changed my strings on my cheap acoustic a couple of weeks ago since then there has been a fret buzz on the bass e string from 3 to 7 fret so did some research and decided to loosen the truss rod off did that today and nothing broke but it did improve no more fret buzz not sure if I would try it on my electrics though
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Hi John there is nothing to be afraid of when it comes to truss rods IF you set aside ten minutes and read and take the right advice, it is a valuable tool for guitarists and when you get used to it, its just like changing a string if you need help just shout out I will help you no probs at all cheers Hec
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thanks Hec much appreciated
Just try turning the truss rod a quarter turn at a time and then re-assess if it’s got better or worse and you’ll come to no harm.
Ideally you’d have a long straight edge to lay along the fretboard and you’d be able to see what effect is happening by the shrinking / growing of space underneath it but you can assess it by touching a string on to fret 1 and fret 22 with each little finger and reaching into the middle of the fretboard with your thumbs to see how the relief of the neck is changing
Long ago the Play Guitar Podcast had a really helpful episode on Setting Up Your Guitar. There’s both a video and a transcript. You may find it a useful resource. Most of my guitars could benefit from some setup work at this point so I should go back and review this episode my own self.
I can certainly vouch for the value of a good setup. My ES-335 12-string seemed like a totally different guitar after the tech at a local shop gave it a proper setup job. But at ~$100 USD for that work times 6 guitars in my collection, there’s certainly an economic motivation for learning to do the basics myself. I’m also lucky that my wife, who is a mechanical engineer, is interested in learning / helping so I have excellent help.
If you get some proper guitar tools from Music Nomad https://www.musicnomadcare.com/ they will include instructions on how to do the basic stuff. Neck relief is easy, and the kits include the gauges to get it right.
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