Do You Tweek Often?

Bellycaster

Your Trussrods?

Do you adjust them regularly through the year as seasons and temps change etc?

Sorry for almost repeating a thread, but I didn't want to Hi-jack the String Buzz thread, but I was going to post this anyway tonight.

I tweeked the Wolfgang a few weeks back and it's ok, but I found the VSOP to be a little on the high side tonight.

I was practicing a16th note triplets Rhythm excercise using an E9 Chord and I may have got a bit carried away but I found myself struggling a little more than with the Wolfgang, It felt like the action was a bit high.

I actually broke the thin E while practicing this. I haven't broke a string whilst playing for as long as I can remember(I don't play like a Fairy either), the set is only 7 weeks old, so thats about 49 hours of playtime per guitar. I usually change strings every 12 weeks. 

I know it's nowt new but it felt like the effort I was putting into the excercise was due to a high action that needs adjusting.

I just want to gauge how often you lot Tweek as I don't want to become an Over-Tweeker and do possible damage to the guitars. I'm a New Tweeker really.

Cheers Fellas.

ICBM

It varies - some guitars are more sensitive to climate changes than others. I had an old Les Paul Deluxe once that needed tweaking at least a few times every year; others never seem to.

You won't do any damage by adjusting it if you use the right tools.

Bellycaster

@ICBM

I'm ok with the tools, it all came with the Guitar, it's just an Allen Key Socket.

Thank You.

[Deleted User]

Some of my guitars (vintage 335, PRS McCarty and Martin acoustic) literally NEVER need adjusting. My two Strats definitely seem affected by humidity changes. I'd like to be able to explain this away on the basis of how old the guitars are (the 335 is a '64, the Martin is just over 20 years old). That said, the PRS in only 2 years old (and unbelievably stable) and one of the Strats is nearly 20 year old and moves a fair amount. Different pieces of wood....

Bellycaster

@richardhomer

 

Hi Rich, the VSOP(Which is in esscence a Strat) is nearly new, but I have no idea if that should mean it doesn't "move", I;m not clued up enough.

All it is is that I've only for the first time in years of playing actually tweeked the trussrod on one of my guitars and I'll get paranoid thinking I'm "Overdoing it" when really that might be what most players do all year round.

@BenSirAmos made me think twice on the String Buzz thread saying unless you(The OP) are sure don't adjust anything or you may cause problems.

The action did seem a tad high on the VSOP, I'm only talking probably under 1/8 of a turn.

Thanks.

Van_Hayden

I wouldn't worry - some of mine get tweaked a lot, some not. Depends on the wood, and not necessarily the age or price. The hot weather got them all a bit hot and bothered though!

1/8-1/4 turn I'd say us fine, if the truss feels stiff take it easy, get it checked. I once got a phone call from my dad after he managed to pop the rod out through the fingerboard on his Warwick...

Bellycaster

@Van_Hayden ; Ooooh, bet you enjoyed that phone call %-(

Thank you for the advice.

Van_Hayden

Payback for the numerous "hi dad I bent my car" calls over the years....

[Deleted User]

Bellycaster;6422" said:

@richardhomer Hi Rich, the VSOP(Which is in esscence a Strat) is nearly new, but I have no idea if that should mean it doesn't "move", I;m not clued up enough. All it is is that I've only for the first time in years of playing actually tweeked the trussrod on one of my guitars and I'll get paranoid thinking I'm "Overdoing it" when really that might be what most players do all year round.@BenSirAmos made me think twice on the String Buzz thread saying unless you(The OP) are sure don't adjust anything or you may cause problems.The action did seem a tad high on the VSOP, I'm only talking probably under 1/8 of a turn.Thanks.

Generally speaking, I've found newer guitars seem to be more affected by seasonal changes than older ones. I suspect this may be due to either insufficient drying of the timbers during the build, or warehousing the finished instrument is conditions which are too dry/too damp.

You should always evaluate the straightness of a neck with the guitar tuned to concert pitch, held in the playing position (ie not flat on a work bench). Capo at the first fret and use your right hand to press the the bottom E and the top E on to the last fret. You are looking for a gap between the base of the string and the seventh/eighth on the bass side of around half a millimetre. If you play hard and use heavy strings, more may be desirable.

Tweak the rod clockwise to tighten (which will reduce relief) - or anti-clockwise to increase relief. As long as you don't exceed an eighth of a turn at a time and always use the right key (to avoid chewing up the the adjuster), all will be well....

Bellycaster

@Van_Hayden  Lol, one of the calls "Dads" dread most I think, except the other one involving a Girlfriend and a Bump.

Bellycaster

@richardhomer.

Thanks, Rich. I think it was you you who helped me with my "Virgin Tweek" on the Wolfgang back on the old site.

 

[Deleted User]

Bellycaster;6452" said:

@richardhomer.Thanks, Rich. I think it was you you who helped me with my "Virgin Tweek" on the Wolfgang back on the old site. 

My pleasure. The whole 'don't adjust anything' thing comes from people inflicting damage by recklessly cranking away on the things until they break the rod, pop the fingerboard off or end up with so much relief that their guitar is unplayable.

In other words, they don't know what they are doing....

The basic skills needed to set up a guitar are something I believe anyone can (and should) master. As a player, surely YOU are best placed to decide exactly how you want your guitar to feel. You know how hard you play (in terms or right-hand attack) and how hard you press the strings down with your left hand. So the best person to evaluate how much relief is needed, how low you can drop the action and set the intonation is YOU.

A skilled 'tech' should take these playing traits into account when setting up a guitar, but personally I'd rather do this stuff myself. All my guitars play the way I want them too and intonate properly.

Genuinely, this stuff is straight-forward.

Good luck with the tweaking.....

Bellycaster

Have a WOW on me, Rich!

[Deleted User]

Bellycaster;6473" said:

Have a WOW on me, Rich!

That's very kind of you - thanks!

octatonic

I check it every time I restring them but I don't adjust often- usually 2-3 times a year.

ICBM

richardhomer said:

The whole 'don't adjust anything' thing comes from people inflicting damage by recklessly cranking away on the things until they break the rod, pop the fingerboard off or end up with so much relief that their guitar is unplayable.

I'd even say that it's not as drastic as that - most of the damage is caused by people using the wrong tools, or not loosening the strings before trying to adjust them for some adjustments. Chewed up screw heads, slots etc - which then make it hard or in some cases almost impossible to adjust them properly, or at best just make a mess of the part.

Classics are...

Gibson stopbar screws. The correct tool to adjust these is a *coin*. Really! They were designed for that - look closely at the slot and you'll see why. If you use a screwdriver of anything less than steam-engineering proportions you will chew up the slot unless you've taken the string tension off completely. With a coin, you only have to slacken them a bit. (On wrapover bridges, you *must* slacken the strings *fully* before either turning the screws or adjusting the little intonation screws, or you will chew up the posts badly. Yes, this is a bit of a pain....)

Fender Allen screws, both the bridge height screws and - worst - the truss rods on US Standard/Series guitars. These are Imperial size, and if you use a metric near-equivalent Allen key which just about fits, you'll bugger the hexagonal recess and make it almost impossible to turn even if you then find the right key.

Strat-type bridge intonation screws. Only use a screwdriver that fits the head properly! If you need to move the saddle back, slacken the string quite a lot first, or you're trying to use the intonation screw to tighten the string way past normal tension, and you'll chew up the screw head even if you don't break the string. Not quite as bad if you're moving it forward but still a good idea to drop the string tension a bit first.

And don't ever adjust a Rickenbacker truss rod without reading the manual or the Rickenbacker forum - they're different from almost all other guitars (typical Rick!) and you can do a lot of damage if you think you know what you're doing.

axisus

Pretty much never, but most of my actions aren't that low.

Phil_aka_Pip

Never. Once Colin (see Luthiers thread) has set up a guitar it takes a long while to drift. If it has to go back to him for some other kind of work (switchgear, pots etc) he may take a quick look at it to see that its still OK but tbh I've not noticed a need to mess with a guitar once he's sorted it out. 

Lexie1

The only guitar that has caused me any major grief in recent years was the BMG Brian May. It had lived in Portugal for a while before coming to me here in the UK and it certainly needed pretty regular attention for the first few weeks of coming here. There were other reasons apart from temperature and humidity changes that caused quite so much fun, such as it had been at a Luthiers for quite a while awaiting a conversion job, which was ultimately cancelled and hence it becoming available. so one could assume it had spent quite a while probably not strung etc.

Otherwise, only very occasionally if we are having a particularly humid spell.

NervousJohn

I've got a Rickenbacker 330 12 string, which needs a tweak a couple of times a year. Humidity and heat really changes things.

ICBM is right, you need to do your research before you start tweaking. There was a major change in the truss rods design at some point in the 80s which meant you don't need to relax the pressure before adjustment.

jaygtr

My les Paul needed tweaking every couple of months when new for the 1st couple of years. It then seemed to settle down and haven't touched it for at least 12 years