Waiting to re-adjust truss rod?

[baconmpanada]

Is it really necessary to wait for about 24hours to adjust the truss rod again after adjusting it earlier? i adjust it about a quarter turn and wondering if i should adjust it again.

i also loosened the strings for now, it seems to be that the original string was too heavy in gauge, which could have been a cause of the bow in the neck.

 

[SurferJoe46]

More by gut-feeling than anything else, but if you've got to make more than 1/2 turn or more, a small waiting period would prolly be OK.

Be sure to retension the strings you're gonna use on it and tuned up as the neck settles though. The adjustment you're making isn't going to be able to compensate for the string pull if they aren't there or are loose.

 

[BassNeo]

I bought a Squier that had a good 1" between the frets and the board. I loosened the strings and let it sit for a week, then re-strung it and adjusted the truss rod as I went.

I did wait a day before I tuned it for a final time and set the saddles where I wanted them, and it came out perfect. I'd make all your major adjustments right away, get the neck where you want it, tune it and then leave it for a day. Then come back and do your final adjustments.

 

[walterw]

those of us who turn truss rods for a living turn them until the neck is where we want then get on with our day.

 

[skychief]

those of us who turn truss rods for a living turn them until the neck is where we want then get on with our day.

fair enuff.. so whaddya do when they dont turn?

edit: the reason im asking is cuz my truss rod wont budge either way on a '99 Squier J.

 

[SurferJoe46]

I put a small drop of either diesel fuel or kerosene on the tip of a screwdriver and touch it to the threads or at least the center of the nut.

Then I let it sit overnight and try to turn it a little both ways the next day. So far I haven't had a failure doing it this way.

But I just know a PRO-fes-sion-al luthier will take exception with that.

I never go to nor pay a luthier for anything anyway. It's just nuts and bolts.

 

[darkstorm]

No, not with the better brands of bass and guitar. The main thing is dont be doing whole turns at a time. Just quarter turn.

 

[Chasarms]

those of us who turn truss rods for a living turn them until the neck is where we want then get on with our day.

Agreed.

While it is true that the neck might settle a bit one way or the other within 24 hours or so, there is no reason not to set it just as you want it the first time. If you have to tweak it a bit within the next couple of days, then tweak it.

 

[SurferJoe46]

Agreed.

While it is true that the neck might settle a bit one way or the other within 24 hours or so, there is no reason not to set it just as you want it the first time. If you have to tweak it a bit within the next couple of days, then tweak it.

That's OK for a DIYer - but if you paid money to have an expert do it, then you get to pay again for another adjustment in a week.

Sounds like going to the chiropractor to me.

 

[96tbird]

Never got this settle thing. A steel rod doesn't settle, it stays put the untill temperature changes. The wood it's acting upon moves according to the tension applied to it. After that, both the steel and wood are susceptible to temperature changes and are always moving at different rates.

Because our basses are long necked, they require frequent adjustments (more than a six string guit) and tweaks to keep them in optimum condition unless the temperature is perfectly stable. Set it for today and guaranteed a few days from now it will have changed a bit, and so on, Especially if you are moving it to different locations. You take it to rehearsal and it plays great, after a few hours it changes in response to temperature, you leave it overnight and come back the next day and it's out.... you left it in a drafty place in the room where the temperature is cooler than where the thermostat Is located. And so on.

Set it where you want and always have your tweaking tool at hand to give it an eighth turn before playing if it needs it. If you like really low action, you are going to need more frequent tweaks.

 

[Chasarms]

That's OK for a DIYer - but if you paid money to have an expert do it, then you get to pay again for another adjustment in a week.

Sounds like going to the chiropractor to me.

We did it the same way in the shop where I worked years ago. We cranked in (or out) all of the relief we needed in one sitting - whether it was a quarter turn or a full turn. We then set up the guitars and left them sitting.

Before they went out the door, we checked them again usually with the customer standing there before we handed to them. Ninety percent of the time they were fine, if not we tweaked it. Any tweak was typically a little nudge one way or the other. Maybe an 1/8 of a turn. If the neck had to come off, we were a little more attentive up front.

 

[walterw]

just so;

also, a good place should allow for a week or two of free minor follow-up tweaks for fussy players:

"i got it back three days ago and i liked it at first, but it seems a little buzzy now, i might need it a little higher after all..."

<wrench, screwdriver, wrench> "here ya go, try it now".

 

[walterw]

I put a small drop of either diesel fuel or kerosene on the tip of a screwdriver and touch it to the threads or at least the center of the nut.

Then I let it sit overnight and try to turn it a little both ways the next day. So far I haven't had a failure doing it this way.

But I just know a PRO-fes-sion-al luthier will take exception with that.

why?

that sounds entirely reasonable (i'd use actual "liquid wrench"-type penetrating oil, but it's the same idea). another trick is to heat the nut up with a soldering iron, sometimes that will also un-stick it.

 

[David Jayne]

why?

that sounds entirely reasonable (i'd use actual "liquid wrench"-type penetrating oil, but it's the same idea). another trick is to heat the nut up with a soldering iron, sometimes that will also un-stick it.

Oily hydrocarbon liquids can soften wood, so it's important to use as little as possible and be very careful not to let any contact the wood. Apply too much to the rod and it may 'wick' into the underlying wood, and if it gets into the area under the nut you may have problems as the wood will soften and crush under the nut, and will never recover. This can ruin a neck. It's OK to do it, but be careful.

 

[SurferJoe46]

why?

that sounds entirely reasonable (i'd use actual "liquid wrench"-type penetrating oil, but it's the same idea). another trick is to heat the nut up with a soldering iron, sometimes that will also un-stick it.

It's because thinking a non-luthier will likely pour a lot of the diesel, kerosene or Liquid Wrench into the job and pollute the wood. That's why I said 'a drop' on the end of a screwdriver - it's self limiting.

Prolly, since the diesel fuel doesn't have "Approved by real luthiers in clinical trials" on the label, it's not only suspect, but condemned.

In fairness though, I know a luthier who likes owners who think - it saves him a lot of grief and he's got too much work to go out and scare more customers into submission. There may be others who are just as nice.

As a Sinopean (ex: Sinope) in good standing, I'll keep searching.

 

[96tbird]

Diesel is the original penetrating oil, tis true. It's amazing stuff. I was spellbound the first time I saw it work, makes the 'real' penetrating oils look like water.

 

[SurferJoe46]

Diesel is the original penetrating oil, tis true. It's amazing stuff. I was spellbound the first time I saw it work, makes the 'real' penetrating oils look like water.

Yeah - I free'd up a totally seized Poppin' Johnny engine and transmission with it just by pouring it in, letting it sit a few days and them breaking it loose.

A very little goes a long way. One drop.