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I just put the high E on (no other strings), and if I fret the 1st and 24th frets, the string touches the metal around the 9th fret... am I going to need a truss rod adjustment?

If so, is it alright to leave the strings off for a couple of days?

with a stop tail its best to get all the strings on there before you decide to do anything. the tension form the strings pulling against the neck are going to bend the neck. if you make adjusments theyre going to be off when all the strings are back on. Anything from intonation to string height and truss rod adjusments, imo, should be done with all the strings on and tuned to pitch.

Alright thanks... ill put em on

It still touches with the strings on

Let the strings be for a few days. Leave 'em on there tuned to pitch. In a day or two the neck should bend back to it's original relief, or very close.

IF the rod needs to be adjusted as it sounds like it does a simple way to remember which way to move the adjustment is to think in terms that you are raising or lowering the middle of the neck. To raise the middle of the neck you must tighten the rod, to lower the middle of the neck you must loosen the rod. Its easy to remember quot;Right Raisequot; Left Lowerquot; You should have enough relief at the 7th or 9th fret to be able to see a small amount under the top of the fret. I use a very thin pick or a piece of a .10 string. I like to be able to pass the piece of string under the string in between the fret. To much relief will cause the strings to buzz in the open position. Not enogh relief will cause the strings to buzz when you fret in the middle of the neck. Make small adjustments..... ¼ turns. Check the relief after each adjustment. Good Luck!!

Try taking a 2mm pick if you have one and slide it under the 12th fret and the 24th, if the 24th is lower than the 12th then yeah you need to adjust the rod if not leave it be.

But did you not say in another thread that you moved the bridge height screw? why not just move that back up?

Yeah, i moved the bridge height screw, but I've been thinking for a while before that the truss rod may be out.

I read somewhere that to test the truss rod you fret the 1st and the 24th frets and check how far the string is from the 9th fret. The bridge height shouldn't affect this should it?


Originally Posted by Rotten Guitar StringYeah, i moved the bridge height screw, but I've been thinking for a while before that the truss rod may be out.

I read somewhere that to test the truss rod you fret the 1st and the 24th frets and check how far the string is from the 9th fret. The bridge height shouldn't affect this should it?

the way i've always done it is like this....you press the low E at the 1st and 13th frets, then tap down on the 6th fret. it's kind of tricky and you have to stretch your hand out unless you have someone else do it for you. but when you tap the 6th fret, you should hear the string make a little quot;clickquot; as it hits the fret. if it doesn't make any noise at all, that means your neck needs more relief. and if it does make a noise, either you're in good shape or you can straighten out the neck even more. and if i need to, i'll raise or lower the bridge to find that happy medium between the neck adjustment and the bridge height.

Yep.. it's gonna need some more relief. The string was touching the metal on the 6th fret, and there wasn't a click

alright, you can give the neck more relief by loosening the truss rod (turning it counter-clockwise). but only do it in small increments (1/8 to 1/4 turn at a time). just use that trick to check it at the 6th fret after every time you turn the truss rod, and once you get it to the point where the strings no longer have any fret buzz, then tune the whole guitar back to pitch and check it one more time.

It's a sort of balancing act. The truss should be set so when you depress the 14th fret and 1st fret, there's a glimmer of light between the 7th fret and string.
The height adjustment bolts should be adjusted according to the technique of your picking style. Stand up, and play the guitar while adjusting the height of the bridge. When you're getting maximum tone at the lowest action preferred, you're there.

NEVER forget that the FINAL step is always intonation. Some people check the open note against the 12th fretted note, to make sure they read dead center on the tuner.
I go further in fine tuning, so that the saddle is adjusted to keep everything from the 10th to the 20th fret dead center on the tuner. Chords ring like a bell across the entire neck when you do this.