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I've never messed with the truss rod on any of my
instruments. I've always been told flat out, "Don't
mess with it." But, if you got a little buzzing here
or there everyone always says, "Your truss rod needs
adjusting." But I'm not supposed to touch it...nasty
little Catch 22 there, but anyway my questions is just
exactly to what degree should the rod be adjusted? Is
there any way of determining, like depending on where
your strings are buzzing, which way to turn it? I've
noticed a little bit of buzzing at the fourth and
fifth frets on my A-string, and a friend of mine that
picked up my guitar told me I had something "killing
(my) sustain" near the bottom of the neck, whatever
that means. Anybody got any advice?
~R
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Hello Richard,
The thing with the tuss rod is that when you got buzzing, this could
mean that your fretboard, actually the entire arm is a bit overbend.
So at this point the tech or player will tighten or losen the arm a bit
(it works like a screw)
I have adjusted the tuss rod many times on many different guitars, but
one must do this very carefully.
The buzzing could also mean you should adjust the saddle; this can clear
the buzzing as well. I only touch the tuss rod when all strings are
closer at the fret board at the first frets (in height) then at the 22nd
fret. Of course on many guitars this is normal, but I mean when the
difference make playing these high pitch notes difficult.
I'm no tech, I just share my experience.
I only adjusted the saddles on my Jazzmaster after I put on heavier
strings.
But the buzzing disappeared after I adjusted the saddles a bit in
height.
If you are not sure, take the guitar to a recommended guitar tech.
The tuss rod makes more or less tension to the guitar arm so bending or
loosening the tension.
I hope you understand what I'm trying to say, since my technical English
is a bit rusty.
Kind regards,
Jerry S. from Belgium.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Richard [mailto:]
> Sent: Wednesday, October 09, 2002 4:36 PM
> To:
> Subject: [SurfGuitar101] Speaking of truss rods
>
>
>
> I've never messed with the truss rod on any of my
> instruments. I've always been told flat out, "Don't
> mess with it."
No way. Leo Fender built these guitars so that the average joe can tweak
them. You do want to be careful, but you also want your guitar to play
right.
> But, if you got a little buzzing here
> or there everyone always says, "Your truss rod needs
> adjusting." But I'm not supposed to touch it...nasty
> little Catch 22 there, but anyway my questions is just
> exactly to what degree should the rod be adjusted? Is
> there any way of determining, like depending on where
> your strings are buzzing, which way to turn it?
First off, check out Fender's customer support site for FAQ's on setups.
A trip to the library to get one of Dan Erlewine's books is in order too. He
also has videos on this subject. If doing your own setup doesn't appeal to
you, find a tech at a guitar store.
> I've
> noticed a little bit of buzzing at the fourth and
> fifth frets on my A-string, and a friend of mine that
> picked up my guitar told me I had something "killing
> (my) sustain" near the bottom of the neck, whatever
> that means. Anybody got any advice?
If your neck has the right bend to it, I'd just try raising a saddle to get
rid of the buzz.
>
> ~R
Very well said Jerry.
1. A certain amount of buzz when notes / chords are picked hard is normal
2. Truss rod education is beyond the scope of an e-mail: You can conquer it, its
not that hard, but there is not pat answer, there are several things to
consider....goto www.mrgearhead.net...or, for even more info, get Dan Erlewine's
book, How To Make Your Electric Guitar Play Great...there's also another site,
called like guitarrepair.com or somthing like that.
3. When messing with the rod, a little can go a long way.
4. Its your guitar: Choosing to do something to it yourself is great and
satisfying, just get well-educated beforehand....most guitars aren't made of
china, and can tolerate most neophytes. Best though to consider practicing first
on a cheap axe...
Good luck,
-Brad
----- Original Message -----
From: Richard
To:
Sent: Wednesday, October 09, 2002 5:36 PM
Subject: [SurfGuitar101] Speaking of truss rods
I've never messed with the truss rod on any of my
instruments. I've always been told flat out, "Don't
mess with it." But, if you got a little buzzing here
or there everyone always says, "Your truss rod needs
adjusting." But I'm not supposed to touch it...nasty
little Catch 22 there, but anyway my questions is just
exactly to what degree should the rod be adjusted? Is
there any way of determining, like depending on where
your strings are buzzing, which way to turn it? I've
noticed a little bit of buzzing at the fourth and
fifth frets on my A-string, and a friend of mine that
picked up my guitar told me I had something "killing
(my) sustain" near the bottom of the neck, whatever
that means. Anybody got any advice?
~R
__________________________________________________
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Faith Hill - Exclusive Performances, Videos & More
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