposed to setup the guitar for the cutomer and do any final touches, for example some of the guitars the fret wire on the edges of the neck weren't fully finished so you could easily cut your hand on it minor stuff like that and a truss rod adjustment - sometimes in shipping some of the frets can pop up and that could cause the issue your talking about as well as it could be the neck is slighly twisted.
I would highly urge you to take some good photos from the neck top down so from the head stock looking towards the bottom of the guitar - if you take a close look at it if there is a twist you would see a minor almost like wobble in the neck where part of the left side of the neck will be a bit higher part of the right side might look a bit lower - I mean a twist is a twist - it would probably be very minor but someitmes if you don't have good photos you can get screwed over.
The only other thing you could possibly try would be turning the truss rod the other way and seeing if that makes any difference if you only did the one side - it is quite difficult to communicate the correct way to turn in if we aren't both looking at the guitar the same way etc...
I wouldn't drive that far for the setup, it's on them if they sent you a defective product and it sure does sound like there is sometype of defect.
I had a very similar issue with a bass guitar and the neck was indeed twisted.
If you don't mind I'd be very curious to hear what happens as the final outcome, and thanks for your comments - Dave
@@Findyournextguitar Hi Dave. Guitar should arrive back at the retailer tomorrow (Wednesday), as I sent it this morning. So we’ll see what they find.
I’ll come back and let you know what they say the issue is and how they remedy it. Thanks
Ian
Your theory may be on point, however, the visuals are inaccurate. Keep in mind that from the bridge to the nut strings don’t bend up or down.
Fair enough, I'm terrible at graphic design I should've just drawn it by hand and taken a photo as well as shown it from the top of the nut to prevent any confusion.
@@Findyournextguitar holy shit did you just admit you are confusing people wow thats a first your not going to argue a futile point or flat out deny your wrong maybe your coming around still need to take this video down
The way you described adjusting the truss rod was a bit confusing, I eventually got it but I think I almost snapped my truss rod in the process
If you had snapped it, you might have had a case with the other 50,000 people who probably broke theirs to get class action going against this backward shit.
Silly detail, but I’m having difficulties with finding what is clockwise and counter clockwise. Don’t they change based on how you’re holding the instrument?
YES... please refer to this chart from sweetwater sound, I think it will make it much easier to understand (link below)
Let me know if you have any more questions or need more help - Dave
www.sweetwater.com/sweetcare/media/2017/02/Adjusting-Truss-Rod.jpg
I came home today with a used Epiphone jumbo acoustic and the neck has a U shaped, forward bow. I’m a novice at adjusting truss rods however found this video and unfortunately did not read these comments but followed the illustration turning the truss rod counterclockwise. The nut became harder and harder to turn so I stopped and the bow remained the same. Going back to the comments I discovered it should be turned clockwise which is backwards from the illustration. The neck is corrected now. Thank goodness I did not break the weld or snap the nut off. To the fellow who provided the video, it’s well done except for the nut direction. I could not find another video giving clear directions on which way to turn the nut and relied on this video. May I suggest you add to your title something like ***READ COMMENTS FIRST.
Hey Brian, thanks for your comment. I'm glad you were able to get the neck to where you wanted it to be. I've done my best with trying to be as clear as possible here.
I do warn you in the video not to over tighten, as well as it's one of those things you need to play with and do a couple times.
Sometimes you will think the bow is one way but it's the opposite, and If you live in an area like me with wild temperature changes and high humidity sometimes you actually need to turn it both ways. The truss rod can get a bit stuck to glue reside, the wood cavity can swell with lots of moister... there is a lot going on.
I know the video isn't perfect, but you said it yourself there isn't much other there clearly explaining what's going on. The bottom line is, you will not break the truss rod unless you do anything stupid, you need to play with it until you figure out how that particular guitar likes to be adjusted.
The real answer here is you need to play with your guitar and figure it out, it's kind of subjective.
The directions I have are correct - pending on which way you look at the guitar as stated repeatedly in the other comments.
I'd also like to point out, you can typically take your guitar back to the shop (if they are a decent shop) and ask them to set it up for you when you buy it. You could also ask if they will let you watch them set up the guitar..... they might say no, but you can always ask.
Thank you for not being a jerk or saying I'm stupid.
Thanks for your thoughtful reply. I get it now. If the headstock is pointing away from you, turning the nut clockwise is the opposite direction of when the headstock is facing you.
You’re definitely a sharp guy and probably a perfectionist and again your video is very well done. I re-read your update on the confusion of which way to turn the nut. I wish to make a suggestion that you might consider valid and that is to move your update paragraph to the very top of your information. We both know that the majority of people read far too fast and skip over sections. This would bring the matter to their attention immediately. Just a thought. Take care.
@@briantcox lol I am for sure a perfectionist... I actually tried that - it seems most people quickly scroll to the bottom to look if there is anything relevant - when I moved it to the bottom I started getting less questions which is why I left it there.
Here is correct info on truss rod adjustment. First, it is important to note that the truss rod exerts effective pressure on the neck either up or down in the middle of the neck. No movement occurs at either end for obvious reasons. A perfectly straight guitar neck is not what you want. The neck should fall away from the strings at around the 10th fret. This is called "relief" and allows the string to vibrate freely without touching a fret...(buzz). 'Relief" is accomplished by turning the truss rod nut to the left as you view it from the headstock down the neck. Adjust the neck with as little relief as possible to suit your playing style.
These instructions are way more clear than the ones I used in the video or the charts that I linked in the descriptions 😝
@@Findyournextguitar they couldnt be any,more confusing as yours though,
I feel like I need to chime in as another voice saying you are wrong about what direction does what, just so less people think this part is correct. Turning the rod to the right always flattens the neck (bring the strings down), and turning it to the left gives the neck bow (brings the strings up). No matter what side the truss rod is on this is how it works. The images in the description are correct. Your video is cool but you area spreading misinformation about a part of guitar maintenance most people are needlessly afraid of. Here's a challenge- Show us a guitar that when you turn the rod to the right bows the neck (makes the strings higher). I don't doubt that there may be at least one guitar in existence like that, but I'd like to see one from a big named maker that works like this.
Hey Russel,
Thanks for your comment - would you do me a favor and pickup you guitar stick your allen wrench in the truss rod nut and then turn it clockwise - now flip the guitar over and turn it clockwise again the same amount - let me know if it's in the exact same position you started or if you turned it the same way twice.
@@Findyournextguitar give it up your an idiot you tighten and loosen 1 way for each no,matter how you hold look at etc... To the right to tighten to the left to,loosen and it is only 1 way of looking at it the correct way the way any one who tightens a screw bolt nut etc.. Looks at it you know your wrong ego maniac take it down
Yes he has it ass backwards. Lol
On my guitar it is opposite of what your saying. Clock wise brings the strings closer and counter or loosening raises the strings. Mine were too close or backbowed and your adjustment made it worse so I figured out I needed to loosen the truss.
Were you able to get it adjusted and stop the fret buzz?
@@Findyournextguitar Yea it's better now. I've done this before but couldn't remember which direction to turn the bolt. I watched a vid before yours and the guy was going through the history of truss rods. I didn't want to hear all that. Yours seemed more direct which it was but unfortunately it was just wrong. My guitar is just a Fender Squire so nothing weird. You have other commenters saying the same thing so you might want to edit your video. I watched another guy and he had it correct. It seems like I have to do this adjustment about twice a year just my bad memory on which way to go. I think it's changes in humidity. Thanks for trying to help.
what if I am getting fret buzz on the second frets but my neck is super straight
Before I get shouted down by FYNG... yeah, that image is totally unclear and misleading. I'm glad I checked other resources and didn't rely solely on this diagram. But judging by his caustic replies to other people with the same issue, that tells me all I need to know. People want to trust their sources for information... this ain't it. ✌
It is the wrong way round for 99.99% of people; with anything that requires screws, nuts, bolts, allen keys or spanners it is assumed that you are looking at the top of the thing you're turning. We can't have a situation where someone says "turn it clockwise *depending on your perspective" or "turn it towards the sky in the northern hemisphere, but in the southern hemisphere turn it the other way" This is just ridiculous!!! There's a universally accepted way of ascertaining the tightening and loosening turny things! :)
Yeah he's looking at it from where you play the guitar not like anyone who uses tools lol. I guess know your audience?
Exactly.
He seems to be hiding behind ego and some dumb sense of "perspective" and forgets that for a Tele, for example, the screw IS at the base of the neck, on the pickup end. So either way he is confusing SOMEONE with the way he has described it.
I hope you flagged this one for misleading text or something, as I did.
I guess the money from a quarter million views in ad revenue is more important than actually giving people clear information.
And in the pinned comment he says the HEAD of the ESP custom shop vetted this video... Tsk tsk... If that is the case I think I might have to sell the LTD I rescued from (I think) a stage smash (pawn shop cheapie) and customised into a beast! XD
@@troysorensen1089 Not really though, what about telecaster owners who have the screw AT that end of the neck and STILL turn it the other way from that perspective?
This is bad info, no matter what "perspective" he wants to say he is using.
I have a buzz on the A D G strings only on the twelve fret help me please, it’s a les Paul too
thanks a million for this. Just got a Schecter and Jem Jr both with Floyd rose and they're my 1st.
I just installed the Tremmory on the Schecter and not really knowing what I'm doing. After it was all set up. I had fret buzz on low E around 7th 8th and 9nth fret. It's a shredders Guitar so low action. Turned the rod Clockwise just a little bit twice as you said just to get the feel of it. and it worked great. No more buzz :)
Now I need to do the same with Jem Jr as I dropped the tuning half a step and the action is really higher than id like. I have been messing with the trust rod on that one, I need to go back and follow your steps. As there's still a little bit of buzz. Also, the Jem Jr frets came a little rough out of the box. So they need to be polished and a full restring. Schecter came in the mail ready to play with no problems.
Hey man, thanks for your comment.
I would highly suggest maybe not polishing the frets or at least don't do anything to the top of them, you might sand off the crown and mess up the harmonics...
If they are sharp on the side you can take a finger nail file and gently file down the sides - any throw away one will work just fine.
As for the action, I never owned a floyde rose - I'm sure there are some specifics you need to do in the setup that I didn't cover - stuff thats specific to a floyde - Rabea Massaad might have a video that covers some stuff about a floyde. I'm completely ignorant about them so I wouldn't want to steer you in the wrong direction.
I would also point out - there might be some tweaks you need to make after dropping the tuning. If it was strung in standard tuning for a long time they neck might need some time to settle - I highly recommend not constantly switching tunings - you guitar will never play right if you keep making big tuning swings.
Ideally you don't want to switch more than a half step, and even at that you don't want to do it often. You might be able to get away with it a bit more with a floyde but ideally you want tuning to stay the same.
I'm happy to try and answer any questions if you have them - Dave
@@Findyournextguitar thanks for comment.
As for polishing frets? They were rough when i bought the guitar. Feels like im griding on the frets when I bend them,all over the fret board. Other youtube videos i watched said they need polishing as they wernt polished to begin with. Mine do look like they havent been polished?
I went through every comment. He has replied to and told him he has given bad advice. And that his direction is without a doubt wrong he has spent more time responding with poor reasoning or telling you to look at links or description at bottom of page when he could have just taken it down and did an accurate one his ego knows no bound
The Sweetwater image makes things much clearer. Too bad no one would see it without reading a comment that mentions it's there.
@@pay9011 then we should just go to sweet water then why even do the video if you have to go to sweet water to get it right and then he is telling you one thing sweet water is telling you another add some more confusion to it it's not appropriate to rely on this kind of nonsense he is the #1 video when it comes to this how to video that's why he won't take it down no question about it he knows it's wrong his ego won't let him fix it
Fucking oath man, I am going to keep replying to every fucking 300 or more comments if I have to. This shit has to be deleted. Flag it if you haven't already.
come on dude...lefty loosy, righty tighty.
I hope you reported this video as I did.
Hahahaha did you watch the spanish/italian guy??
Thank you. All the other dudes kept trying to impress with a paragraph of “engineer” jargon, but you broke it down simple in one sentence.
Is it the same on a left-handed electric guitar?
Cant get this clockwise counter clockwise... Turn to lower strings or higher?
Hey Peter,
I think you will find this chart much easier to read.
Let me know if you still can't figure it out...
www.sweetwater.com/sweetcare/media/2017/02/Adjusting-Truss-Rod.jpg
Do guitar strings always run North and South?
If you only watch one video on truss rod adjustment, I hope it's not this one.... This video should be removed before someone damages their guitar. Directions are backwards!
At first i thought this was a good video until i saw the comment section. Now i don't wont to mess around with my guitar.
Hey Jorge, sorry for any confusion here - I don't have time to redo the video and make it more clear and even if I did perhaps you'd think I was wrong so here's an outside source from Sweetwater Sound -
www.sweetwater.com/sweetcare/media/2017/02/Adjusting-Truss-Rod.jpg
I wish I would've used this angle in my graphic for this video.
I never imagined it could create so much confusion - please know many people commenting aren't actually listening to what I'm saying - they are just jumping on the band wagon without looking at the facts.
If you look at some of the first comments you can see several people who said I was wrong, now agree with me after I showed them why they were wrong.
The purpose of this was to help eliminate confusion not create more, but there are a lot of people who don't know what they are talking about when it comes to guitars.
Anytime I've ever worked on a guitar I'm always told how much better it plays. I was trained by one of the esp custom shop tech's.
I hope you do end up working on your guitar - it's very easy once you do it once or twice and aren't afraid of breaking anything.
If you have any questions I or something you're confused on I'm happy to directly answer them, just reply to this comment.
Yeah!
@@donniekellerman5833 look if your old enough to own a guitar - then you owe it to yourself to figure out the correct way to adjust it otherwise you become a bit of a slave to your guitar shop for adjustments... there are tons on videos on this subject - I tried to make mine as clear as possible but the problem is it's really subjective. Sometimes it looks like you need to turn your truss rod the opposite direction. You're never going to figure it out if you don't tinker a bit. You're not going to break your truss rod unless you abuse it, man handle it, or have a really old fragile guitar where it was already going to break anyways because they used cheap parts. I beat the hell out of a few of my guitars, tore them apart and put them back together. I learned a lot of what not to do and my goal was to share that with you guys so you don't have to make the same mistakes I did. I never broke a truss rod, but I have ruined a few fret boards.
If you're going to play guitar, you owe it to yourself to learn this stuff because if you don't you'll be capped and never get to the next level. Once you try it and see how easy it really is to do yourself - I hope you look back and see how ridiculous some of the negative comments are. Read some of the first comments or the pinned comment at the top from Mike Porter. Then make your decision. If you honestly get stuck and can't figure it out then reach out to me. I'll make time to help you.
@@Findyournextguitar hey bro, it's cool. I was only playing around. We're good. Just a joke toward some of these other comments.
@@donniekellerman5833 I appreciate you say so... I just want to help people not be afraid to work on their guitars :)
I make necks and I have a fender starcaster that still has fret buzz on the first 3 frets by the nut ive done everything you can do ..ive got some pretty bad necks playing in the past but this ones got me good.. any advice would please help
If you built it and put on a pre made body I'd be apt to think it's a neck pocket issue...
I got really lucky with the few I built, but at one point I set out to design my one guitar and build it from scratch.
I couldn't get the neck pocket to line up, now I was using a modeled carbon fiber material and it couldn't be sanded because it was 15,000 psi after it cured. It burned through tungsten carbide and diamond. It's was laughable to try and fix.
As it turned out in the mold for the neck pocket was roughly 2 degrees too tall on the right hand side the weight of the material caused the rubber mold to sag a tiny amount and I didn't think I needed to reinforce the mold.
I'm telling you this because you're going to need to take a good look at the neck pocket and check you angles.
In talking about the back angle from the bottom of the neck pocket. Now if it's off by even 1 degree then you're never going to get rid of fret buzz and you will never get the guitar to have propper intonation.
You'll need to look up that angle based off you neck length /number of frets and the scale you built the guitar in.
Then that needs to line up with the bridge. A common mistake here is to use a 22 fret neck on a body built for a 24 fret neck. It changes the scale and you'll get notes to fret out.
Reminds me of my first ever guitar built when I was a teenager I took an Ibanez gem neck and tried to put it on a less paul body (rofl) yes that was really dumb... It didn't fit the scale so I took a miter saw and cut off the last two frets. That made it so it fit the body pocket, but it rendered the truss rod useless. I could only play frets 4 - 12.
I'll make a video about it some day...
Anyways I hope I gave you an answer to your question or at least gave you where to look for the answer.
Please let me know I'll help more if I can - Dave
@@Findyournextguitar thanks gonna check neck angle only thing left it could be
Just to clarify - in my example my neck pocket was too shallow so I needed to sand part of it away and was unable so I scraped the project...
You however might have one that is too deep and need to shim it.
That's best done with a very thin split which is on an angle like a door stop - you could then glue it in with wood glue and sand away the excess.
Do not glue it unless you're 100% sure it's the correct angle.
In most cases it's best to just leave the shim loose in case it wears down overtime and you need to raise it.
You might need something as thin as a business card to fix the angle.
Please note sanding is very strong medicine. One or two passes by hand with 200 grit sand paper could be enough. It's kind of pain staking, but you can always take a bit more off its harder to put more back on.
I’m having a issue with my B string on my new stingray bass I have 6 stingray basses and 3 are brand new specials and they all have great low action and no issues but my newest one is giving me issues I can not figure out what the issue is
Hey Jeremy - First thing I would do is check the neck to see if it's twisted if it's a new gutiar and was just shipped to you - I'm assuming you're talking about a music man stingray from Ernie Ball?
They are really great guitars, but sometimes there is a small twist and it can slip through the final inspection before they send it out.
If you've just got the bass - did you get all 3 at the same time?
IDK where you're located, but if your anywhere - where there is a change of season - we are heading into the fall so you have a huge increase in humidity, and drop in tempature at the same time this can cause a neck to bow a bit.
Since it's been a week since your message - did the neck resolve itself and settle by now?
Sometimes you've gotta wait a week to let it get acclimated to the new climate it's in.
If it didn't resolve itself and the neck doesn't have a clear twist or any defects - get a mechanics ruler - one than can measure milimeters and check the action/string height on your other gutiars and see if it's different on the one that doesn't feel right.
You might just need a tiny adjustment to the action or string height.
DO NOT follow my instructions for the action and string height on gutiar - Bass gutiars have more bow and a different action and string height than gutiar.
You can call or email Erning Ball to get their specific recomendations for how the bass should be set up - bass's varry a bit due to neck lenghth and I don't know what the action string height should be set at off the top of my head for the Stingray.
Try these and let me know how it goes - if you need more help or clarity on what I'm talking about here feel free to ask.
Please let me know if this helped or if they neck resolved itself after adjusting to the new climate - Dave
@@Findyournextguitar howsit going thanks for the good reply! Yes my stingray the are the absolute best!! I took it to my tech he said it’s probably going to have to go back to Musicman, so I’m ok with that they will know what the issue will be, I love my stingrays!! I got 3 specials a 1999 a 07 and 04 and a sterling 4 and sterling 5
My tech said it could be a slight twist, thanks again for the reply! 🙏 great content my man!! I’m in Florida by the way and did. Not get them at the same time
If you are not familiar with "righty tightie, Lefty Loosie" then do not attempt working on anyone's guitar, lawn mower, toaster oven etc etc
Backwards instructions
I have string buzz on my Ibanez electric guitar. It's only near about the first 5 or 6 frets. Visibly, I do not see any strings touching the neck of the guitar. You say adjust the truss rod. Another person video says raise the string height on the allen screws in the bridge. So, I'm at a loss for what I should do to get rid of the string buzz. My guitar is fairly new. The neck is perfectly straight. I tried to raise the nut higher but it still buzzes even with the strings nowhere near the fret board. Good video, but I am getting frustrated.
Raising the nut wouldn't affect buzzing from anything but open strings. The string resonates between your finger on ANY fret to the bridge once you fret a note.. the nut is then behind your fretting hand and the height is inconsequential .. need to adjust action at the bridge or adjust your truss to allow the neck to flex a bit more
Hey man, after watching the video I still have some questions left ^^.
So, I got a Schecter SLS Elite a few months ago. It plays like a dream, the only things that bother me are intonation issues and fret buzz, which gets better the further you go up the frets. I already adjusted the (Hardtail) bridge (intonation and action, which I like pretty low with .06''/1,5mm at the 8th fret), but to no avail. Especially on the higher strings notes are always a few cents off (mostly flat, but i can't adjust the bridge any further without the screw losing friction). Also, when I'm in drop Tuning and I want to play a dropped 10 chord (i.e. D-3 A-3 D-7) it's never harmonic, the D-String note is always sharp in this case. I know that guitars can't be 100% perfectly intonated, but there's no way that it's this bad.
When doing the capo-test I could just barely pluck the string and there was a tiny gap between string and fret and no fret buzz. The business card fit just right. I always thought "great, the guys at Schecter sure do know how to set up a perfectly straight neck", but now im not sure if this is a problem. What do you think?
Also this guitar model has an adjustment wheel at the end of the fretboard instead of the conventional head stock adjustment. Therefore the turn direction must be opposite, right?
Your help would be much appreciated :)
Cheers
PS: I really like your voice (nohomo tho)
Hey Potato - thanks for your comment - They are great guitars, I had two c-1’s and I still have my c-1 e/a which was my first “nice” guitar I got when I was 15.
From what I can tell the sls is a fantastic guitar, I've always really liked shcecters's neck through body design.
It sounds like you already watched some of the complete guide to guitar setup, but if you haven’t - it might help you - I’m actually using my c-1 e/a in the video so the bridge so be almost identical to yours. Unless your guitar has the fender style bridge.
Either way the complete guide shows how to setup both - you can find it here: ruclips.net/video/Gdevq5Q35Hs/видео.html
I have a few questions for you as well…
Did you just buy the guitar new? If so I’d highly suggest taking it back to where you got it and complain until they fix it or give you a new guitar - just in case there are any issues - they should do this for free if it’s with in 30 days. Based on what you’re describing there is a tiny chance there could be a twist in the neck.
STAY AWAY FROM THIS VIDEO....wrong directions
stamenosfamily5 This Guy is a fucking idiot, have you flagged this video?
@@OfficialSERFATRON I did after realising how long it as been up with no changes made. Obviously the ad revenue and ego is more important than giving people info that breaks their expensive shit.
@metalmonkey - I gave not made 1 cent in ad revenue - in fact if you look at my channel it's not yet eligible for monitization because I don't have over 1000 subscribers which is the new RUclips requirement as of 2018.
I used to sell a course, but refunded every who purchased it and made it free.
Obviously you've got a problem with the video, but I bet you don't have the balls to put your money where your mouth is.
Let's hop on a phone call and record it and post it on thr comments. You can go through my video and not pick every detail - prove me wrong and I'll take down the video.
It's not about having balls, it's about making a video which is going to break people's necks by telling them to righty tighty when they most definitely need to go lefty loosey. No one cares that you "sell a course". Because if that information is anywhere the same as this then people should avoid it like the plague. Nor do people need to call you to tell you that your very basic instructions are wrong and the opposite of what you should do.
@@Findyournextguitar no you wont take it down,you have been proved wrong time,and time again and yet its still up and going liar ego,maniac
my guitar only has fret buzz on the low E string at the 15th fret which i almost never use when i play songs but should i try to adjust a bunch of stuff nonetheless? it's already perfectly intonated and setup just the way i want but that one fret annoys me.
honestly it's probably a fret issue - whre either you need a fret level or one fret is a bit too high - the problem is that's kinda hard to diagnose without seeing your guitar - it's pretty technical - for example my schecter from 2012 - I wore out the 2nd fret - I still play it, but I tweaked it to where it doesn't bother me that much and I don't feel it's worth my time to do a re-fret or fret level for that particular guitar.
But if it's driving you nuts try to find a serious guitar shop - don't take it to a big box store - if they tell you anything under $200 for a fret level run away... to do it properly takes a good 4-6 hours. Unless it's a really nice guitar I'd probably just leave it. You can play and play and maybe get 10% better or so but if the issue is the frets, you'll never get it where you want.
Not to say you can't do it yourself, but if you don't know what your doing - trying to do your own fret level is by far the fastest way to ruin your guitar.
Hey, my guitar just got a super annoying Buzz on the second fret, especially on the first string. Tried raising the strings but need to raise them five meters above the others to get rid of the Buzz... Other frets seem fine, the same fret on the other strings has almost no to no Buzz. Could you please advise what to do? Thanks!
Hey Kuba,
Is it only on the second fret, for example when you play an E chord of F sharp?
If it's only that fret it that spot, and your guitar is a bit older - or if you are a heavy strummer it could be due for some fret work.
Sometimes a fret will get a bit loose and need to be popped back down to even, if it's just the one fret, but you could also have excessvie wear on it.
For eaxample my first "nice" guitar, I wore out the second fret playing lost of stuff around the area you are talking about, and it really needs a fret level or to even replace that fret because it's worn down so much more than the others. For me personally, I got used to it, I was able to adjust it so you couldn't really hear any buzz coming through the amp, but you could hear it when playing acoustically.
Fret work is really technical and expensive, if you don't know what you are doing, it's the fastest way to ruin your guitar.
Have you made any adjustments other than string height?
It's really hard for me to say with 100% certianty what is wrong with it - wiht out seeing it in person - I wouldn't want to send you to go get a fret level if you don't need one.
To pop the fret back in if it is only that fret and it's a little high - please don't try this - but you could smack it with a hammer.
^^ You for sure would need to fully support the neck before trying to attempt something like that, and you really need a proper neck rest so you don't damage anything - you also need a special hammer, called a dead blow hammer which doesn't bounce as well as the head needs to be rubber or you need to protect the fretboard with something like a thick towel.
This would be really dangerous to do and you could easily damage or break the neck if you aren't familiar with how to do this - I mean it's something I wouldn't reccomend you do unless your have done a lot of wood working and understand how force would be applied to the neck if you don't support it properly you could easily split the head stock or crack the glue joint where it attaches to the body, it's much less risky with a bolt on neck, but only if you know how to take it off and put it back on.
At the same time if money is no object and you want to try and fix it yourself go for it... I'll do my best to help you
I hope this helps a little bit? Let me know if this helps and what you are thinking - I will try to respond back with in 24hrs - Dave
@@Findyournextguitar Hey! Thanks for the answer. The guitar is pretty much new, with less than 100 hours played. Its nothing fancy, a Simple mod base Axe, I never got is set up by a pro, so might be the right time to do it. Ordered new locking tuners and most likely will replace the cheap plastic nut for a graphite one and will get a proper set up on it, hopefully will get rid of the Buzz! Thanks for all the help and priceless info for the future! All the best!
@@captainkjub ohh ok plastic nut could possibly be causing the issue there - if it's actually a really cheap PVC nut it's possible the closer you get to it - it gets kinda stuck on it - I've seen where filing it a tiny tiny tiny bit can help, but you really need to go watch a few videos on how to file a nut, it's very easy especially with the PVC to take too much off too fast. It's an easy thing to do, but you might need a few tries, I wouldn't recommend changing it or filing it down if the guitar is that new.
I'd simply take it back to the store and demand they fix it for you because it's defective...If you just bought it with in say 6 months they should take care of it for you.
I highly recommend the graphtec nuts,
OHH wait - before you try to file it down, try to lubricate the string, in the nut...you probably didn't do this ever - most ppl don't know to lubricate the strings or they get that horrible
nut lube...
Go to your local hardware store, for under $5 there should be a little tube of graphite lock lubricant - you want it to be micronized or very fine flakes - it'll be like a 2in long little tube - it's designed to "puff" a bit of graphite into the key hole of sticky lock to make it turn better.
It's probably the best stuff to put on your nut to lubricate the strings so they don't get stuck, it just might fix your issue. I made a vidoe on this a while back, but I don't think I ever uploaded it...
Really simply, de-tune the guitar a bit so you can pick up the string off the nut, you don't need to take the string off if you aren't changing strings.
Take the tube of graphite powder and gently tape it until a little pour out, sometimes a lot will come out fast this is fine, you can't really add too much it'll just fall off...
Take the string and put it into the powder and push it in the nut grove, firmly, but not enough that it's going to break the PVC or change the size of the nut hole.
Re-tune your guitar and see if that helps or fixes the problem.
You really should do this on each string as well, it will help keep better intonation as well as prevent them from breaking per-maturley.
If you try this let me know if it fixes it, I actually had this happen on time when I was changing strings, it turned out there was a part of the string caught on part of the nut, I did have to sand it away some as well, but the graphite alone helped a lot.
If you are going to take it back to the store, DO NOT sand down the nut, though adding the graphite lube shouldn't effect warranty or anything in any way.
You DO NOT want to use pencil lead like some people say to do, pencil lead is actually about 70% clay, clay is sticky and not a lubricant, since the graphite powder is cheap, it's far superior to just using a pencil and it won't gum up over time like the clay from pencil lead.
I have watched this video three times and have decided it should be taken down because it is wrong. At 4:25 in, this guy tells you to loosen the truss rod (counter clockwise) to correct "forward Bow"
(excessive relief). This will only increase the relief. Turning the truss rod clockwise to correct Backwards Bow could damage or break the truss rod.
Hey Cyrano - it depends on the setup of your guitar- in the next 5 seconds in the video I go on to say it depends on whether you have a top adjustable / bottom adjustable truss rod... they are backwards from each other.
I'm going to try and make that more clear in the video - youtube removed annotations, but I think I just found a way to add this into the video with cards...
Having played Fender guitars for over 50 years, I know exactly what I am talking about. My point is this: Your post on how to adjust a truss rod is wrong...Period!
Perhaps you could explain why all the comments to your post point out the fact that you are wrong. I just want to help others avoid BS advise like yours!
@@tboy630 please explain in explicit detail what specifically you think is wrong because my video is correct. Thousands of other people also think it's correct...
@@tboy630 All the comments? Kind of like All the Fender guitars with top adjustable truss rods? Their are 560 comments on my video roughly 450 of them are positive and thanking me for the video and helping them fix the guitar - clearly you didn't really read any of them just like you didn't look up if Fender sold guitars with bottom adjustable truss rods...
By my count you have almost no support. Anyone agreeing with you runs the risk of damaging their instrument.
Really? Damage their instrument how?
@@Findyournextguitar how do you think dumb ass from,you telling them,to turn the wrong way
I need help. I have been doing this (I am aware from which side, I have read the comments), but the strings keep stay the same. I need to loosen it but how much?
Start with a quarter turn, then check and see where it is at, then turn more if needed.
I'm not talking about which direction here, just how far of a turn...
...think of the face of a clock go from "twelve 'o' clock" to 3pm..
A full turn would be all the way around from "twelve 'o' clock" back to "twelve 'o' clock"
Does that make sense?
If you go a bit too far in one direction you can always turn it back a little in the opposite direction - there is no exact way to tell you how much - every guitar adjusts differently.
If you go in small increments like a quarter turn, there is almost no risk to damage your guitar.
@@Findyournextguitar I've been doing this to loosen my guitar, I did 3-5 turns and left it the way it is
@@whitewizard1914 as long as it feels good, and you have minimal buzzing, and you have proper intonation there is no need to make any further adjustments.
I'm happy to help if you have anymore questions - Dave
I have a Gibson les Paul 2008, it’s slash goldtop. I actually play it, I think there’s a truss rod issue. Doesn’t matter how many I tried to straighten the neck to get the right action, within a short time, it seems like to revert back to its forward now self. The truss rod is not overwound or anything, it just feel like the truss rod is slipping or not working like it should. Any ideas?
Hey Bryan - if you live somewhere like I do in Pittsburgh or really anywhere in the north east - this time of year that could be normal...
For example last week it rained, we had days in the 30's and days in the 70's - yesterday it was 12 degrees outside tomorrow it's supposed to be 50 degrees outside.
Along with those temperature changes we've had wild changes in humidity as well.
That can reak havoc on a guitar neck
It will settle a bit once we get further into winter and then this will happen again in spring.
If you don't live in a place where there are rapid temperature and humidity changes then I'm not sure.
If the truss rod is moving and the neck is reverting back then it's not broken or defective.
The truss rod would either spin with no change to the neck or the truss rod would not be able to move at all if it was broken/defective.
I've you've played the guitar daily, are a hard strummer, or gigged the guitar since 2008 you might be due for a fret level - that would be a solid 10 years of play.
It could make the guitar seem like the bow is off and you would have some signs of fretting out or buzzing when you made only tiny changes.
If your fret's look like this image your guitar needs a fret level and that should fix your issues.
drive.google.com/open?id=0B8pBQIWfYlZIc1dTTW9JMzdHWlU
It will cost you $200 - $300 for a good luthier to do it, DO NOT take it to a big box guitar store (especially if they have a red logo) to do the fret level...
Find a solid luthier near you to do this, someone who doesn't know what they are doing can destroy the frets and make the neck so it needs a re-fret.
Good frets should look like this
drive.google.com/open?id=0B8pBQIWfYlZISkxfZnpLa2R5Q3M
Notice the shiny rounded "crown" across the top of the fret vs the divots in the other picture.
Those pics are actually a before and after of the same guitar neck.
If your frets look like the second image, then I'm stumped. Call Gibson's 24/7 customer service line or take it to a guitar repair shop you trust.
I hope this helps - let me know if you have any more questions - Dave
Find Your Next Guitar I’m in Boston so yeah same climate, I kinda figure that. But I think the fret area by the neck seems higher, (higher frets from fret 15 onwards), saw another video where that was the issue
@@bryannguyen3805 It really depends, some of it could be an optical illusion - some it could be a high fret or a section or high frets - frets that have started to come a bit loose and are sticking up…
Some of it could be fret wear…
As a rule of thumb, start with - is the guitar intonated and does it feel and play good - if it does - STOP TWEAKING things it’s good to go and you will drive yourself insane trying to reach a level of perfection which doesn’t exist - I’m speaking from experience here lol
If it’s not intonated or if it doesn’t feel right start with measuring the string height from the frets like I show in this video
ruclips.net/video/SKNy8a51mwA/видео.html
There is a specific order to this process so you save yourself time, if you start with resetting the intonation and then realize you need to adjust the truss rod you will undo all the work you did setting the intonation the first time.
Follow the steps in the playlist in order- if your guitar is not good to go after that then there’s a good chance it’s got something to do with your frets and not the truss rod.
Thanks for posting: nice simple explicit and concise presentation illustrating what a truss rod does and how to adjust a truss rod. But on your diagram, isn't the truss rod adjustment shown the wrong way around? To reduce forward bow you should tighten (clockwise) the truss rod and to reduce backward bow you should loosen (counter clockwise) the truss rod.
Thought so, too. By turning right you bring the neck back, by turning left you bring the neck forward.
I'm glad you found it helpful - I was hoping to make it easier to understand because it's pretty easy to do. Although a lot of the videos and tutorials I've seen made it way more complex than it needed to be.
@@Findyournextguitar take it down turn up down all a round ego maniac can't admit he's wrong
Wrong direction! Ok, I’ve read the updated description. Now I know what you mean. But this is not a best way to describe turn directions. This video should be remake so no one would damage their guitar by NOT reading the entire description and comments.
The video needs to be changed or taken town, people come here to watch videos, the information should be in the VIDEO. and the VIDEO is wrong and dangerous to truss rods everywhere.
When the fret buzz is on the first 3 frets, at what point is the bridge height adjusted while adjusting the truss rod counter-clockwise? The nut is still new, so I don't suspect it. Just want to be sure not to over-adjust the truss rod when height could be adjusted at the bridge.
Hey Don,
I'd recomend a quarter turn in both directions - sometimes when we get into the fall weather changes it just needs to be "re-seated" if you will - or sometimes the truss rod can get a little stuck on residual fret board glue - especailly if the guitar was recently built.
Try that and see if it doesn't just work it self out - you might notice one way is a lot better than the other and go back in that direction.
As far as the nut goes - I have seen quite a few brand new guitars where not only is the nut not properly cut, but the frets down the side of the neck aren't even sanded down - you could even cut your hand quite badly on them... it's really hard to say without seeing the guitar.
The only brand I don't see these kind of abuses with is PRS...
That being said, you really don't want to mess with the nut at all unless you have already checked everything else.
The order of operations would be - lubricate your nut with grphite powder at the nut and the bridge - you want michronized graphite poweder which you can buy as "lock lubricant" it's a powder, not a spray and you will detune your guitar, move the strings out of the nut, sprinkle some powder in there, replace the strings, wiggle them around in the powder, then re-tune the guitar and see if it fixed your issue.
Sammy Bones has a good tutorial on how to do this:
ruclips.net/video/y9duUevB7R0/видео.html
if that didn't stop the buzz - make a slight truss rod adjustment, then re-tune and re-check - if the buzz is gone your good to go.
If there is still buzz after the truss rod adjustment, check the string height - adjust if needed.
Then re-adjust the truss rod if the strings are too low or too high - most of the time you DO NOT need to do a second truss rod adjustment, but sometimes you need to do a second adjustment after the string height.
If you can't get the string height worked out or it's clear the issue is the nuts are not cut deep enough - then you can take a look at those, but only last - now if you do not know what you are doing DO NOT attempt to cut the nut yourself on a nice guitar you love... it takes some time to learn and you can really mess up your gutiar - granted replacement nuts are pretty cheap, you really do not want to go down that road if you don't have to.
I'm thinking the nut lubrication will get you 90% of the way home, but you might need a slight adjustment as well - unless you've got a really old, or really really poorly built guitar - it's probably not the nut, but might need a slight truss rod adjustment.
If this didn't fix your issue - please let me know - I will help the best I can.
** please note - your profile pic has a bass guitar - if you are doing this on a bass guitar, the truss rod is likely NOT the issue - there is a lot more play and bend in a bass guitar neck and truss rod the principals for adjusting a bass are the same, but you don't want your bass to have as little bow as a guitar neck, it won't play correctly - they are designed to have a much larger bow on purpose due to the lenght of the neck. In the past 10 years I think I adusted my bass neck one time - granted I don't play it nearly as much, but my gutiars probably need a slight tweak at least one time per year **
@@Findyournextguitar @Find Your Next Guitar Thanks for all the information. Good observation from my profile pic that I am using a bass (S.B. Music Man). I turned the truss rod 1/8 turn and still buzzed, then another 1/8 and buzzing stopped. No string height adjustment at this time. Re-tuned and intonation are right on the mark. When this bass was first setup over a year ago, the Luthier said the neck tension will be high with the Labella flats. I also watched the nut lubrication video in the link you added and that's good to know if the strings get out of tune often or tuning changes while playing. Happy to the buzz is gone. Thanks!
anyone can help i have frets buzz on 2,3 frets on my low E strings
Add me to the group who thinks you have your instructions reversed as far as which way to turn the truss rod. I do my own setups, have watched a number of instructional videos on the subject & also (more importantly) have dealt w/ the issue on just about all the guitars I've ever owned. Unfortunately, I think you are mistaken. In fact the rule of thumb is "righty tightly, lefty loosey"....do yourself a favor & look it up!
just to be clear, turning the truss rod clockwise stiffens the rod & reduces the relief caused the the string tension pulling the neck forward. Conversely, turning the truss rod counterclockwise will INCREASE relief by making the neck less stiff (easier to bend) & thus more susceptical to string tension.
This explains it best!
Well, there seems to be a bigger confusion among guitar players and techs. I mean, saying clockwise and counterclockwise is kinda confusing, if one doesn't specify from which direction they look at the neck. If you are looking down your neck from headstock side, it agrees with what you said about the direction. However, if you look up your neck from pickup side, it's the exact opposite. I guess the confusion of which way to look at the guitar comes from differences between electric and acoustic guitars. Acoustic guitars are usully adjusted from the sound hole, so that's why some people look from pickup side. I always look down from headstock, so i don't mix the directions.
If you are looking at the truss rod as you are making the adjustment, there should be no confusion.....I'm not sure why one would NOT look at the tool as it's being inserted? If your adjusting at the headstock, look at the tool as you insert it & make the adjustment.....same holds if you have the truss rod adjustment at the soundhole (as in most modern acoustics)......look at the tool as you insert it & make the adjustment. Right tighty, lefty loosey. CW = tighten = less relief, CCW = loosen = more relief.
Your group is the entire rest of the human race that doesn't look at a screw from the pointy end when they are trying to screw it.
EDIT: Unless you WANTED to screw something into your eye I guess.... XD
Yeah.......... these directions are completely backward.
Respectfully - please read the bottom of the description and many of the comment - especially the first one - it's pinned first for a reason... The directions are either correct or backwards pending on which way your looking at the guitar.
At the very bottom of the video description you'll find two links one from Taylor Gutiars and one from Sweetwater sound - they will take you to a different chart which should clear up any confusion.
@@Findyournextguitar sorry you are dead wrong explain it differently like as your holding it as your playing it toward the ceiling or toward the floor you should remove this video and start over you really are screwing people's guitars up
Dude... Respectfully, you're diagram is giving reverse directions. If someone is facing you and you say "to the left/right" you would give the direction based on their perspective. As with clockwise/counter clockwise, you base those directions as if you were FACING a clock, not standing behind it. Its hard for some to admit error.
@@Bedroom_Studios Wow, I just commented something like the "take it down and re do it because it is confusing" comment, but apparently people have been saying this for months now and he hasn't done anything. I guess my thumbs is going down and I'm NOT going to look into his videos more! Some egos can't take the hit I guess, and are happy to just leave confusing information out there for everyone to get mad at them about while arguing perspective that he didn't illustrate in the video at all and isn't the accepted standard one to use! Way to go man!
@@Findyournextguitar stop saying they are either correct or not. that also is WRONG. your LEFT hand is YOUR LEFT hand. It is on the right looking at you, but we don't call it right sometimes. NO. Get it through your thick head and stop trying to excuse a mistake. You are just being doubly stupid. Refusing to acknowledge absolutely clear mistakes is a problem itself.
My neck is a little forward bow, can the buzz be the saddles?
Yes it can be caused by neck bow, the saddles, string height, fret wear, or a combination of all of the above.
probably 80-90% of the time it's a slight neck bow.
Fret wear is pretty rare unless you've had the guitar for 5-10 years and are a very heavy strummer - it also depends on build quality and how much you play.
If it's fret wear, you'll be able to see big grooves in the frets, it's pretty noticeable.
Buzzing caused by the nut or the saddles depends on the brand and type of nut/bridge you have. Normally it's rare and you might not notice unless you just changed strings.
It's a bit more technical than the truss rod adjustment - you could have a little metal bur or something that needs sanded down.
The problem is it's strong medicine - if you sand down too much it will ruin the intonation or ruin the saddle.
With out seeing you're guitar idk what exactly to look for.
You can however try to lubricate the saddles a bit and see if that solves the issue - DO NOT USE OIL.
Most hardware stores sell graphite lock lubricant. You want to look for a little tube of it - you want powder not spray.
Take you strings off and tap a little graphite onto each saddle and on each groove of the nut.
You can''t really use too much, but you don't want to put so much on that the string can't naturally sit in the slot.
This will help reduce the friction on the strings and it might solve your issue. If it does not I don't know that I could really be much more help without seeing your guitar and you might need to take it to a shop.
I hope this solves the issue for you though - let me know if you have any more questions - Dave
I always set it so if the G string in fretted at the first and lat frets the gap of the bottom of the string is about the thickness of a business card? that is approx. .009, is that about right for a super low action?
Do you mean .009 inches? You can go as low as you want so long as the strings don't fret out.
If you want to go lower and use the same trick, try a piece of paper instead of a business card.
I would think on most guitars you'd have to lower the strings to get it that low to begin with - unless your was already setup that way.
The main purpose of what I'm talking about in the video is not string height, but if there too much space or not enough for the business card to freely slide then you need to adjust the neck / truss rod
@@Findyournextguitar take this video,down ego,maniac
It doesn't matter where your adjustment is located. A forward bow needs a clockwise adjustment and backward needs a counter clockwise adjustment. Wow!
Succinct 2 the point Thanks.
Yes, exactly. Please thumbs down and report if not already, I am making the rounds of the whole comment section because this needs to GO NOW!
I'm glad to see a lot of ppl think as I do. You're making this more complicated than it is. Clockwise to take relief out and counterclockwise to give relief. I listened to your video 3 times and each time I got more confused.
Hey James, you are correct - I thought I was being clear, but it seems I wasn't as clear as I could have been...
Which is why I made 12 more videos - I used to sell them, but I feel like it's something every guitar players should know.
I hope you find some more clarity from these ones. In particular "how to adjust a top adjustable truss rod"
ruclips.net/video/SKNy8a51mwA/видео.html
The Complete Guide to Guitar Setup Playlist:
ruclips.net/video/Gdevq5Q35Hs/видео.html
DO NOT FOLLOW THIS VIDEO IN FACT TURN THE OPPOSITE WAY TO WHAT THIS FUCKWIT SAYS. He thinks you turn a screw by looking at the pointy end, and won't admit he is wrong about it. Please report this trash.
A guy just pointed out that Fender is again making truss rod access at the heel. I checked it out and the familiar walnut plug does seem to be missing from the headstock. Wonder why they reverted to this again? Thanks for the update.
They never stopped making them, some guitarist want true "vintage" spec guitars because they think they sound better. It's opinion and personal preference. It's the same reason someone would drop over $100,000 for a 60's les paul... There isn't much logic to it at that point
@@Findyournextguitar nor,is,there in your video not much,logic,that is
Help! Please. I am getting buzzing from the low E and A towards the middle of the neck. When I hold a straight edge to the neck there is a clear space, "u-shaped", in the middle of the neck. According the chart the buzz should be towards the top and bottom of the neck. What's going on?
Hey Daniel, did you figure it out?
If not, what kind of guitar do you have?
Do you play with a super low action?
Does the guitar have a bottom or top adjustable truss rod?
Have you played around with the bridge or action at all?
I might not get to your comment for a few days - to give you a more immediate solution watch this video as well as take a look at this chart from Sweetwater so there is no confusion of which direction to turn your truss rod:
www.sweetwater.com/sweetcare/media/2017/02/Adjusting-Truss-Rod.jpg
ruclips.net/video/8UApoRwwgSU/видео.html
Let me know if that fixes your problem or if you still need help - Dave
@@Findyournextguitar Thanks for asking! I'm still figuring it out. I have a custom Kiesel PRS custom 24 copy. It has a hipshot contour bridge, top allen key truss rod, neck is 20 radius, action is kind of high actually. It's 0.1in on low E and 0.08in on high E.
I started messing with the truss rod trying get the buzz out of the low E when I played it open. I went down a rabbit hole and messing with the string height on the bridge when I checked out the sweetwater article, because it mentions that the action maybe the next thing to adjust after then truss rod.
I would like to have the action lower but that's when I started getting buzzing towards the middle of the neck..Would I be able to put in a bunch of relief and compensate for the action being higher by lowering the bridge saddles? I tried less relief but got buzzing from the 1st fret low E open.
Needless to say I'm a bit frustrated with myself. The process seems much more convoluted than it should be.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
@@pmayh3m Watch the part of the complete guide to guitar setup - with the black PRS mira.
I don't know a lot about Kiesel's design, but virtually every PRS uses a dual action truss rod.
The process I use for the mira, should be pretty simlar to the bridge you have, and if it's a dual action truss rod then you're going to want to make tiny adjustments.
If you're not used to adjusting dual actions it's a bit tricky to get the feel for them...
Sometimes you need to go a bit further than you think and then back it off a little because of how the dual action truss rod functions.
Now I'm talking 1/8th turns, not even quarter turns.
Dual actions truss rods correct neck bow in both directions at the same time, but there is more emphasis on near the nut and near the bridge.
The middle of the neck almost doesn't move on dual actions.
That might be why you were thrown off.
If you played around with the bridge and action, I would leave those where they are for now, unless you lowered it too much to where it's fretting out.
If you look at the directions in the Mira video, first your want to see if you have bow uneasiness the business card method (or a mechanics ruler if you have one)
From there you'll need to figure out the bow, and then adjust the truss rod if needed.
Then the string height, then the action, if you do the action and string height first, you'll need to re-adjust them after the truss rod adjustment because it will have moved. When you adjust the truss rod, inherently you are changing the string height and action because you're literally moving the fret board forwards or backwards.
It's a tiny increment, but 8/32nd's is enough to make your strings fret out.
I adjust my prs like one time every 2-3 years because that's all it ever needs.
Now, mines a studio only guitar, I never gig it and it sits in the case in a temperature controlled room when I'm not playing it.
Depending on how much you play and Kiesle's craftsmanship, you may need to adjust it more.
Hopefully this is making some sense, I'm tell you to watch the video because I think It's much clearer than anything I can put into text.
Though if you have a direct specific question feel free to ask - I'll get back to you as soon as I can.
Everything you need should be in the first 10 min of this video - (I think... It's been a solid 5 years since I filmed these) though again - if you have questions ask :)
ruclips.net/video/8UApoRwwgSU/видео.html
@@Findyournextguitar OMG!!! Thank for your help. Piece wheeling all the info from the interwebs has led to some of the confusion on what's next after the truss rod and why.
I really appreciate your help. I'll check out that vid next.
@@pmayh3m Just be mindful of the perspective your looking at the truss rod vs how you are holding the guitar when you do the adjustment....
I highly reccomend the sweetwater chart as a print out reference while you are doing any adjustments so there's not way you can get the directions mixed up.
It's confusing the first few times you do it...
Don't sweat it if you go the wrong direction though, the only way your going to damage your guitar is if you are abusive with it or if there was already a sever defect with the guitar.
I got a chance to interview the tech who taught all of the builders at ESP and he said in training he would have a new guitar tech adjust the truss rod, then he would take it and crank it 12 or more full turns mess with the tuning, beat up the guitar a bit and then give it back to them and tell them to figure out what's wrong.
The nut isn't going to break unless you use excessive leverage/force or if it was already defective when the guitar was built.
If that's the case, it's likely under some-type of warranty.
Feel free to ask any more questions, I'll try to get back to you with in a day or so.
Let me know how it goes once you're done - Dave