Is truss adjust a must??

BloodRose

Professional Scapegoat
I was lowering the action on my LP Studio and now its low like I love it, but Im getting a Ping sound where I believe Im fretting out on the high frets. Should I adjust the truss rod? Im guessing a little forward curve is what it needs. If Im correct, which way to turn it? Thanks!
 
Re: Is truss adjust a must??

Turning the t.r. nut clockwise, and tightening it, should give your neck a bow in the direction of the fretboard. The other way will give you relief, i.e.-more room for the strings to move. Someone correct me if I'm wrong on this one.
 
Re: Is truss adjust a must??

I would say don't touch the truss rod on a guitar you value unless you know what you're doing. Fretting out is a natural result of setting the action too low, and won't necessarily be fixed by tweaking the truss rod. You can cause serious damage with a bad truss rod adjustment.
 
Re: Is truss adjust a must??

I get pretty anal about truss rod adjustments, so I try and find the spot where all the strings are as buzz free as possible. If you hold down the 1st fret and 14th fret, there should be just a glimmer of light between the 7th fret and low E string.

If the neck has a bow, and you fret somewhere in the middle, your high notes will sound pingy and fret out. If the neck is overcompensated and you fret at the 2nd and 3rd frets, the middle of the neck will have the problem.

The goal is to get the neck almost perfectly straight, with just a slight bit of relief, then set the action so fret buzz is at a minimum. Hope that helps.
 
Re: Is truss adjust a must??

There are alot of sites out there that will give you good info on trussrod adjustments. Make very small adjustments (don't be in a hurry) and you will be OK. SLACK YOUR STINGS AND LOOSEN BEFORE YOU TIGHTEN.
 
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