Is my truss rod not functioning correctly?

Rex_Rocker

Rex_Rocker

Well-known member
So as you guys know, I got a MIM Strat in a trade a couple of days ago. I like it... but I've noticed an issue that very much worries me.

It was probably set up for 9's or 10's in E. No biggie. I removed them, strung it up with 12's, but I do tune to Drop C. The string tension of 12's a whole step down is more or less equivalent to somewhere between 10's and 11's in E. So it's almost like I jumped around 1.5 gauges in tension. It isn't a HUGE jump, is it? It's not like I'm using 13's in Eb like SRV.

I adjusted the truss rod accordingly. Didn't really take much. Must have been like half a turn or less of the TR to get it to where the neck was nice and almost straight (I know you usually have leave some relief for it to actually be playable). So I left it overnight.

Next morning, the guitar felt off. I checked the relief, there was more than the night before. I figured OK, no biggie. It's the fall here in Canada, I brought home where there's heat, neck should still be settling in. So I turned the TR like a quarter turn, and that took care of it for the time being.

Next morning (yesterday), same issue. I turned the TR a quarter turn again. All good.

I came home at night, the neck had more reliefe than what I left AGAIN. I started to get worried since the heat at the appartment was off all the time when I left.

Keep in mind, my appartment is old, and when I turn on the heat, the appartment heats up gradually. Like, very slowly. So it's not like the jump in temperature is HUGE. Besides, it's not super cold outside, so I just barely have the heat on, TBH. It's not snowing or anything outside.

So this morning I check it again. Seems like there is more bow to the neck AGAIN. I'm worried now. It's been 3 days and the guitar is still "settling in". I have NEVER had this issue with a guitar before. Every time I get a new guitar, new or used, I string it up with my preferred set of strings in Drop C. My Gibson's neck barely has moved all these days that got the Strat set up also. My Squier is more sensitive than my Gibson to temperature changes, but even my Squier is not nearly as bad as this Fender.

So, I'm probably going to take it to a tech during the week if the problem persists. I'm going to try taking the neck off today to see if I find anything, but I doubt I will.

Anything else you guys suggest I do?
 
BTW, I also talked to the guy I traded it with. He told me he has not had this issue before, though I suspect he just never really liked the guitar, as he told me he usually "flips" guitars, so I don't know how much time he spent with it, really.

He also seems like a reputable seller. He has a bunch of other guitars for sale, and he has good reviews on FB Marketplace. He seemed like a friendly guy, and I think that if he wanted to scam me, he probably wouldn't have even replied to my inquiry when I messaged him about the truss rod.

I don't really want to blame it on him since I'm well aware it's *me* who might have fucked the guitar up by string it up with 12's or taking it out of the gig bag without letting it "acclimate" when I got it home. Then again, the jump in tension wasn't huge, and it wasn't that cold outside or that hot inside.

I also don't want that Epiphone back, TBH, LOL. I'd rather suck it up and buy a new neck for this guitar, honestly.

What do you guys think?
 
I've had one issue with truss rods, a "Global" lawsuit era P bass copy, made in Korea, probably late 70s, plywood body but beautiful vintage stained maple neck--dark butterscotch color. I used it on that Judas Priest tune I posted (only with Fender Original 62 reissues and a .1 uf cap on the tone knob).

The problem with the bass was even if you maxed out the truss rod there was still a sizeable gap between the strings and neck. I kind of summed it up as just being a problem with a P generally and most P's have high action and require more hand strength to play (but also have good tone because that high action produces clearer fundamentals). Except some notes, especially low on the neck, would deaden, while notes in the center of the neck would remain clear with high action. It felt like playing slide on a bass.

I might overtighten the truss rod just slightly and see if when the gap returns it falls in a comfortable place for you. You might be able to fix it by overcompensating.

Not sure if humidity might be an issue as well. I wouldn't freak out about it unless it persists for months or more. Maybe the neck just needs to be trained a bit.
 
Inflames626 said:
I've had one issue with truss rods, a "Global" lawsuit era P bass copy, made in Korea, probably late 70s, plywood body but beautiful vintage stained maple neck--dark butterscotch color. I used it on that Judas Priest tune I posted (only with Fender Original 62 reissues and a .1 uf cap on the tone knob).

The problem with the bass was even if you maxed out the truss rod there was still a sizeable gap between the strings and neck. I kind of summed it up as just being a problem with a P generally and most P's have high action and require more hand strength to play (but also have good tone because that high action produces clearer fundamentals). Except some notes, especially low on the neck, would deaden, while notes in the center of the neck would remain clear with high action. It felt like playing slide on a bass.

I might overtighten the truss rod just slightly and see if when the gap returns it falls in a comfortable place for you. You might be able to fix it by overcompensating.

Not sure if humidity might be an issue as well. I wouldn't freak out about it unless it persists for months or more. Maybe the neck just needs to be trained a bit.
Click to expand...
Not sure if it's the same issue. My truss rod is not close to being maxed out. It keeps turning as effortlessly as my other guitars who function well do. And for an hour or so, the setup is fine.

I left it dead flat this morning, went to the gym, came back right now, 2 hours after I made my first post. Neck is starting to show some slight relief. My Gibson is in the same room with the same string gauge tune to the same pitch. Granted, the Gibson has a shorter scale lenght, so less tension on the neck, and the neck is thicker, so it ought to be more stable. But the Fender isn't a cheapy either. I believe these were over 1K new 10 or so years ago. The neck looks quartersawn maple. Even if the neck is thinner and the string tension is higher, it shouldn't be like this, should it? Like... it holds setup for like an hour or so? That ought to be wrong.

I am not willing to use a lighter string gauge or tune it up to something differently. If I have to, I'm not going to enjoy the guitar. None of my guitars before have ever had this issue.

I suspect I'm going to have to buy a new neck because I also don't want that Epi back. I bonded with this guitar in a few horus more than I ever did with that Epi in months. This Strat sounds better and the neck profile feels much better. But then again, if I swap the neck, the sound and feel are going to change.

I'm sad. :(
 
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How's the humidity in your house? If temperatures outside have just dropped a bunch then you're probably heating more, which tends to drop humidity down pretty low . . . which (in addition to the string change) might require extra truss adjustment. It doesn't sound like you're doing anything wrong, 1/4 turn adjustments and then letting it sit for a while. I'd keep at it for another couple days and see if it settles down. If you're still having issues after a week of adjusting the truss rod, or if you run out of adjustment room on the truss rod then for sure take it to a tech - something wrong.
 
GuitarStv said:
How's the humidity in your house?
Click to expand...
It's dry. I was thinking of buying a humidifier because during the week, I woke up to a nosebleed because of the dry air. I moved in to this apartment during the spring, and it's been only lately that I'm getting to know how this place's heat works.

Then again, the Gibson has never even come close to having this big of an issue. Even the Squier which, like I said, is more unstable than the Gibson or the Epi was. Not even in my old place where one of the previous tenants superglued the thermostat to max, LOL.
 
If the guitar had .009s on it for years it might take a week or so to get used to the .012s, even in drop tuning.
I'd give it a little more time, especially since the truss rod has plenty of room left.
 
OK. I'll let it settle in for a week. If by Thursday it's still acting up, I'll take it to a tech to get it checked.

I'm honestly super surprised. I had NEVER had this happen to guitar before. And every guitar that I've ever gotten, I've dropped 12's right away. I've used 12's for a while now.

Then again, I've never brought a guitar home in the Canadian fall into a house with heat.
 
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Back before the central air

Us down south would get a empty bean can
fill it with water
And set it on top of the gas heater in winter

cheaper than humidifier
 
Alright, made an experiment. Set both the Gibson and the Fender to the same relief (almost none), tuned them up. Gonna leave them overnight.
 
Give it longer. Wood, especially finished wood, isn't really a sponge; it absorbs and releases moisture pretty slowly.

Larry
 
OK. Just let a full pot of water boil into the air. Hopefully that makes things better too. It's a small place anyway. I hope that is enough.
 
Alright, update... I checked it this morning. The Les Paul is exactly as I left it yesterday. The Strat was off, but it took a couple of notches of the TR to get it to the same spot the Les Paul is in. Probably in total like 1/8th of a turn. So... looks like an improvement. Maybe. Hopefully, it keeps getting better.
 
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Rex_Rocker said:
Alright, update... I checked it this morning. The Les Paul is exactly as I left it yesterday. The Strat was off, but it took a couple of notches of the TR to get it to the same spot the Les Paul is in. Probably in total like 1/8th of a turn. So... looks like an improvement. Maybe. Hopefully, it keeps getting better.
Click to expand...

I used to have a handful of Ibanez sabres. The oldest one which had a quartersawn neck, had a neck with a mind of its own. All the other ones were stable, yet the one guitar would seem to shift slowly and imperceptibly, if I came back a couple months later I would have to set it again.

This is a phenomenon I have seen one time, an "unstable" neck. Other guitars in same environment were stable. In retrospect, I think what was happening was that response to truss adjustment was delayed. If a change was made, it would take days for it to actualize.

I don't think a tech can do anything to stabilize a neck that changes slowly over time. Hate to be bearer of bad news, but once you get it stabilized, it will probably need another adjustment in a month, and then another a month after that. Then you will realize the action can't get as low as it once did.. etc.

Unless it "locks in" and stop changing, I would advise to sell it.
 
Just checked from last time this morning. Still shifting. Just added a very very very small backbow to the neck to see what happens. Being careful not to turn the TR more than 1/8 turns at a time.

This is so disheartening.
 
Top-L said:
I used to have a handful of Ibanez sabres. The oldest one which had a quartersawn neck, had a neck with a mind of its own. All the other ones were stable, yet the one guitar would seem to shift slowly and imperceptibly, if I came back a couple months later I would have to set it again.

This is a phenomenon I have seen one time, an "unstable" neck. Other guitars in same environment were stable. In retrospect, I think what was happening was that response to truss adjustment was delayed. If a change was made, it would take days for it to actualize.

I don't think a tech can do anything to stabilize a neck that changes slowly over time. Hate to be bearer of bad news, but once you get it stabilized, it will probably need another adjustment in a month, and then another a month after that. Then you will realize the action can't get as low as it once did.. etc.

Unless it "locks in" and stop changing, I would advise to sell it.
Click to expand...
I don't want to sell it. Maybe I will suck it up under the excuse that I want to get a neck with a flatter radius and maybe bigger frets. I mean, after all, I was considering bringing the Epi in to the music store and trading it for something better, which would obviously mean adding some extra money. Maybe I got a bad neck for cheaping out. I don't know.

Plus I don't want to pass a bad guitar to someone else and havint it come back to me.

But the thing is I immediately bonded with the guitar as soon as I got it home. It's super loud acoustically, and it just sounds sorta like my Squier, just better. Louder and less thin, though still zing-y. So my immediate first thought is this covered my Fender needs so that I could sell the Squier as well. The neck is also MUCH nicer than my Gibson which is a baseball bat by comparison. I still like the GIbson better, but this guitar is soooooo good for something I didn't expect to like.
 
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I'm going to give it a full week, so that means, this Thusday. If it's still bad by then, I'm probably going to sell my Esquire or some pedals or whatever, and buy a neck with a 12" fretboard and hopefully the same Modern C neck profile.
 
 
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