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08-22-2010, 11:17 AM
| | Banned | | Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Clovis, CA | | | action/ truss rod help
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ok, so ive been playing my squier jazz and the action has been ridiculously high. obscenely high, i have to push the strings down at least an inch to fret, and its painfully difficult to slap, as the strings are so far away from the fretboard.
ive been thinking about adjusting the truss rod, but i was a bit nervous so i used this method i heard a guy talk about on youtube where he used weights to straighten out the neck, so i used a couple of dumbbells, left it overnight as the video said, and nothing happened as far as i noticed.
a) should i even attempt to work with the truss rod? i have the tools necessary.
b) if yes, from the bridge to the headstock, i turn the wrench clockwise to tighten the truss rod?
any help would be appreciated, this has been annoying me for a while but i havnt had the experience to work on it.
Thanks! |
08-22-2010, 11:42 AM
|  | Signed, Sealed, Delivered | | Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: NY & MA | | Quote:
Originally Posted by pandaman37  ok, so ive been playing my squier jazz and the action has been ridiculously high. obscenely high, i have to push the strings down at least an inch to fret, and its painfully difficult to slap, as the strings are so far away from the fretboard.
ive been thinking about adjusting the truss rod, but i was a bit nervous so i used this method i heard a guy talk about on youtube where he used weights to straighten out the neck, so i used a couple of dumbbells, left it overnight as the video said, and nothing happened as far as i noticed.
a) should i even attempt to work with the truss rod? i have the tools necessary.
b) if yes, from the bridge to the headstock, i turn the wrench clockwise to tighten the truss rod?
any help would be appreciated, this has been annoying me for a while but i havnt had the experience to work on it.
Thanks! | For starters, the truss rod does not adjust action. The truss rod adjusts the amount of relief (or bend) in the neck. Action is adjusted via raising or lowering the saddles. Yes, it's true, adjusting the truss rod does have an impact on action but it's main function is to adjust relief. So, on to your questions....
a) If your bass is not playing as it should, then yes, give it a try.
b) Turning the truss rod nut clockwise will tighten it, which has the effect of straightening the neck.
If you've not done this before may I suggest you check out the stickies section here for step-by-step instructions. But I will say this... before you tighten the truss rod nut, loosen the strings. This helps take away any unnecessary strain on the nut and truss rod threads. Also, go slow. Tighten the truss rod nut perhaps 1/4 to 1/2 turn. Bring the strings up to tune and see if things have gotten to where you want them to be.
But do check out the stickies for the step-by-step procedures. |
08-22-2010, 11:49 AM
| | Registered User
I setup & repair guitars & basses | | Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Kensington, Ca | | Quote:
Originally Posted by pandaman37 ok, so ive been playing my squier jazz and the action has been ridiculously high. obscenely high, i have to push the strings down at least an inch to fret, and its painfully difficult to slap, as the strings are so far away from the fretboard.
ive been thinking about adjusting the truss rod, but i was a bit nervous so i used this method i heard a guy talk about on youtube where he used weights to straighten out the neck, so i used a couple of dumbbells, left it overnight as the video said, and nothing happened as far as i noticed.
a) should i even attempt to work with the truss rod? i have the tools necessary.
b) if yes, from the bridge to the headstock, i turn the wrench clockwise to tighten the truss rod?
any help would be appreciated, this has been annoying me for a while but i havnt had the experience to work on it.
Thanks! | 1) Read the stickies on setup.
2) This sounds like a really, really bowed neck. I would strongly suggest you take your bass to someone with enough experience to tell you whether this neck can be made functional. Sadly, I've seen more than a few Squier Jazz necks that were de-facto disposable.
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Instrument repair/setup, Bay area
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08-22-2010, 01:23 PM
| | Banned | | Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Clovis, CA | | whoops sorry i meant relief..
yeah my plan was to go very slowly, very gently, i dont want to screw this up. its not so much that i absolutely have to fix it, cos it is perfectly playable, its more of a matter of preference, so ill go ahead and follow the stickies and let you know how it turns out  thanks again |
08-22-2010, 07:03 PM
| | Registered User
I setup & repair guitars & basses | | Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Kensington, Ca | | | yeah my plan was to go very slowly, very gently, i dont want to screw this up.
Now, this is the way to go about it, rather than, "Ready, fire, aim!"
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Instrument repair/setup, Bay area
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09-02-2010, 08:39 PM
| | Banned | | Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Clovis, CA | | | ok.. i know i just said it was fixed, but some s**t went down. i tightened it quite a bit over a length of time, id say at least a full turn over about a few days of adjustment, i strung it with some chromes, and i still have just barely under an inch between the frets and the strings. the only difference is there is a lot less tension in the strings. i even lowered the action, and there seems to be just as much space as when i started it. now the only thing i can think of at this point is either
a) faulty truss rod
b) the chromes are such a high tension it bowed the neck out of shape, but i just dont know about that, i mean i really geared that rod in there, it shouldnt be doing this lol
once again, its really just a matter of preference at this point, i dont absolutely need to fix it, but it would be nice.. and i feel like this problem with the neck might have something to do with the lack of sustain and fret buzz, etc.... thanks for the help |
09-02-2010, 11:56 PM
| | Banned | | Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Clovis, CA | | some pics  
Last edited by pandaman37 : 09-03-2010 at 12:22 AM.
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09-03-2010, 12:26 AM
| | Banned | | Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Clovis, CA | | and mawr   |
09-03-2010, 12:28 AM
| | Banned | | Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Clovis, CA | | and the last batch  
Last edited by pandaman37 : 09-07-2010 at 07:12 PM.
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09-07-2010, 07:14 PM
| | Banned | | Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Clovis, CA | | im starting to think the nut has something to do with this as well, ive read this forum day and night and there doesnt seem to be much of a bow in the neck anymore, its very strange... i only notice now that in that picture of the nut it looks rather tall.. perhaps ill file it down a notch or two
EDIT: filed it down a notch, lowerd the action (yet again), and voila! thanks for the support everyone and once again, sorry for nagging so much
Last edited by pandaman37 : 09-07-2010 at 07:51 PM.
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