Just used this to take a serious bow out of a Strat 12 string that one of the most famous Irish guitar stores failed on. Genius idea and thanks so much!!! If you're ever over here look me up and I'll buy you some pints!
Hello Randy. I have an old lawsuit strat. The truss rod was really tight. I did your method and it helped, but after that I was still getting upbow. So I combined your method with clothes iron appling heat with a wet towel on the fretboard for 20 minutes. Then I let it cold down with clamps on for 12 hours. Now it is perfectly straight! Thank you
Your tip got my late fathers 1970's, Korean, Lotus' truss rod free! Thought I'd never get to play it. New tuners were already installed and now waiting on a new saddle and nut. Thanks Randy, for making a very sentimental wall decoration into something much more special!
WHAAAAATTT!!! MIND BLOWN. Such a good idea. Gonna do this today. It seems to me that, especially when you have too much relief, you could overshoot the mark, string it up and then back off more easily than tightening it up...the string tension will help you rather than work against you.
This works. I have 2 extra slim SGs and lowered the action on both within an hour of watching this. I got another easy half turn out of the truss rods that I never knew was there. Thank you.
It really makes a difference on those ones that are stuck or just extremely tight. Thanks for having a look Cesar and taking time to comment is very much appreciated!
This helped me out big time. I couldn't get my 40 yr old acoustic neck flat enough for a fret level it desperately needed. My dad tried to learn on it and ultimately gave it to me when I started learning. It really needed the tlc. Guitar is a beater Korean Fender and not really worth replacing the truss rod. I was able to get that extra 3/4 turn I needed to get it dead level.
A brilliant solution to a nerve wracking situation, can’t wait to try this and save a few hundred bucks. Great tip and an even greater beard! Thank you 🙏🏼
Randy speaks the truth. AND... you can further assist the neck by heating it up somewhat gently with a heat gun or blow dryer while it's clamped. Doing so will encourage the neck wood to relax into the new position and it will prefer to stay there once cooled. It's like me on the couch; once comfortable, I don't wanna move. (Just don't attempt to adjust my rod's nuts!)
Thanks alot for the video. I have a SRV STRAT with a heel truss rod that ran out of adjustment leaving me with still too much relief. I heard about putting pressure on them WHILE turning the rod but i didnt want to risk it. well i was never playing my SRV anymore because of that so i figure... its gonna make it or its gonna break it but at least i will have an answer ! Iwas ready to buy new neck if anything . so with my hart rate trough the roof i was able to turn a full more turn ( in 4 little 1/4 turns ). I was AMAZED . without pressure applied , i could NOT turn it anymore , now it was getting the extra bit i needed ! To all fender heel truss rod player with a " maxed out " rod...this IS your solution. ✌😎
Hey Randy, I followed your instruction on how to "Help your truss rod" it worked like a charm! I am going to apply it to all my guitars where it was an issue. Thanks man!
Awesome! Worked like a charm. My local shop is semi-worthless and almost seem to want me to trash my equipment so I'll buy new stuff. "Hi... My truss rod is stuck..." "Well we don't won it harhar..." Thanks Randy!
Tongue twister challenge: My best is @ 50, but it’s been too many years to remember .. I’m a Sheet slitter, I slit sheets. I’m the best sheet slitter that ever slit a sheet… Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Yassuh ! Randy, I bought a rodless Epiphone mandolin for $30 with a badly bowed neck and did the same clamping thing that you do. I then put the neck over the heat register at the worst bent spot which was the first half of the neck from the nut position. I kept checking the temperature and it never got over 133 degrees. A couple days later I took it out to the front porch and left it in 20 degree temps for a day. It straightened right up and is one of my favorite instruments in the house now !
Hey Kenny... just read your comment and I wanna try this on a cheap guitar with a badly bowed neck which doesn't have a truss rod. I only have Standard radiators so I put the guitar neck directly over the Radiator but with a bowl of water next to it so it doesn't get to dry.... I don't think I can get it to be as hot as 133 degrees though.. do you think it might work anyway or is it useless. I can't think of a way to get more heat . Any tips? I'd appreciate.
@@nataliepauls3757 Hey Natalie, I see that it has been a year since your question, and I hope your radiator idea worked for you. If it did not and you still have the guitar (and you happen to have a hair dryer), you might want to try it for more heat. You would probably want to go slowly and use the lower heat settings to preserve the finish, but it might work for you. If you do not own a hair dryer, you might find a cheap used one at a thrift store or second-hand store. Hope this helps.
Randy; your genius man! Worked like a charm. Thought I was gonna have to dip into my wallet and take it to the guy in town, but your video saved the day {and my beer money}.
Damn dude, I got a bass for super cheap at a pawn shop and i was starting to think it wasnt gonna be usable, then I tried this, and now it may end up becoming my favorite bass
Wow, just started setting up my guitars myself after 25 years of not playing I decided to pick them up and they were of course in bad shape. Been teaching myself via RUclips videos. Ordered many specialty tools and got my electric guitars playing and sounding great again. Started on my Fender acoustic and tightened the truss rod as far as I could and still had way too much relief. Will be trying this method in the next few days so I can continue to lower the action as low as I can take it. Thank you for the information. I think it will work like a charm.... All my guitars needed was some love... Thanks!!!!
@@RandySchartiger I have the opposite issue where I can not get enough relief on a maxed out strat rod still choking on the g around 12th , I've had a good few goes and ended up utterly confused , this neck manipulation thing sounds like it's deffo worth a go, thanks for the video and information
Randy, I really want to thank you for the advice. Previous owner was either confused, inept or a slide guitar player because the truss nut was backed up so far it jammed leaving the strings high to the point of nearly unplayable. I suspect he thought counter-clockwise would lower the strings and when it didn't and the nut jammed he got frustrated and sold the guitar. I applied penetrating oil and while that soaked in made a couple blocks and spanning board. Once I had the clamps on, I tried to back the nut off before going clock-wise but it wouldn't budge so I pushed and pulled the Allen wrench back and forth with a little force eight or nine times until it finally budged. I got about one and a half turns before the nut moved freely in the neutral position. I kept going and got the strings lowered where they belong. Truth is that took two tries. (mainly because I got lucky and guesstimated right). This was on a nice Bourgeois dreadnought so you know I was sweating bullets the entire time. You saved me a trip to the luthiers. Thanks again.
it sounds like you definitely have a 2 way adjustable truss rod, when you spin it counter clock wise long enough it will start to get tight again and begin to force relief into the neck and that sounds like exactly what you are experiencing. thank you for checking out my videos!!
Randy, that's a great tip I will do that on my vintage Japanese acoustic guitar I've been adjusting the truss rod. I know that if I'm going to snap the truss rod it will be a big problem. Thanks from Canada
I'm doing that right now Randy. I really like this Idea because mine is frozen in the position needed to provide relief from a back bow, I want it level. I'll then have the frets leveled. This is a Hagstrom Swede and I believe this model is out of production. These have an H beam truss rod so they never twist and are more robust than the rod type, they also add sustain. Still I will use your method just to be sure, thanks. Oh yeah I was able to loosen it a tad so this will help me get it right.
My truss rod wont turn either way on my nylon string acoustic and I’m scared of breaking it. Is it possible to do something like this clamping on a classical guitar ?
Very nice! Thanks so much for sharing this information. I have had a $3500 Taylor for the past year, and I decided to put on lighter gauge strings. But the truss rod was already as tight as it could go (why would Taylor do this?)! I was going to do a neck readjustment until I saw your video. Tomorrow I will do what you showed in the video, and I know it will work--makes perfect sense. Thanks again my friend.
I still have to concentrate really hard to say it once! lol! not to mention....quick clip tips with a quick grip!! (clamp) lmao! Hey, I saw you do this in one of your videos and i tryed it and it worked beautifully! I however had to take relief out of the neck! The truss rod was loose...possibly broken and it's straight as it gets now! Thanks again! By the way, I'll be sending you a care package in the mail this week! ;-) as soon as I get the fallen mamouth of a tree outta my back yard tomorrow!! We finally got some rain...and some wind!! :-0 only minor damage thank god! We were incredibly lucky!! Cheers & beers!
I have to concentrate to say it once too and often even miss that and instead say quick clip tips! lol Yeah this method on the truss is a true lifesaver, it has saved me many times. 10-4 on the care package! I'm looking forward to it! When you say how lucky you all were from the storm I can definitely relate, there wasn't many escape it's devastation but we were really lucky! I hope you get it cleaned up and normal again it's definitely not a fun job. Cheers mate! TTYS
Randy, I dug a one foot deep hole in the backyard a little larger than the guitar, i then put plastic down and covered that with a soft towel. It made it really hard to get to, but I tried. I finally took it out of the hole and put it on a table and followed your instructions. It really helped. I'm just curious why you said to put the guitar in a hole. Please reply.
Yes, done this more than once! I'd suggest using a G-clamp with a screw handle, instead of a trigger clamp, gives you more fine control over the amount of tension you are adding.
Wow very cool idea sir. I am always getting wrong info on this procedure. Either that or not enough! In my early years of neck tweaks i always took out string tension. Back in ancient times lol, with no internet or even books us cavemen had to figure this stuff out alone. The squeemish like me asked othe players first! Somehow i must have lost my way because i have been making adjustments with tension. Its a miracle i never busted a rod!
Thanks for the great video! I pieced together something that worked for me on a bass with terrible action from your video and a more recent one with Dan Erlewine. I found myself tightening the "neck jig" arrangement to add back bow and then tighten the truss rod quite a bit and repeat those steps multiple times. If it will work on a bass that was as bad as what I had it will work on anything.
So simple and clever, thank you! I was impatient and crude, and ended up badly warping the neck on my neck-through Tele. I'm pretty sure I can saved it if I place one block on the area where is warped up and the clamp on the area where it is warped down. Yup: I turned the neck into an "S"-shape 🤦 It's been sitting around for three years now, waiting for me to finally face my shame and give it the care it deserves. I'll be careful and patient this time 🤞
Great tip, thanks Randy. I have a Fender Classic Player Jazzmaster with the truss rod adjustment at the body end of the neck. It's quite difficult to turn with a screwdriver and I know it needs tightening a little so I'll definitely be giving this a try. Cheers!
Doing this will definitely make it much easier to turn and if it's tight already this will make it easier on your truss rod. Thanks for tuning in brother!
SHIT. Wish I would have known this… few years ago I popped the truss rod in a custom guitar made in the 80’s with the most beautiful birds eye neck and macasser board.. all West Germany hardware Floyd rose, active EMG 81’s.. I’ve had to shim the neck with razor blades ever since. Tooling around looking for videos on replacing the truss rod tonight, with this rod adjuster on the body-side instead of the headstock, looks like I may have to remove the board.. Good info here for next time!
I got wrong Epson Salt to water solution, about 2 months ago, but I did remember the the Baking Soda solution. I remembered seeing your RUclips video 2 years ago after and Appling it to my car battery I got it to work for another 2 years. I drained the Battery Acid and did the Baking Soda solution I had only 10 volts after the new cleaning and the right Epson Salt Solution. I found the NOCO Genius 10-Amp Charger my battery my battery went from 10.4 Volt to 13.6 Volt, the battery went from not working to turning over my truck. I just though you may want to look into this. The only reason my Battery died is I do not drive my car enough and have to keep a trickle charger on it. How long do you leave the Baking Soda Solution in for? Thank you Randy.
I'm so glad I found this video. I snapped a truss rod last week and have a new neck coming. First I'll loosen it then, I'll help it right? Thanks again.
I was having this sort of issue with my cheap maple neck Squier guitar. I tightened it a lot, but there was still a bit of a bow in there. Got that extra washer on that truss rod nut, but it was not sounding exactly right.
Hey Randy, I'm not sure if my truss rod is damaged, may I send you a picture of it? It looks like its detached from the wood, and it's very difficult to turn.
This is great. The only other thing that I do is I cut fret lines in my blocks so the blocks aren’t compressing the frets further into the fingerboard but instead they rest ON the fingerboard, otherwise you’re creating a fret leveling need with that repair.
Great tip Randy! Do you have any tricks for getting some relief back into a neck? I have a gibson lp that has a straight maple neck. I can loosen the truss rod all the way and the string tension just can't put any relief into the neck. I have 11 guage. I can put a back bow into it easily though. Any suggestions? Thanks for all the great videos!
@@AngeloGuardia I did have a bit of success. What I did was put 11 guage strings on the guitar to help hold greater tensionon the neck. I also put 2 sponge humidifiers in its case. I left the guitar in its case with the humidifiers for weeks. I would check on it periodically. This helped. I still have the 11 guage strings on it and continue to keep it very humidified. I think some of the problem was that the person I got it from let the guitar dry out. Oh, and I left the truss rod completely loose while I did this so the neck could move more freely. This helped me a bit, if its very severe it may not help enough but the guitar plays well now. If it's real bad, I believe that you can warm the neck up and get further relief. Thanks for asking!
Hey Randy, found your vid cos I was searching for some help with a bass truss rod nut. The thing is not stripped and works fine but only to thight the neck further, cos when I try to give a bit more relief, the nut start to loosen until just comes out, as it reaches the end of the rod bearing washer, so the neck stays in a backbow position. What can I do?
Thank you Randy! This is definitely a great advice. Where did you get those pieces of leather? I visited my hardware store but couldn't find anything similar. Would anything else serve the purpose ? Any ideas ?
I've got a 2000 gibson that the 1st owner used 12/60 strings on for most of its life She held up on me for a bit but my 9.5/44s in D has tapped the truss out to its limit I've been using your method on and off for about a week and it I can't bust the relief out and I HAVENT PUT STRINGS ON IT... should I try adding heat?
Hi. I tried your method and I was able to get the back bow but still can't turn in the nut. Nut is at the end of the neck. I also put the 0.100" spacer and still can't turn it in. Any suggestions?
Hi Randy, awesome video, how would you fix the opposite problem... a truss rod that doesn't get any relief after just completely loosen the knot? My guitar has all dead note in the air and it only gives ring by 2-3rd fret Cheers Randy!
You just saved my 16 year old jazz bass from retirement! Thank you for your service!
Thank you. I watched this video a dozen times before I got the courage to use it on my Breedlove Revival. Worked like a champ.
very cool! it most always does work, I'm very happy to hear it worked for you! thanks for checking out my videos!
Just used this to take a serious bow out of a Strat 12 string that one of the most famous Irish guitar stores failed on.
Genius idea and thanks so much!!!
If you're ever over here look me up and I'll buy you some pints!
Hello Randy. I have an old lawsuit strat. The truss rod was really tight. I did your method and it helped, but after that I was still getting upbow. So I combined your method with clothes iron appling heat with a wet towel on the fretboard for 20 minutes. Then I let it cold down with clamps on for 12 hours. Now it is perfectly straight! Thank you
Nice. Thanks for the tip. Always great when people share their successes.
Your tip got my late fathers 1970's, Korean, Lotus' truss rod free!
Thought I'd never get to play it. New tuners were already installed and now waiting on a new saddle and nut.
Thanks Randy, for making a very sentimental wall decoration into something much more special!
WHAAAAATTT!!! MIND BLOWN. Such a good idea. Gonna do this today. It seems to me that, especially when you have too much relief, you could overshoot the mark, string it up and then back off more easily than tightening it up...the string tension will help you rather than work against you.
This works. I have 2 extra slim SGs and lowered the action on both within an hour of watching this. I got another easy half turn out of the truss rods that I never knew was there. Thank you.
Love this video! Love that line at 5:22 where "you can very gently remove this crap".
We did this today on my old rg 560 it’s been like that for atleast 5 years I think it sounds even better now thank you
Another good one Randy! I have seen truss rods not moving at all before doing that and working perfectly after. Thumbs up!
It really makes a difference on those ones that are stuck or just extremely tight. Thanks for having a look Cesar and taking time to comment is very much appreciated!
This helped me out big time. I couldn't get my 40 yr old acoustic neck flat enough for a fret level it desperately needed. My dad tried to learn on it and ultimately gave it to me when I started learning. It really needed the tlc. Guitar is a beater Korean Fender and not really worth replacing the truss rod. I was able to get that extra 3/4 turn I needed to get it dead level.
A brilliant solution to a nerve wracking situation, can’t wait to try this and save a few hundred bucks. Great tip and an even greater beard! Thank you 🙏🏼
Randy speaks the truth. AND... you can further assist the neck by heating it up somewhat gently with a heat gun or blow dryer while it's clamped. Doing so will encourage the neck wood to relax into the new position and it will prefer to stay there once cooled. It's like me on the couch; once comfortable, I don't wanna move. (Just don't attempt to adjust my rod's nuts!)
Thanks alot for the video.
I have a SRV STRAT with a heel truss rod that ran out of adjustment leaving me with still too much relief. I heard about putting pressure on them WHILE turning the rod but i didnt want to risk it.
well i was never playing my SRV anymore because of that so i figure... its gonna make it or its gonna break it but at least i will have an answer ! Iwas ready to buy new neck if anything .
so with my hart rate trough the roof i was able to turn a full more turn ( in 4 little 1/4 turns ). I was AMAZED . without pressure applied , i could NOT turn it anymore , now it was getting the extra bit i needed !
To all fender heel truss rod player with a " maxed out " rod...this IS your solution. ✌😎
Hey Randy, I followed your instruction on how to "Help your truss rod" it worked like a charm! I am going to apply it to all my guitars where it was an issue. Thanks man!
Glad it helped! thanks for checking out my videos!
absolutely amazing! I thought my bass guitar neck was doomed but I'm going to give this a try tomorrow, you are the man.
How did it go?
@@TheFrench91 worked well! I can definitely recommend it.
Randy you are here for many reasons and this is one of them. Thank you.🎸
Awesome! Worked like a charm. My local shop is semi-worthless and almost seem to want me to trash my equipment so I'll buy new stuff. "Hi... My truss rod is stuck..." "Well we don't won it harhar..." Thanks Randy!
glad to hear it worked for you, it usually does as long as there is no damage. thanks for checking out my videos!
Tongue twister challenge:
My best is @ 50, but it’s been too many years to remember ..
I’m a Sheet slitter,
I slit sheets.
I’m the best sheet slitter that ever slit a sheet…
Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Thanks for the tip...helped me save a guitar for a friend!!!
Yassuh !
Randy, I bought a rodless Epiphone mandolin for $30 with a badly bowed neck and did the same clamping thing that you do. I then put the neck over the heat register at the worst bent spot which was the first half of the neck from the nut position.
I kept checking the temperature and it never got over 133 degrees. A couple days later I took it out to the front porch and left it in 20 degree temps for a day.
It straightened right up and is one of my favorite instruments in the house now !
Hey Kenny... just read your comment and I wanna try this on a cheap guitar with a badly bowed neck which doesn't have a truss rod. I only have Standard radiators so I put the guitar neck directly over the Radiator but with a bowl of water next to it so it doesn't get to dry.... I don't think I can get it to be as hot as 133 degrees though.. do you think it might work anyway or is it useless. I can't think of a way to get more heat . Any tips? I'd appreciate.
@@nataliepauls3757 Hey Natalie, I see that it has been a year since your question, and I hope your radiator idea worked for you. If it did not and you still have the guitar (and you happen to have a hair dryer), you might want to try it for more heat. You would probably want to go slowly and use the lower heat settings to preserve the finish, but it might work for you. If you do not own a hair dryer, you might find a cheap used one at a thrift store or second-hand store. Hope this helps.
Randy; your genius man! Worked like a charm. Thought I was gonna have to dip into my wallet and take it to the guy in town, but your video saved the day {and my beer money}.
Why I'm here bro inflation sucks lol
Damn dude, I got a bass for super cheap at a pawn shop and i was starting to think it wasnt gonna be usable, then I tried this, and now it may end up becoming my favorite bass
Wow, just started setting up my guitars myself after 25 years of not playing I decided to pick them up and they were of course in bad shape. Been teaching myself via RUclips videos. Ordered many specialty tools and got my electric guitars playing and sounding great again. Started on my Fender acoustic and tightened the truss rod as far as I could and still had way too much relief. Will be trying this method in the next few days so I can continue to lower the action as low as I can take it. Thank you for the information. I think it will work like a charm.... All my guitars needed was some love... Thanks!!!!
it definitely helps when the truss rod seems to have done all it can. good luck in your repairs and thanks for checking out my videos!
@@RandySchartiger I have the opposite issue where I can not get enough relief on a maxed out strat rod still choking on the g around 12th , I've had a good few goes and ended up utterly confused , this neck manipulation thing sounds like it's deffo worth a go, thanks for the video and information
Randy, I really want to thank you for the advice. Previous owner was either confused, inept or a slide guitar player because the truss nut was backed up so far it jammed leaving the strings high to the point of nearly unplayable. I suspect he thought counter-clockwise would lower the strings and when it didn't and the nut jammed he got frustrated and sold the guitar. I applied penetrating oil and while that soaked in made a couple blocks and spanning board. Once I had the clamps on, I tried to back the nut off before going clock-wise but it wouldn't budge so I pushed and pulled the Allen wrench back and forth with a little force eight or nine times until it finally budged. I got about one and a half turns before the nut moved freely in the neutral position. I kept going and got the strings lowered where they belong. Truth is that took two tries. (mainly because I got lucky and guesstimated right). This was on a nice Bourgeois dreadnought so you know I was sweating bullets the entire time. You saved me a trip to the luthiers. Thanks again.
it sounds like you definitely have a 2 way adjustable truss rod, when you spin it counter clock wise long enough it will start to get tight again and begin to force relief into the neck and that sounds like exactly what you are experiencing. thank you for checking out my videos!!
Wish I could give you 100 thumbs up on this one. Thanks, Randy!
Thanks bud, this is the exact problem I'm dealing with in a ~40 year old acoustic.
Hold on ... just watched this video again and gave it another thumbs up!
well thank ya! :) this video didn't get many views when I first put it up but it seems to be coming to life all of the sudden!
My new favorite guitar channel by a country mile Randy - thank you man - Andy.
Thank you so much Andy and welcome aboard! Very glad to have you here! :)
Randy, that's a great tip I will do that on my vintage Japanese acoustic guitar I've been adjusting the truss rod. I know that if I'm going to snap the truss rod it will be a big problem. Thanks from Canada
I'm doing that right now Randy. I really like this Idea because mine is frozen in the position needed to provide relief from a back bow, I want it level. I'll then have the frets leveled. This is a Hagstrom Swede and I believe this model is out of production. These have an H beam truss rod so they never twist and are more robust than the rod type, they also add sustain. Still I will use your method just to be sure, thanks. Oh yeah I was able to loosen it a tad so this will help me get it right.
best of luck! this method works just about every time. thanks for checking it out!
Thanks brother,mighty clever.
This is a great tip and it certainly works. Always makes me a little nervous when I have to do it on a mandolin though, lol.
Love the channel, bro.
My truss rod wont turn either way on my nylon string acoustic and I’m scared of breaking it. Is it possible to do something like this clamping on a classical guitar ?
Thanks Randy for the Helping the Truss Rod Video
you're welcome John thanks for checking out my videos!
Very nice! Thanks so much for sharing this information. I have had a $3500 Taylor for the past year, and I decided to put on lighter gauge strings. But the truss rod was already as tight as it could go (why would Taylor do this?)! I was going to do a neck readjustment until I saw your video. Tomorrow I will do what you showed in the video, and I know it will work--makes perfect sense. Thanks again my friend.
Simple but effective...well done old mate...!!! Thank you very much indeed
Thanks for the tip. You have a great idea with these quick tip videos. It's easier for me to remember them like this. Stay cool and have a good night.
Thank you bro! Yeah that;s what I thought too, if I make the short and quick people might remember them better.
Thanks for sharing your experience and words of wisdom!
Always good,these tips are great, A person that's wants to correct the neck,it great that they can find the solution. And find it here. Thanks Randy
Thank you George! And many thanks for watching! :)
I still have to concentrate really hard to say it once! lol! not to mention....quick clip tips with a quick grip!! (clamp) lmao! Hey, I saw you do this in one of your videos and i tryed it and it worked beautifully! I however had to take relief out of the neck! The truss rod was loose...possibly broken and it's straight as it gets now! Thanks again! By the way, I'll be sending you a care package in the mail this week! ;-) as soon as I get the fallen mamouth of a tree outta my back yard tomorrow!! We finally got some rain...and some wind!! :-0 only minor damage thank god! We were incredibly lucky!! Cheers & beers!
I have to concentrate to say it once too and often even miss that and instead say quick clip tips! lol Yeah this method on the truss is a true lifesaver, it has saved me many times. 10-4 on the care package! I'm looking forward to it! When you say how lucky you all were from the storm I can definitely relate, there wasn't many escape it's devastation but we were really lucky! I hope you get it cleaned up and normal again it's definitely not a fun job. Cheers mate! TTYS
Wow!! Never thought of that! THANK YOU for the tip. Don’t think I can say Quick Clip Tips even 3 times fast 😎
For sure! Good tip. Have done a number of times myself.
I've did this to a few I believe the truss rod would have snapped if I hadn't, definitely can be a lifesaver. Thanks Jerry!
Dude! Thank you SOO much. I was about to strip my truss rod until seeing this video.
Randy, I dug a one foot deep hole in the backyard a little larger than the guitar, i then put plastic down and covered that with a soft towel. It made it really hard to get to, but I tried. I finally took it out of the hole and put it on a table and followed your instructions. It really helped. I'm just curious why you said to put the guitar in a hole. Please reply.
EXCELLENT tip! Just ran into a tight one today... need to git er straight as a die to level the frets. Thanks, Randy.
Thank you so much Randy, greetings from Mexico!
thanks for watching! stay tuned I have videos coming very soon of me having to do this very thing! cheers!
I like this one. It will REALLY come in handy on old cheap made guitars or the cheaper Fenders etc.
Great idea 🤙
Great tips . This works well . Had this problem on my 1971 Univox Badazz Bass.
Yes, done this more than once! I'd suggest using a G-clamp with a screw handle, instead of a trigger clamp, gives you more fine control over the amount of tension you are adding.
Very true, I like the trigger clamp only because I can feel how tight I'm getting it when I squeeze but yep either or both works :)
Wow very cool idea sir. I am always getting wrong info on this procedure. Either that or not enough! In my early years of neck tweaks i always took out string tension. Back in ancient times lol, with no internet or even books us cavemen had to figure this stuff out alone. The squeemish like me asked othe players first! Somehow i must have lost my way because i have been making adjustments with tension. Its a miracle i never busted a rod!
Great illustration and easy to follow , understand. Thanks Randy I have done similar like adjustment . Take care and all the best.
Thank you Gillebrath, I think everyone who has tinkered with a guitar probably ran into a stubborn one like this at least once, if not, they will lol
Great quick clip tips video, Randy! :-) Thumbs up again for you my dear friend! Have a wonderful day.....Jenny ☼
Thanks! I needed this to see your clamping of the neck.
This makes so much sense! Great advice!!
Makes sense. The problem I'm having right now is the opposite. My truss rod is all the way loose and I still need more relief
Thanks for the great video! I pieced together something that worked for me on a bass with terrible action from your video and a more recent one with Dan Erlewine. I found myself tightening the "neck jig" arrangement to add back bow and then tighten the truss rod quite a bit and repeat those steps multiple times. If it will work on a bass that was as bad as what I had it will work on anything.
So simple and clever, thank you! I was impatient and crude, and ended up badly warping the neck on my neck-through Tele. I'm pretty sure I can saved it if I place one block on the area where is warped up and the clamp on the area where it is warped down. Yup: I turned the neck into an "S"-shape 🤦
It's been sitting around for three years now, waiting for me to finally face my shame and give it the care it deserves. I'll be careful and patient this time 🤞
Brilliant Randy . fear of stripping the truss rod was a worry ... not now . thanks for sharing .
I learn something new on each and everyone of your vids, hope I never need that one but if I do I'll know just what to do. Cheers mate. 🍺
That's great to hear Simon I am glad my videos are that helpful! :) Thank you for checking them out! :)
Thank You Randy.
Great tip, thanks Randy. I have a Fender Classic Player Jazzmaster with the truss rod adjustment at the body end of the neck. It's quite difficult to turn with a screwdriver and I know it needs tightening a little so I'll definitely be giving this a try. Cheers!
Doing this will definitely make it much easier to turn and if it's tight already this will make it easier on your truss rod. Thanks for tuning in brother!
Thanks for everything, you’re a very cool human being.
SHIT. Wish I would have known this… few years ago I popped the truss rod in a custom guitar made in the 80’s with the most beautiful birds eye neck and macasser board.. all West Germany hardware Floyd rose, active EMG 81’s.. I’ve had to shim the neck with razor blades ever since. Tooling around looking for videos on replacing the truss rod tonight, with this rod adjuster on the body-side instead of the headstock, looks like I may have to remove the board.. Good info here for next time!
You are a Gitdown Guitar Tech,,, Great Video. Thank you
I got wrong Epson Salt to water solution, about 2 months ago, but I did remember the the Baking Soda solution. I remembered seeing your RUclips video 2 years ago after and Appling it to my car battery I got it to work for another 2 years. I drained the Battery Acid and did the Baking Soda solution I had only 10 volts after the new cleaning and the right Epson Salt Solution. I found the NOCO Genius 10-Amp Charger my battery my battery went from 10.4 Volt to 13.6 Volt, the battery went from not working to turning over my truck. I just though you may want to look into this. The only reason my Battery died is I do not drive my car enough and have to keep a trickle charger on it. How long do you leave the Baking Soda Solution in for?
Thank you Randy.
Will do, thanks!
I'm so glad I found this video. I snapped a truss rod last week and have a new neck coming. First I'll loosen it then, I'll help it right? Thanks again.
Yes, relieve the tension
I was having this sort of issue with my cheap maple neck Squier guitar. I tightened it a lot, but there was still a bit of a bow in there. Got that extra washer on that truss rod nut, but it was not sounding exactly right.
try this method in the video, you should find the truss rod will be easier to turn. good luck and thanks for watching!
@@RandySchartiger Awesome man! This neck is straight as never before, and it's awesome how in tune it's playing now.
Very good job, Randy!
Have a nice Sunday, my friend!
Cristina
Thanks so much Cristina for taking a look and commenting, hope your Sunday is being a wonderful one! :)
Great Quick Clip Tip, Thank you Mr Randy. Hoold Ooon! Have a great weekend :)
Thank you Suzanna! :) Hope you are having a great weekend as well! Hold on! :D
Most certainly :)
Hey Randy, I'm not sure if my truss rod is damaged, may I send you a picture of it? It looks like its detached from the wood, and it's very difficult to turn.
Genius!
Thanks for sharing this!
Great tip, which I had seen this last year... Thanks.
Thanks for the advice Randy!
Another nice one mate. Something I'm gotta have to do this week.
Thanks mate and good luck with your repairs!
What if it is a set neck and you need to put more relief in it? How would you do that?
*Worthy Work, Randy. Pleasant Evening.*
Thank you my friend!
Randy Schartiger Thanks Also. Regards, Randy.
This is great. The only other thing that I do is I cut fret lines in my blocks so the blocks aren’t compressing the frets further into the fingerboard but instead they rest ON the fingerboard, otherwise you’re creating a fret leveling need with that repair.
The Man is soooo right!
Hey Randy, great video. Doing this now but truss is still hard to tighten more.. do I leave clamped for a while or is my truss rod bad?
looks great but still i´d like to know why the rod was too tight to adjust without this aid.
Excellent tip - it worked!
Makes perfect sense....thanks for sharing!!!
Great tip Randy! Do you have any tricks for getting some relief back into a neck? I have a gibson lp that has a straight maple neck. I can loosen the truss rod all the way and the string tension just can't put any relief into the neck. I have 11 guage. I can put a back bow into it easily though. Any suggestions? Thanks for all the great videos!
Hey Adam, any luck with this issue?
@@AngeloGuardia I did have a bit of success. What I did was put 11 guage strings on the guitar to help hold greater tensionon the neck. I also put 2 sponge humidifiers in its case. I left the guitar in its case with the humidifiers for weeks. I would check on it periodically. This helped. I still have the 11 guage strings on it and continue to keep it very humidified. I think some of the problem was that the person I got it from let the guitar dry out. Oh, and I left the truss rod completely loose while I did this so the neck could move more freely. This helped me a bit, if its very severe it may not help enough but the guitar plays well now. If it's real bad, I believe that you can warm the neck up and get further relief. Thanks for asking!
Hi Randy. Can I do it reverse for a neck that has too much backbow with its trussrod completely loosen ?
yep you sure can, just force the neck the other direction, make sure you turn the truss adjustment in the right direction. thanks for viewing!
Great Randy thanks 👍
A couple of drops Dr ducks or lemon oil on the truss rod hole over night too?
Can anything be done with opposite problem of truss rod being totally loose but not enough relief ?
Is this a good idea for trying to force relief?
sometimes it's the only choice we have, look at the recent comments, it definitely works! thank you for watching my videos!
@@RandySchartiger thanks bud
Thank you, that worked perfectly!
Hey Randy, found your vid cos I was searching for some help with a bass truss rod nut. The thing is not stripped and works fine but only to thight the neck further, cos when I try to give a bit more relief, the nut start to loosen until just comes out, as it reaches the end of the rod bearing washer, so the neck stays in a backbow position. What can I do?
Thank you Randy! This is definitely a great advice. Where did you get those pieces of leather? I visited my hardware store but couldn't find anything similar. Would anything else serve the purpose ? Any ideas ?
an old belt would work.
I've got a 2000 gibson that the 1st owner used 12/60 strings on for most of its life
She held up on me for a bit but my 9.5/44s in D has tapped the truss out to its limit
I've been using your method on and off for about a week and it I can't bust the relief out and I HAVENT PUT STRINGS ON IT... should I try adding heat?
Hi. I tried your method and I was able to get the back bow but still can't turn in the nut. Nut is at the end of the neck. I also put the 0.100" spacer and still can't turn it in. Any suggestions?
does the trussrod need to be loosened before tightening with the clamp? will the trussrod be tightened while it is being clamped
Hi Randy, awesome video, how would you fix the opposite problem... a truss rod that doesn't get any relief after just completely loosen the knot?
My guitar has all dead note in the air and it only gives ring by 2-3rd fret
Cheers Randy!
Great solution!
Very easy and good tip Randy. Rock On!
Thanks Archie!