Learning to Let Go: Truss Rod Covers

[Snake Aces]

Re: Learning to Let Go: Truss Rod Covers

I had put one on my SG Jr build originally but after the mishap with the headstock, I decided to leave it off after I got it all back together. I filled the screw hole in before refinishing the face. With my LP Jr DC build that I'm starting (kit arrived on Thursday) I will not be putting a TR cover on at all.

I haven't had to adjust my Warmoth necks much at all. And the SG Jr has had a couple of adjustments here and there but nothing drastic.

Almost all of my guitars are Warmoths. They are very well-built. Still need adjustments in this climate though...

[Snake Aces]

Re: Learning to Let Go: Truss Rod Covers

Orpheo, that's not what "straw man argument" means.

My guitars live in a climate controlled environment and have super low action and straight necks. I don't think I've touched a truss rod on one besides when I've drastically changed the tuning or string gauges. Sorry if that upsets you enough to inspire another essay.

This is kinda what I am saying. I am not going to build a climate controlled environment for my guitars. Never.

[Empty Pockets]

Re: Learning to Let Go: Truss Rod Covers

This is kinda what I am saying. I am not going to build a climate controlled environment for my guitars. Never.

I didn't build anything I just live in a normal suburban house with heat and air conditioning hahah

[Snake Aces]

Re: Learning to Let Go: Truss Rod Covers

I didn't build anything I just live in a normal suburban house with heat and air conditioning hahah

I live in a normal house with Geothermal heat and air-conditioning. However, as mentioned in the original post, I do not run my heat and air all the time. I open windows whenever the weather allows for it to save the earth's precious resources as much as comfortably possible.

[Mr. 80's]

Re: Learning to Let Go: Truss Rod Covers

Every single one of my necks is a 59 Roundback profile. Definitely not "paper thin" by any means. People do jot understand the extreme temperature swings in MN...

I understand, I use to live there but in the high north Iron Range which was much colder and extreme. We only used boiler radiators and opened windows through the year. But I didn't play guitar either, I was to busy playing hockey and skateboarding back then. It's not much different here in the Rockies in CO where I live now than what you're explaining we just don't have much humidity to deal with weather it's 90 or -20, snow or no snow. No AC no Swamp coolers just radiant electric heat and opened windows to deal with the extreme temp changes. Guitars also live outside the cases and played daily with no problems. I'm just figuring it's a mixture of higher humidity and les stable necks messing with you. When I lived in Florida any guitar I ever owned was in central heat and air for the most part and the only guitars I had to adjust once in awhile didn't have dual action truss rods (no double truss rods) that I think make the biggest difference. I just know my experiences from 2 extremes. That's why I love the Rock Maple/dual action truss rod combo it just works and is stable as hell from my experience in all extremes.

[SlyFoxx]

Re: Learning to Let Go: Truss Rod Covers

Truss and Trem cover get taken off, screws duct-taped to the back and chucked in the drawer of many tiny musical gizmos. Not that I tweak them often if at all. My 18 year old PRS has only been tweaked once and that was after an October gig at Pumkin' Chunkin' and the temp was 27F. Even one of Paul's necks don't take kindly to that kind of abuse.

[GuitarStv]

Re: Learning to Let Go: Truss Rod Covers

I've got four guitars with maple necks. An Epi Dot, a Godin Exit 22, a Charvel So Cal, and a Warmoth Jazzmaster. They're all strung up in standard tuning with 10-52 or 11-48 guage strings. Temperature and humidity in our house varies from pretty warm/humid in the summer to pretty dry and cold in the winter. Only the thinnest neck (the Charvel) requires regular adjustment . . . which amounts to maybe once a year. (It's also the only guitar I'll ever own with a heel adjust rod . . . what a PITA.) The others with beefier necks go 3-5 years between truss rod adjustments.

I'm not saying that there's no reason for anyone to play with the truss rod four times a year, but it would surprise me if that was true for many people.

[dave74]

Re: Learning to Let Go: Truss Rod Covers

Here in the Midwest it's those middle seasons where you can't run heaters or AC that sometimes require small adjustments.
My indoor humidity is fairly stable and easier to control when running climate controls.

[Powdered Toast Man]

Re: Learning to Let Go: Truss Rod Covers

Truss rod covers? Babies. All my vintage style Fender necks have the truss rod adjustment at the heel. Some of them you can get away with just taking the pickguard off but most you need to unbolt the entire neck.

[Mincer]

Re: Learning to Let Go: Truss Rod Covers

The proper way is to unbolt the neck to avoid stripped threads and a chewed up pickguard.

[NegativeEase]

Re: Learning to Let Go: Truss Rod Covers

None of my regular gigging guitars have them on -especially the ones traveling in vans across the country back in the day.

In the last decade I've done a lot of flying with guitars for gigs and I've slowly moved to mostly using bolt on neck guitars with graphtech nuts and saddles only -like my Fender deluxe -as they are just not affected by the lower pressure during flight and humidity changes from traveling like my semi hollow and hollow bodies and through neck Gibson style solid bodies. So adjustments are almost never and there in no truss rod cover on my Fender and Fender style guitars. It's just smarter for traveling.

[Erlend_G]

Re: Learning to Let Go: Truss Rod Covers

I set mine up for thick strings, high action, and quite a "bow" ...

cause I like to really SMASH it to be loud, and then just whisper quiet...

-Erl

(and then I just leave it. Never had to adjust something but my old Squier bass, the neck would "give in" after some years

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Learning to Let Go: Truss Rod Covers

All of my builds don't have covers...Fender style heads. But on my guitars with covers I just keep one screw on between the 3rd and 4th strings. Easy to remove when I need to tweak the rod (which is rare).

On angled headstocks, like Gibson, I just like the "finished" look of a cover.

[Ayrton]

Re: Learning to Let Go: Truss Rod Covers

I very rarely adjust my truss rods. Maybe that is a super low action thing, but I generally set it and forget it.