Tips On How to Set Up a Guitar : How to Adjust the Neck on an Acoustic Guitar
29th October 2009
Learn how to make neck adjustments on an acoustic guitar truss rod from a professional guitar technician in this free guitar care video.
Expert: Tim Ambrosuis
Bio: Tim Ambrosius is professional guitar technician and manager at Keller Music in Cincinnati, Ohio. He has been playing guitar for 15 years and has worked as a professional technician for 10.
Filmmaker: Jason Sager
Duration : 0:2:31
October 29th, 2009 at 6:53 am
hi mate!! you’ve …
hi mate!! you’ve just solved my problem!!! thanks!! keep up the good work….. graham, liverpool, england.
October 29th, 2009 at 6:53 am
okay, so my grandpa …
okay, so my grandpa gave this 40 something year old epiphone texan.
well, with it being so old the nut snapped. I got the nut replaced. it used to be the action was better than my sg, but now it’s terrible. so i removed the nut, and shaved it down a bit.
Now, the action on the first couple frets is good, but near the 9th,10th etc. the actions still high.
help? please?
October 29th, 2009 at 6:53 am
alright im trying …
alright im trying to fix my friends guitar. the strings r like about 3 quarters of an inch of the neck how do i fix that
October 29th, 2009 at 6:53 am
you have to take it …
you have to take it to your local guitar place and get your guitar setup frist before you get heavy gauge strings becuse if your guitar supports meduim and light gauge string stock, then it wont support heavier guage strings. you shouldve taken it down to get truss rod, nut, and other neck adjustments because your neck might snap eventually. youre pretty dumb no offense. always ask a professional before doing anything major.
October 29th, 2009 at 6:53 am
Um, This isn’t how …
Um, This isn’t how to adjust the neck angle… Its how to address the bow of the neck. You adjust the angle usually by shimming, or shaving the saddle., which is also a better way to adjust the action then trying to adjust the action with the truss rod.
October 29th, 2009 at 6:53 am
you aint kiddn i …
you aint kiddn i bought a guitar and had the same problem i did it and the action is lower and it sounds a of alot better
October 29th, 2009 at 6:53 am
I got a really nice …
I got a really nice Gretsch Acoustic and when I put on .56 gauged strings I think I may have bent the neck and I have gone back to 52s and It is still bent i think. The action is really high and the neck looks bent. The neck looks bent on my electric too because I went up to .53 strings
HELLP PLLLZZZ
October 29th, 2009 at 6:53 am
THIS GUY IS RIGHT>. …
THIS GUY IS RIGHT>….
I just did a TRUST ROD ADJUSTMENT>… and it worked…
Had a very High action on my guitar…
I tightened the trust rod… and now its FIXED>..
October 29th, 2009 at 6:53 am
hi i want to adjust …
hi i want to adjust action height to low so it is easy to play does it do it?
October 29th, 2009 at 6:53 am
ALL decent quality …
ALL decent quality guitars have truss rods. Save yourself some greif, if you need an adjument, take it and have it done.
October 29th, 2009 at 6:53 am
The distance from …
The distance from thebottom of the strings to the frets is refered to as the “action”. High action=hard to play
action to low=fret buzz +bad intonation.Every guitar has a different action heigth, usually the high and low is determined by the factory, you can get the spects from them. Action is a matter of preference. There are several factors invloved so do try it yourself, pay a few dollars and have it set by a pro.
October 29th, 2009 at 6:53 am
just about every …
just about every guitar made after 1921 (with the exception of classical guitars) will most likely have a truss rod
October 29th, 2009 at 6:53 am
Do semihollow body …
Do semihollow body guitars have truss rods?
October 29th, 2009 at 6:53 am
thanks.
thanks.
October 29th, 2009 at 6:53 am
Before you touch …
Before you touch the truss rod, though, consider lowering the saddle. That’s the part of the bridge the strings ride over. If it’s adjustable, crank it down. If it’s fixed, file it (just the saddle, not the bridge) keeping roughly the same shape. Saddles are replaceable; you won’t hurt anything.
October 29th, 2009 at 6:53 am
An older guitar …
An older guitar with high action may need a neck re$et. If it’s a decent instrument a reset is worth doing — good guitars improve with age; 30 is hardly broke in for a Martin or Gibson. If it’s a real cheapie, go ahead, just take it slow and observe. Truss rods break easy (DAMHIKT).
October 29th, 2009 at 6:53 am
k thanks. i have a …
k thanks. i have a pretty old guitar [30 yrs] acoustic and it has pretty high action. my dad said he’ll get me a new one in a few months so untill then i was thinking I would tighten the truss rod a bit.
October 29th, 2009 at 6:53 am
I disagree with …
I disagree with this guy about adjusting the rod with strings tensioned. Slack ‘em off, turn the truss rod nut no more than 1/4 turn (if you MUST play with it) and then tune up and play it for a month. It can take that long for the neck to settle to its new shape.
October 29th, 2009 at 6:53 am
Action is the …
Action is the height of the strings above the frets, usually at the twelfth fret if not otherwise specified.
A new guitar that has never been properly set up may need the saddle and nut heights adjusted as well as the truss rod. And maybe frets leveled. Try to do all those jobs with the truss rod and you’ll have an awful mess, and maybe break the rod.
October 29th, 2009 at 6:53 am
PLEASE DON’T READ …
PLEASE DON’T READ THIS you will die in seven days if you don’t post this comment on 10 videos in the next hour. if you do, tomorrow will be
the best day of your life
October 29th, 2009 at 6:53 am
PLEASE DON’T READ …
PLEASE DON’T READ THIS you will die in seven days if you don’t post this comment on 10 videos in the next hour. if you do, tomorrow will be
the best day of your life
October 29th, 2009 at 6:53 am
what does action …
what does action mean ? I’m pretty new to guitar so i was just wondering.
October 29th, 2009 at 6:53 am
to lower a necks …
to lower a necks action, i think you need a new nut.
October 29th, 2009 at 6:53 am
You’re right to …
You’re right to doubt . . . the tension rod is used to adjust the relief, or bow, in the neck, as he does: NOT the action! The action will change when you adjust it, and high action may be a clue that the relief is wrong, but high action can result from a lot of different causes. If use the rod to compensate for some other problem, you’ll wind up with the relief out of whack.
October 29th, 2009 at 6:53 am
under BOW… not …
under BOW… not under bouw