I have a squire telecaster. I was adjusting the action on my guitar and now the truss rod is messed up. I can feel the rod tighten, but I cannot get it to loosen. The nut on the end just gets loose (to the point where it will rattle when i play).
When I was tightening it down, it never felt like I was forcing it too hard and i didn't tighten it anymore than I have done in the past.
Is there an easy fix for this or I am going to have to buy a new neck?
edit: I did mess around with the saddle, so maybe the truss rod is fine and I just don't have any room left to loosen it. How can you tell if you have broken a truss rod.
Broken truss rods are pretty rare since they're basically a solid piece of metal inside a metal tube or channel. Also, adjustments with the truss rod isn't always instantaneous; you tighten or loosen it and the wood takes a little while to bend one way or the other. You might be trying to hurry it a little.
If you have the truss rod nut all the way loose and you tighten the strings up to pitch, the neck will be concave - the center part curving away from the ends; if you tighten it, it will be convex with the middle closer to the strings than the ends. Which were you trying to do? You say you were also adjusting the saddles; was the action too high or too low?
Anyhow, sometimes you can sorta gently slap the back of the middle of the neck with the palm of your hand to loosen up a stuck truss rod. It might be just slightly binding inside its tube or channel.
If the slapping/tapping doesn't work, you should first take it to a good guitar tech to have the guitar adjusted. Sometimes when I'm experimenting with stuff I go to far one way or the other and lose my middle, starting point; the idea is to get it to its 'default' position, and then start over with the fine adjustments.
A guitar setup should be way cheaper than a new neck.
Hope this sheds some light on the situation.
Best
Can't really say more than Demo said, so, Good Luck!
It is a small world for metal fanatics. I welcome you fellow musicians, especially the metalheads!
I think Demo hit the nail on the head. Unless you heard something snap, and believe me you would remember that, it is more than likely just a stuck rod. His recommendation of slapping the neck is a good one. I have gone as far as manually bending the neck up and down by placing the body on one knee and resting the neck on the other knee and pressing down at the nut (not the headstock) then turning it over and doing the same. I am not talking big bends here just a 1/2 inch or so.
There is the possibility that if you went with real thin strings they may not be pulling on the neck enough to allow for adjustment but not likely. Even lowering the saddle all the way would not effect the straight edge type of relief measurement. Action yes, relief no.
Just a couple of questions:
1) When the nut is completely loose what is the neck profile like? Is is high in the middle or low in the middle? With the stings in tune the neck should be low in the middle. eg. more gap between the strings at the 7th fret.
2) When you tighten the truss rod adjuster are you noticing any change in the neck profile? eg. is it lifting the middle of the neck like it should at all?
A steel straight edge is best for this measurement but like I am sure you figured out fretting the strings at the 1st and 14th also makes a good straight edge.
I was trying to lower the action. I've got it about where I want it, but I still have some minor buzzing on the G string (mostly in the middle frets).
I'm guessing that it is an issue with the neck being too concave. It does not seem to be too bad however.
Would straightening out the neck help? Or will I just have to live with high action?
note: I do not trust my local music store. They always seem out to make the most money. i.e. They sell Mexican Strats at American Strat prices.
I'm guessing that it is an issue with the neck being too concave. It does not seem to be too bad however.
Would straightening out the neck help? Or will I just have to live with high action?
If the neck is high in the middle as it sounds you will never get the action down to a reasonable height. Try checking the relief as I indicated above with the straight edge and tell us what the measurement is between the straight edge and the top of the 7th fret.
the neck is low in the middle.
the neck is low in the middle.
How much is the gap?
the neck is low in the middle.
How much is the gap?
It is small. <1mm.
That is with the truss rod nut removed.
While I have it removed, do I need to lubricate the truss rod? If I do, do I use a special oil or will something like WD40 be ok?
I would be surprised if you didn't get some kind of buzz if it is less than 1MM. It should definitely be more than that with the nut removed so it is good odds the rod is stuck. Try bending the neck up by hand just a little to see if it loosens the rod or atleast increases the gap. The goal should be to get a little more than 1MM or 2MM with the nut on.
WD40 dries out pretty quick. I would use a dab of vasaline.
Just for my own info, is this with the strings on and tuned to pitch, or off - the 1mm space I mean?
Just for my own info, is this with the strings on and tuned to pitch, or off - the 1mm space I mean?
The strings are on and tuned to pitch.
Just for my own info, is this with the strings on and tuned to pitch, or off - the 1mm space I mean?
The strings are on and tuned to pitch.
It does sound more and more like the rod is stuck since the neck alone should not be able to witstand the pressure of the strings and leave only a 1MM gap.
Yep, sounds like it.
Maybe he could find something like a nail counter-sink, place one end of it on the threaded part of the rod - end to end - and then *gently* tap it with something? If the nut's all the way off it should be all the way loose and I agree, 1mm doesn't seem like it would be right somehow. Maybe a soft jolt would free it up.
i went ahead and tightened the truss rod down again. it seems to be playing fine. but now the strings seem to be really loose.
