Truss Rod Adjustment, Yes or No?

[Wallygator]

Hey there,

I realized that the action on my ESP TA200 is a little high. Lately I have been learning more about basses in general and I realize the neck is a little bowed. I have watched some videos and have read various websites on adjusting the truss rod, BUT I also have read plenty of NEVER TOUCH YOUR TRUSS rod warnings so I am concerned to attempt it myself.

Question, it looks pretty straight forward on the video, what are the big concerns in doing it yourself other than insuring you have the correct sized wrench?
Question, How much should it cost to get it done professionally if I choose to go that route?

thanks

[JTE]

Tweak a truss rod? That's easy. And unless you do something just plain wrong (like turn it a whole turn, keep turning when you meet resistance, use the wrong sized wrench, don't loosen it a bit first, or don't pre-stress neck), you won't hurt it.

My advice is to learn to do it.

John

[Wallygator]

Thanks for the advice, understand the loosen it first part but what do you mean by not pre-stressing the neck?

[tZer]

I agree with JTE - just use common sense. Don't force it, a little bit goes a long way, when it doubt, stop and get advice.

I'd also do a lot of research on proper ways to set up your bass/guitar and try to understand the order and function of each of the operations. The truss is for relief/flatness and the bridge saddles are for string height/action. You want to make sure you have the correct amount of relief (truss) then adjust the height of the strings (action).

You'd be amazed at what a 1/4 turn on the truss will do.

[LilloEsquilo]

The warnings are really just to be sure you don't take that thing and crank it 3 turns around at a shot, or strip the nut. It's like anything else in fixing your bass - take your time and think through what you are doing and you'll probably be fine. The worst thing you can do is be in a hell of a hurry and cost yourself a lot of time and money that way. Never fix your bass the way your boss demands you do your work - NOW URGENT YESTERDAY ASAP. Take your time. It really is better to do it right than do it fast, just don't tell your boss....

A pro shouldn't charge you much, it will take him between 2 minutes and 10 minutes depending on if it's got a cover over the truss rod or not generally.

Having said all this, you say the action is a little high, this is adjusted at your bridge. There are usually small allen screws that hold the saddles off the bridge, have you tried adjusting this BEFORE thinking about your trussrod? It may not need to be adjusted. You should only adjust your trussrod IF you have set the action low and you are getting buzz with it set the way you want it.

[Wallygator]

thanks for all the info. I have sighted the neck and its definately bowed, the action isnt bad at the first few frets but gets considerably higher up the neck, much highter than my other two basses which sighted straight.

[tZer]

Originally Posted by Wallygator

thanks for all the info. I have sighted the neck and its definately bowed, the action isnt bad at the first few frets but gets considerably higher up the neck, much highter than my other two basses which sighted straight.

Describe how you are determining that you neck is bowed.

[Wallygator]

sighting down the neck from the headstock I can clearly see the neck bowing away from the strings. my other basses look perfectly straight.
Also when I fret the e sting on the first and last frets, the space at the 7th fret is more than a credit card

[Bobster]

Hi Wally,

Just make sure you use exactly the right size allen wrench (or whatever is needed) so you don't damage the truss rod nut and then tighten it a small amount (approx 1/2 turn) and wait until the next day for further adjustment.

Good luck, it should be fine.

Bob

[Scobac]

My experience has been that neck relief and bridge adjustments go hand in hand! Any time I make an adjustment to the truss rod; I also check intonation! Make small adjustments, then tune up and play for a while and give the neck a chance to settle in to the new setting! Once you got neck relief where you want it; then zero in on your intonation!

[LilloEsquilo]

Then it sounds like you'll want to adjust the truss rod to straighten it. So you'll want to tighten it (right to tight). Just a bit at a time it doesn't take much to make a difference, though the first time you do it you doubt that (I did anyway).

As long as you don't strip the nut or turn it too much all at one shot, it's hard to mess this up. So don't be afraid to go for it. If you are careful of those things and there is a problem, the odds are very good you would have had one anyway and it's not you, but you should be ok by following the tips folks here have given.

[bassdude51]

Google and research truss rod adjustment. You CAN adjust it yourself! It's good to know how because the neck bow is always changing according to winter and summer and humidity. You've been given some good advice already. First off, with one hand, fret the E string at first fret and hold it, while holding down at #1, fret the last fret. With the E string pressed down at the same time at the first and last fret, there should be a gap between the top of the 8th fret and the bottom of the E string of about the thickness of one or two business cards. If it's more than that, you probably should tighten the t. rod. (although some like a bigger gap) It's best to tighten it while the strings are very loose, that way you won't be fighting against the string tension while you tighten the rod to get the bow down. You might have to loosen strings, tighten, loosen and tighten several times until it's correct. It can at times be very helpful to bend the neck straight by hand and then tighten the rod. Perhaps a 2 man job to do this. If the t. rod is starting to max and you still have too much bow, go to lighter gauge strings which have less pull on the neck. Once your t. rod is adjusted correctly, you'll have to adjust your saddles and intonation. Necks are not supposed to be perfectly straight. There needs to be a slight bow at the 8th fret of about one or 2 business cards when fretted at the first and last fret. This bow will change according to the weather and humidity and if one changes to lighter or heavier strings. Good luck!

[funkyebk]

Originally Posted by Bobster

Hi Wally,

Just make sure you use exactly the right size allen wrench (or whatever is needed) so you don't damage the truss rod nut and then tighten it a small amount (approx 1/2 turn) and wait until the next day for further adjustment.

Good luck, it should be fine.

Bob

WOAH There big fella... 1/2 turn? start with a 1/4 at most. a 'lil dab 'll do ya.

[makkE]

I used to be scared of truss rod adjustment too, but here in the countryside with no tech in reasonable reach, I had to do it myself eventually. Turns out it's not as scary as you think it'd be.
Just start with small increments, watch how the neck reacts and you will soon get a feel for it.

[Ric5]

Originally Posted by Wallygator

I realized that the action on my ESP TA200 is a little high. Lately I have been learning more about basses in general and I realize the neck is a little bowed. I have watched some videos and have read various websites on adjusting the truss rod, BUT I also have read plenty of NEVER TOUCH YOUR TRUSS rod warnings so I am concerned to attempt it myself.

The only basses you should not adjust on your own is the old pre 1986 Rickenbackers. Pretty much ever other bass can be adjusted by an amateur.

[202dy]

Originally Posted by funkyebk

WOAH There big fella... 1/2 turn? start with a 1/4 at most. a 'lil dab 'll do ya.

There are too many variables to predict how far to turn a truss rod nut.

Turn the truss rod nut until the proper adjustment has been achieved.

If the nut squeaks, stop.

[LilloEsquilo]

Originally Posted by 202dy

There are too many variables to predict how far to turn a truss rod nut.

Turn the truss rod nut until the proper adjustment has been achieved.

If the nut squeaks, stop.

I still would NEVER turn it at one time more than 1/4 to 1/2 a turn, and that depends on the bass - I wouldn't ever go over a 1/4 turn on a vintage at once just due to not wanting to take any chances whatsoever. I would say by all means be conservative as you can always adjust it again later, and stick to no more than 1/2 a turn tops at a setting, and preferably as people have said, 1/4. Sure you may get away with more, or you may not, and if you don't, you're going to wish you had gone a little slower with the job.

[202dy]

Originally Posted by LilloEsquilo

I still would NEVER turn it at one time more than 1/4 to 1/2 a turn, and that depends on the bass - I wouldn't ever go over a 1/4 turn on a vintage at once just due to not wanting to take any chances whatsoever. I would say by all means be conservative as you can always adjust it again later, and stick to no more than 1/2 a turn tops at a setting, and preferably as people have said, 1/4. Sure you may get away with more, or you may not, and if you don't, you're going to wish you had gone a little slower with the job.

Why?

[Floyd Eye]

Originally Posted by Ric5

The only basses you should not adjust on your own is the old pre 1986 Rickenbackers. Pretty much ever other bass can be adjusted by an amateur.

Depends on your definition of amateur I suppose. It isn't tough to do. I trust myself more than a random luthier, I can tell you that much. Joey walked me through it the first time and I haven't paid to have it ( or any guitar/bass) set up since. His site is down for maintenance at the moment I believe, but it is a great resource, especially for 4001 owners.


http://www.joeysbassnotes.com/

[walterw]

listen to 202dy.

don't worry about any "wait overnight" or "1/4 turn only" nonsense, actual guitar tech people don't do any of that.

tighten it until it's straight or until it gets pretty hard to turn, whichever happens first.

(if it gets hard to turn, then look into extra steps like unscrewing the nut out all the way and lubing it with a little oil and candlewax, pre-pushing the neck into backbow before tightening, and/or dropping washers under the nut to get more thread access. otherwise, just adjust it til it gets where you want it to be and get on with your day like actual repair guys do )