My luthier made a huge truss rod turn

[pulse]

Hi there

I recently took my new bass to my local luthier to figure out which strings to replace its stock ones with

I mentioned that I had read I should adjust the truss rod a little when switching strings. He took a look at the neck and said you need to do it anyway. And it's true since the bass had no set up since I bought it new.

So I asked him if he could do the truss rod adjustment for me (thinking it was a minor tweak) he turned it like 1 and a half full turns in one pop. And I heard a pop sound!!

I mean this guy is one of my cities best Luthiers and repairs and sets up expensive / vintage guitars for a lot of famous musicians. But every where I read you should only make a quarter turn a day.

I asked him about it and he said to me ... "thats ********"!

So is it safe to make such radical turns? or should it only be done by experts, I was pretty freaked out by the sound it made

If anyone can put me out of my paranoia I would be grateful.

[mikeyswood]

Is there anything wrong with the instrument?

[M0ses]

Luthiers don't get a reputation like you described by making neck-ruining rookie mistakes. I'd trust him on that one.

[mongo2]

Frankly, I've been known to "speed dial" a trussrod or two over the last 40 years. Never had a problem.

If I overshoot I back it off, which is how I prefer to adjust the rod anyway, that is make it a bit too shallow then back it off to the right relief.

[Step]

Originally Posted by M0ses

Luthiers don't get a reputation like you described by making neck-ruining rookie mistakes. I'd truss him on that one.

fixed

[pulse]

Originally Posted by mikeyswood

Is there anything wrong with the instrument?

it has an extremely straight neck now.

and I will probably need to add more relief in the next days. how long should I wait before making any more adjustments?

[groooooove]

sometimes truss rods make noise, i wouldent worry.

your instrument probably needed a huge adjustment, and he was able to see that. unless a problem arises i'd be at ease.

[pulse]

Originally Posted by M0ses

Luthiers don't get a reputation like you described by making neck-ruining rookie mistakes. I'd trust him on that one.

I know, he made a free adjustment and he is obviously a master of his work.

I just wanted to hear it from a few more of you guys that this quarter turn a day rule is BS.

But your point is taken

[pulse]

Originally Posted by groooooove

sometimes truss rods make noise, i wouldent worry.

your instrument probably needed a huge adjustment, and he was able to see that. unless a problem arises i'd be at ease.

thanks man I needed those words!!!!

I just read so many different opinions on the matter.

All of these answers have put me at ease.

[NicJimBass]

I've only ever heard the 1/4 turn idea on sites like this one. The few luthiers I've spoken to have basically laughed at the idea. I'd much rather put my trust in someone who has been working on instruments for a living, personally.

[pulse]

Originally Posted by NicJimBass

I've only ever heard the 1/4 turn idea on sites like this one. The few luthiers I've spoken to have basically laughed at the idea. I'd much rather put my trust in someone who has been working on instruments for a living, personally.

agree

They obviously know when to stop if they need too, I suppose the 1/4 turn thing is to stop people like myself who are completely new to it from ruining the neck.

[Ben B]

Originally Posted by pulse

But every where I read you should only make a quarter turn a day.

Perhaps, this advice is intended for those who have no experience with adjusting truss rods. I guess if you are inexperienced, there is a chance you could over-tighten the rod and possibly strip the nut or break the rod. Since your luthier made the adjustment, I'm sure there is nothing to worry about.

I have never had a problem with turning the truss rod more than 1/4 turn at a time. Also, think about all the new basses being assembled at the factories. Do you think they limit truss rod adjustments to 1/4 turn per day?

Ben

[Yerf Dog]

I've never limited myself to 1/4 turn a day.

[PSPookie]

I usually will do a 1/4 turn at a time with no more than 1/2 turn a day but my necks don't usually need huge adjustments. I do notice a bit of a difference if I let the adjustment settle in over night, especially if I'm loosening the truss rod.

I think it could also be like when you write a paper and you let it sit over night before proof reading it. When you come at it fresh the next day you aren't as in-love with the work you just did and are more likely to judge things objectively.

[hover]

Originally Posted by PSPookie

I usually will do a 1/4 turn at a time with no more than 1/2 turn a day but my necks don't usually need huge adjustments.

That's me too. Get it set up, and seasonal adjustments usually fall within this range as a rule....ime, anyway.

And yes, dependent on the style of trussrod, it can certainly make noise. You can surely discern a CRACK from a mild pop. That is usually just a byproduct of the mechanism. What kind of truss rod is it? If it is a newer, never-adjusted instrument, it could simply be a little built-up glue creep giving way on the threads...it only amplifies as such because it's in a relatively "hollow" channel.

[luzceloffan]

Originally Posted by pulse

agree

They obviously know when to stop if they need too, I suppose the 1/4 turn thing is to stop people like myself who are completely new to it from ruining the neck.

+10000 I have ruined a neck once for not stopping myself ...

[Son of Magni]

Originally Posted by NicJimBass

I've only ever heard the 1/4 turn idea on sites like this one. The few luthiers I've spoken to have basically laughed at the idea. I'd much rather put my trust in someone who has been working on instruments for a living, personally.

The 1/4 turn/day thing is not a bad rule to use when adjusting a compression rod. The reason it's usually recommended is that most people don't know whether they have a compression rod or a two piece rod and it's better to play it safe.

[FunkMetalBass]

The 1/4 turn rule is also good to settle in on those final, minor adjustments where the wood and truss rod have not settled in.

As long as you are coaxing the wood while turning the truss rod (ie, using some force to bend it so that the truss rod isn't bearing the bulk of the work), huge turns like that are very little risk.

[SnakeKappele]

I live on the edge and adjust the rod until it's right. Never had a problem. I have heard about the "take it slow" rule and lived in fear at first.

I noticed that the Stewart-MacDonald site often talks about taking the nut right off and cleaning threads as a standard part of adjustment. They just unscrew it unless they set aside a couple months for the job!

Also, how much would you have to bend a neck to hurt it? We aren't talking about 1/4" relief changes here.

I also hear people say LaBella 760M "Jamerson" strings will snap necks and have never had a problem (even on a $120 bass).

Setting up a bass is easy and I think a lot of these stories are to keep people from servicing their own instruments.

[Beej]

More than once someone has brought a brand new bass to me for a setup and I've found the trussrod had been backed right off for shipping and it had not been set up before the buyer received it. On both of those I turned the trussrod nuts at least three full turns before they started to tighten. Yours may have been loose for shipping...