How to adjust your guitar’s Truss Rod
As a guitar player, you will experience from time to time a strange phenomenon. Let’s say your guitar is set up perfectly, maybe even by a professional luthier. If that is the case, how can you explain that suddenly your guitar started having fret buzz out of the blue and becoming less playable than it was just yesterday?
The answer is simple: Truss Rod!
As you may already know, your guitar’s truss rod is an adjustable steel bar that resides inside your guitar’s neck. What is its purpose, you may ask? Well, if you didn’t have a Truss Rod inside the guitar’s neck to counteract the pressure caused by the strings (as they are under tension), the neck would simply crack and break!
Now, it is important to find the right balance between the tension caused by all strings versus the tension applied by the Truss Rod. It’s that sweet spot that will allow for your guitar to be buzz-free and in prime playing condition (unless you have a different and more serious issue on your guitar, but for now let’s focus on the matter at hand).
To adjust your guitar’s truss rod, you need the following items:
- Feeler’s Gauge (the ones used in automotive shops are fine)
- A Philips screwdriver, in case you need to remove the truss rod cover
- A capo
- A truss rod wrench or Hex Key (should have come with your guitar when you bought it)
In order to adjust the truss rod, we will use the guitar strings as a measuring tool as well, as this makes the process that much simpler. Then, you need to find in your guitar manual the recommended amount of neck relief you need for your specific guitar model. As a reference, you can find below the recommended relief for some famous models:
- Stratocaster / Telecaster: 0.010” (or 0.0254 cm)
- Les Paul or SG: Start with 0.012” (or 0.03048 cm) and adjust to a lower value as long as you don’t get any fret buzz
- Ibanez, PRS, Jackson, etc: Usually 0.012” (or 0.03048 cm)
How to measure your neck relief and adjust the truss rod accordingly:
1. Lay your guitar down on its back in a table
2. Tune your guitar to pitch
3. Place the capo on the first fret of the guitar (this stops influence from the nut on the measurements)
4. Place your index finger on the 6th string at the last fret of the neck for bolt-on necks (example: Strat, Tele), or at the fret where the neck meets the body, usually the 17th (example: Les Paul, SG).
5. With your free hand, use the appropriate feeler’s gauge (0.010” or 0.012”) to measure the space between the 7th fret and the bottom of the 6th (see picture below).
6. The feeler gauge should touch both the fret AND the bottom of the 6th string, without raising the string itself. If the feeler gauge does not touch the string bottom and the fret simultaneously, it means you have too much relief (you then need to tighten the truss rod). If the feeler gauge does touch the string bottom and raises the string, it means you don’t have enough relief (you then need to loosen the truss rod). If the feeler gauge touches the string bottom and the fret simultaneously without raising the string, it means you don’t have to adjust anything.
7. Now it’s time to adjust the truss-rod. Facing the guitar’s head stock, insert the wrench into the truss rod hole. Turn it clockwise to tighten (reduce neck relief) or counter-clockwise to loosen (increase neck relief). (see picture below)
8. Repeat steps from 2 to 7 until you get your ideal measurement. Tune the guitar at the end and play notes over all frets to confirm you do not have any fret buzz. You’re all set!
About the author
Based in Zurich Switzerland, Gonçalo Crespo is a professional guitar teacher and musician. He has taught guitar for over 8 years covering a variety of styles but focuses mainly on getting his students to guitar playing success in the most efficient way possible. Founder of Music&Co. guitar music school, Gonçalo also offers tuition for acoustic and electric guitar.