Service manual

Sinclair Community College | ETD 110 Guitar Service Manual

and the fret will be about a tenth of an inch or the thickness of a

business card. If the gap is less than this, the strings may buzz when

played due to the neck being back bowed or too straight. A straight

neck will be easier to play but a slight bow is ideal to get the perfect

tone out of your guitar. Remember you can always adjust to your

specific playing style.

As mentioned, the truss rod can easily be adjusted with an Allen

wrench or a screw driver. First you must locate the nut for the truss

rod. The location varies on different guitars

but is usually located at the end of the neck or

behind a plate on the head. If your neck is

bowed forward, you will want to tighten the

nut to bend the neck backwards. If your neck

is back-bowed, you will want to loosen the nut

which will allow the neck to straighten or bow

forward. As a rule of thumb, never adjust the

truss rod more than 1/8

turn at a time. Over

tightening may break the truss rod which can be very expensive to

replace. Also remember that it may take a few minutes for you to see

the results of your adjustments, so just adjust a small amount at a

certain time.

There are some precautions you must take when adjusting the truss

rod. Remember to always use the correct tool to avoid stripping or

damaging the nut. Check with the manufacturer to verify that you

are using the right side wrench. Some nuts are welded to the truss

rod, so as you can imagine, repair work can be costly. Also, if your

truss rod makes strange noises or extreme resistance occurs while

adjusting, take your guitar to your local shop to avoid any damage.