What Leo Fender Did Wrong (putting truss rod adjustment at the heel - I really enjoyed this video...

jaymenon

gusman2x

Oooh. Great idea. I'm planning on building a partscaster soon, with a 60s classic neck. Think I'll do this. 

I DESPISE the truss rod adjustment at the headstock, for aesthetic reasons.

CountryDave

Or you could just get one of these.
https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-tools-and-supplies/types-of-tools/wrenches/truss-rod-crank-for-tele.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=shopping&utm_campaign=2020-06-gp&pref_currency=P&shipcalc=UK&gclid=CjwKCAjw5vz2BRAtEiwAbcVIL7ut7VDClaErH0rvW0a6gaRWkujBW3bMM8xd9t8lP7LPmwvo_nEv3BoCQW8QAvD_BwE

ICBM

Leo Fender didn't get it wrong - he did it on purpose to stop owners fiddling with it too easily and causing warranty problems.

In fact, on the Telecaster, you only need to remove the pickguard to get at it - there's a channel in the body so you can get at the adjuster. The problem was that the Strat had all the electronics mounted on the pickguard so that then became a problem to remove with the strings on.

hotpickups

ICBM said:

Leo Fender didn't get it wrong - he did it on purpose to stop owners fiddling with it too easily and causing warranty problems.

In fact, on the Telecaster, you only need to remove the pickguard to get at it - there's a channel in the body so you can get at the adjuster. The problem was that the Strat had all the electronics mounted on the pickguard so that then became a problem to remove with the strings on.

Yep. Set it and left it where my guitar tech set it to. Why would I change it he’s a master at it  

RandallFlagg

hotpickups said:

ICBM said:

Leo Fender didn't get it wrong - he did it on purpose to stop owners fiddling with it too easily and causing warranty problems.

In fact, on the Telecaster, you only need to remove the pickguard to get at it - there's a channel in the body so you can get at the adjuster. The problem was that the Strat had all the electronics mounted on the pickguard so that then became a problem to remove with the strings on.

Yep. Set it and left it where my guitar tech set it to. Why would I change it he’s a master at it  

Why would you change it? Because changes in climate through the seasons affects the guitar setup often requiring truss rod adjustment as does using different string gauges. Sometimes as strings age the tension changes and can affect the neck relief.

I have a Strat with traditional heel truss rod adjustment and it's a pain in the arse.

ICBM

RandallFlagg said:

Sometimes as strings age the tension changes and can affect the neck relief.

I’m going to have to call that one out . Even if it was true - which it isn’t - that would mean you have to change the strings, not adjust the truss rod.

Your other points are correct though.

RandallFlagg

ICBM said:

RandallFlagg said:

Sometimes as strings age the tension changes and can affect the neck relief.

I’m going to have to call that one out . Even if it was true - which it isn’t - that would mean you have to change the strings, not adjust the truss rod.

Your other points are correct though.

Maybe co-incidental with the weather then, but regardless of cause, tweaks on a traditional Strat are a real pain. I can feel when it's moved just by laying and that feeling of dread knowing that's it's not a simple case of a few seconds plugging the hex wrench in a giving a little tweak. I've had to adjust my Strat a few times over the last number of weeks with the dry weather then rain we're having now.

WezV

RandallFlagg said:

ICBM said:

RandallFlagg said:

Sometimes as strings age the tension changes and can affect the neck relief.

I’m going to have to call that one out . Even if it was true - which it isn’t - that would mean you have to change the strings, not adjust the truss rod.

Your other points are correct though.

Maybe co-incidental with the weather then, but regardless of cause, tweaks on a traditional Strat are a real pain. I can feel when it's moved just by laying and that feeling of dread knowing that's it's not a simple case of a few seconds plugging the hex wrench in a giving a little tweak. I've had to adjust my Strat a few times over the last number of weeks with the dry weather then rain we're having now.

if you are doing it that often, consider raising your action a bit so you don't have to. 

You shouldn't need to adjust more than twice a year once a guitar has settled down (it wont settle down if you take it apart regularly).  Most guitars need a lot less than that in the UK climate

jaymenon

I would have to agree - especially if you don’t do truss rod adjustments on a regular basis it involves

Loosening the strings
taking off the neck
making a provisional adjustment
putting the neck back on
tightening the strings
checking...

and if it’s not quite right, repeating the whole tedious process all over again until it is.

LastMantra

jaymenon said:

I would have to agree - especially if you don’t do truss rod adjustments on a regular basis it involves

Loosening the strings
taking off the neck
making a provisional adjustment
putting the neck back on
tightening the strings
checking...

and if it’s not quite right, repeating the whole tedious process all over again until it is.

Personally I don't find it that tedious. Only takes a few minutes really. 

Caffeine_Vampire

Adjusting a heel truss rod isn’t exactly difficult. Never understood all the complaints tbh. 

stonevibe

I really don't think it is hard to adjust the truss rod on a vintage Strat, so this is a little overkill for me. 

HAL9000

Is it just me? I think I’ve only ever had to adjust the truss rod twice in something like forty years of playing. Once on an old Yamaha acoustic and more recently on a Strat. Do they really need tweaking every few weeks/every time you change strings/any time the sun comes out for more than a few minutes? I can understand why you might want to adjust for summer or winter but down here in the south east I’ve never found it adjust things.necessary. 

Maybe I’m not fussy enough but my guitars seem to intonate perfectly well whatever the season, and the action (which is pretty low) doesn’t change enough that I feel the need to adjust things.

breakstuff

My Charvel has the adjustment at the heel, and on the couple of occasions I've had to adjust the truss rod in the seven years I've owned it, I've loosened off the strings and the neck screws just enough so that I can angle the neck up enough to turn the adjustment screw. The angle you need is only very slight, so there's no real chance of damaging anything as long as you're careful. No need to fully take the neck off. Takes a couple of minutes. 

richardhomer

Don’t see the issue here. Most of my guitars never need their truss rods adjusting after their initial set up. 

If a neck is moving ‘a lot’ either the humidity is varying ‘a lot’ in your house, or the neck wood wasn’t dried sufficiently prior to manufacture. None of my guitars get a ‘seasonal tweak’.

WezV

richardhomer said:

Don’t see the issue here. Most of my guitars never need their truss rods adjusting after their initial set up. 

If a neck is moving ‘a lot’ either the humidity is varying ‘a lot’ in your house, or the neck wood wasn’t dried sufficiently prior to manufacture. None of my guitars get a ‘seasonal tweak’.

it can also be from storing badly.  Against a rad, or in front of a window, washing drying in house etc..

Also, the amount the wood was dried isn't the most important factor, wood is still hygroscopic even when fully dried... its moisture content will fluctuate with humidity

Internet is full of stuff about guitars needing seasonal tweaks, but for the most part this comes from people in different climates.

of course, it can still be an issue here, but i wouldn't expect the average electric guitar in the UK to need more than a slight tweak twice a year at most.   acoustics may need a bit more, but still not as much as other climates where changing the saddle with the seasons is not uncommon

earwighoney

WezV said:

of course, it can still be an issue here, but i wouldn't expect the average electric guitar in the UK to need more than a slight tweak twice a year at most.   acoustics may need a bit more, but still not as much as other climates where changing the saddle with the seasons is not uncommon

I agree with this. My experience is thinner necks seem to need a little more adjustment than a few electrics with huge fat necks and for acoustics again from my experience the lighter the build the more likely a little movement be it with the soundboard or neck can occur.

jaymenon

One more problem - if you have a 22 fret neck with an overhang, you'll need to excise the overhang too.

agibbo

I've owned my Fender Japan 60's strat since the late 1990's, and the truss rod has never been touched in all that time. It's also my most played guitar, and gets abused more than most!

It was definitely designed as a set and forget item!