{"appState":{"pageLoadApiCallsStatus":true},"articleState":{"article":{"headers":{"creationTime":"2016-03-28T14:32:07+00:00","modifiedTime":"2016-03-28T14:32:07+00:00","timestamp":"2022-09-09T18:15:38+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Academics & The Arts","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33662"},"slug":"academics-the-arts","categoryId":33662},{"name":"Music","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33730"},"slug":"music","categoryId":33730},{"name":"Instruments","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33731"},"slug":"instruments","categoryId":33731},{"name":"Guitar","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33735"},"slug":"guitar","categoryId":33735}],"title":"How to Straighten a Guitar Neck","strippedTitle":"how to straighten a guitar neck","slug":"how-to-straighten-a-guitar-neck","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Straightening a bowed guitar neck keeps your instrument from sounding buzzy. This video shows how to repair a warped guitar neck with a truss rod. Straighten th","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"<div class='x2 x2-top'><div class=\"video-player-organism\"></div></div>Straightening a bowed guitar neck keeps your instrument from sounding buzzy. This video shows how to repair a warped guitar neck with a truss rod. Straighten the neck, correct the bow, and get back to making music.","description":"<div class='x2 x2-top'><div class=\"video-player-organism\"></div></div>Straightening a bowed guitar neck keeps your instrument from sounding buzzy. This video shows how to repair a warped guitar neck with a truss rod. Straighten the neck, correct the bow, and get back to making music.","blurb":"","authors":[],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":33735,"title":"Guitar","slug":"guitar","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33735"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":294505,"title":"Practicing Arpeggios on Guitar","slug":"practicing-arpeggios-on-guitar","categoryList":["academics-the-arts","music","instruments","guitar"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/294505"}},{"articleId":210308,"title":"How to String A Steel-String Acoustic Guitar","slug":"how-to-string-a-steel-string-acoustic-guitar","categoryList":["academics-the-arts","music","instruments","guitar"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/210308"}},{"articleId":210307,"title":"How to Vary Guitar Articulation with Pull-Offs","slug":"how-to-vary-guitar-articulation-with-pull-offs","categoryList":["academics-the-arts","music","instruments","guitar"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/210307"}},{"articleId":210305,"title":"How to Use a Capo","slug":"how-to-use-a-capo","categoryList":["academics-the-arts","music","instruments","guitar"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/210305"}},{"articleId":210306,"title":"How to Vary Guitar Articulation by Using Hammer-Ons","slug":"how-to-vary-guitar-articulation-by-using-hammer-ons","categoryList":["academics-the-arts","music","instruments","guitar"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/210306"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":true,"relatedBook":{"bookId":282004,"slug":"blues-guitar-for-dummies","isbn":"9781119695639","categoryList":["academics-the-arts","music","instruments","guitar"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1119695635/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1119695635/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1119695635-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1119695635/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1119695635/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://catalogimages.wiley.com/images/db/jimages/9781119695639.jpg","width":250,"height":350},"title":"Blues Guitar For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":true,"authorsInfo":"\n <p><P>This All-in-One guide includes content from <B><b data-author-id=\"9006\">Jon Chappell</b>,</b> a guitarist, composer, author, and magazine editor;</p><B>Mark Phillips,</B> a guitarist, arranger, and editor;</p><p><B>DesiSerna,</B> a guitar guru and music theory expert; and</p><p><B>Hal Leonard Corporation,</B> a renowned U.S. music publishing company.</P></p>","authors":[{"authorId":9006,"name":"Jon Chappell","slug":"jon-chappell","description":" <P>This All-in-One guide includes content from <B>Jon Chappell,</b> a guitarist, composer, author, and magazine editor;</p><B>Mark Phillips,</B> a guitarist, arranger, and editor;</p><p><B>DesiSerna,</B> a guitar guru and music theory expert; and</p><p><B>Hal Leonard Corporation,</B> a renowned U.S. music publishing company.</P> ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9006"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/282004"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{"key":"cat","values":["academics-the-arts","music","instruments","guitar"]},{"key":"isbn","values":[null]}]\" id=\"du-slot-631b82ca31027\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{"key":"cat","values":["academics-the-arts","music","instruments","guitar"]},{"key":"isbn","values":[null]}]\" id=\"du-slot-631b82ca31751\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Videos","articleList":null,"content":null,"videoInfo":{"videoId":"694655237001","name":"How to Straighten a Guitar Neck","accountId":"622696558001","playerId":"default","thumbnailUrl":"https://cf-images.us-east-1.prod.boltdns.net/v1/static/622696558001/8ab5ce94-6f6e-4629-a138-03f8d0c8ab06/02a307bb-3f1b-4a35-aace-4cd04bb6dc55/160x90/match/image.jpg","description":"Straightening a bowed guitar neck keeps your instrument from sounding buzzy. This video shows how to repair a warped guitar neck with a truss rod. Straighten the neck, correct the bow, and get back to making music.","uploadDate":"2022-06-30T15:56:49.647Z"}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Explore","lifeExpectancy":null,"lifeExpectancySetFrom":null,"dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":209631},"articleLoadedStatus":"success"},"listState":{"list":{},"objectTitle":"","status":"initial","pageType":null,"objectId":null,"page":1,"sortField":"time","sortOrder":1,"categoriesIds":[],"articleTypes":[],"filterData":{},"filterDataLoadedStatus":"initial","pageSize":10},"adsState":{"pageScripts":{"headers":{"timestamp":"2023-01-02T10:50:01+00:00"},"adsId":0,"data":{"scripts":[{"pages":["all"],"location":"header","script":"<!--Optimizely Script-->\r\n<script src=\"https://cdn.optimizely.com/js/10563184655.js\"></script>","enabled":false},{"pages":["all"],"location":"header","script":"<!-- comScore Tag -->\r\n<script>var _comscore = _comscore || [];_comscore.push({ c1: \"2\", c2: \"15097263\" });(function() {var s = document.createElement(\"script\"), el = document.getElementsByTagName(\"script\")[0]; s.async = true;s.src = (document.location.protocol == \"https:\" ? \"https://sb\" : \"http://b\") + \".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js\";el.parentNode.insertBefore(s, el);})();</script><noscript><img src=\"https://sb.scorecardresearch.com/p?c1=2&c2=15097263&cv=2.0&cj=1\" /></noscript>\r\n<!-- / comScore Tag -->","enabled":true},{"pages":["all"],"location":"footer","script":"<!--BEGIN QUALTRICS WEBSITE FEEDBACK SNIPPET-->\r\n<script type='text/javascript'>\r\n(function(){var g=function(e,h,f,g){\r\nthis.get=function(a){for(var a=a+\"=\",c=document.cookie.split(\";\"),b=0,e=c.length;b<e;b++){for(var d=c[b];\" \"==d.charAt(0);)d=d.substring(1,d.length);if(0==d.indexOf(a))return d.substring(a.length,d.length)}return null};\r\nthis.set=function(a,c){var b=\"\",b=new Date;b.setTime(b.getTime()+6048E5);b=\"; expires=\"+b.toGMTString();document.cookie=a+\"=\"+c+b+\"; path=/; \"};\r\nthis.check=function(){var a=this.get(f);if(a)a=a.split(\":\");else if(100!=e)\"v\"==h&&(e=Math.random()>=e/100?0:100),a=[h,e,0],this.set(f,a.join(\":\"));else return!0;var c=a[1];if(100==c)return!0;switch(a[0]){case \"v\":return!1;case \"r\":return c=a[2]%Math.floor(100/c),a[2]++,this.set(f,a.join(\":\")),!c}return!0};\r\nthis.go=function(){if(this.check()){var a=document.createElement(\"script\");a.type=\"text/javascript\";a.src=g;document.body&&document.body.appendChild(a)}};\r\nthis.start=function(){var t=this;\"complete\"!==document.readyState?window.addEventListener?window.addEventListener(\"load\",function(){t.go()},!1):window.attachEvent&&window.attachEvent(\"onload\",function(){t.go()}):t.go()};};\r\ntry{(new g(100,\"r\",\"QSI_S_ZN_5o5yqpvMVjgDOuN\",\"https://zn5o5yqpvmvjgdoun-wiley.siteintercept.qualtrics.com/SIE/?Q_ZID=ZN_5o5yqpvMVjgDOuN\")).start()}catch(i){}})();\r\n</script><div id='ZN_5o5yqpvMVjgDOuN'><!--DO NOT REMOVE-CONTENTS PLACED HERE--></div>\r\n<!--END WEBSITE FEEDBACK SNIPPET-->","enabled":false},{"pages":["all"],"location":"header","script":"<!-- Hotjar Tracking Code for http://www.dummies.com -->\r\n<script>\r\n (function(h,o,t,j,a,r){\r\n h.hj=h.hj||function(){(h.hj.q=h.hj.q||[]).push(arguments)};\r\n h._hjSettings={hjid:257151,hjsv:6};\r\n a=o.getElementsByTagName('head')[0];\r\n r=o.createElement('script');r.async=1;\r\n r.src=t+h._hjSettings.hjid+j+h._hjSettings.hjsv;\r\n a.appendChild(r);\r\n })(window,document,'https://static.hotjar.com/c/hotjar-','.js?sv=');\r\n</script>","enabled":false},{"pages":["article"],"location":"header","script":"<!-- //Connect Container: dummies --> <script src=\"//get.s-onetag.com/bffe21a1-6bb8-4928-9449-7beadb468dae/tag.min.js\" async defer></script>","enabled":true},{"pages":["homepage"],"location":"header","script":"<meta name=\"facebook-domain-verification\" content=\"irk8y0irxf718trg3uwwuexg6xpva0\" />","enabled":true},{"pages":["homepage","article","category","search"],"location":"footer","script":"<!-- Facebook Pixel Code -->\r\n<noscript>\r\n<img height=\"1\" width=\"1\" src=\"https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=256338321977984&ev=PageView&noscript=1\"/>\r\n</noscript>\r\n<!-- End Facebook Pixel Code -->","enabled":true}]}},"pageScriptsLoadedStatus":"success"},"navigationState":{"navigationCollections":[{"collectionId":287568,"title":"BYOB (Be Your Own Boss)","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/for-the-entry-level-entrepreneur-287568"},{"collectionId":293237,"title":"Be a Rad Dad","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/be-the-best-dad-293237"},{"collectionId":295890,"title":"Career Shifting","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/career-shifting-295890"},{"collectionId":294090,"title":"Contemplating the Cosmos","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/theres-something-about-space-294090"},{"collectionId":287563,"title":"For Those Seeking Peace of Mind","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/for-those-seeking-peace-of-mind-287563"},{"collectionId":287570,"title":"For the Aspiring Aficionado","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/for-the-bougielicious-287570"},{"collectionId":291903,"title":"For the Budding Cannabis Enthusiast","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/for-the-budding-cannabis-enthusiast-291903"},{"collectionId":291934,"title":"For the Exam-Season Crammer","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/for-the-exam-season-crammer-291934"},{"collectionId":287569,"title":"For the Hopeless Romantic","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/for-the-hopeless-romantic-287569"},{"collectionId":296450,"title":"For the Spring Term Learner","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/for-the-spring-term-student-296450"}],"navigationCollectionsLoadedStatus":"success","navigationCategories":{"books":{"0":{"data":[{"categoryId":33512,"title":"Technology","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/books/technology-33512"},{"categoryId":33662,"title":"Academics & The Arts","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/books/academics-the-arts-33662"},{"categoryId":33809,"title":"Home, Auto, & Hobbies","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/books/home-auto-hobbies-33809"},{"categoryId":34038,"title":"Body, Mind, & Spirit","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/books/body-mind-spirit-34038"},{"categoryId":34224,"title":"Business, Careers, & Money","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/books/business-careers-money-34224"}],"breadcrumbs":[],"categoryTitle":"Level 0 Category","mainCategoryUrl":"/category/books/level-0-category-0"}},"articles":{"0":{"data":[{"categoryId":33512,"title":"Technology","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/articles/technology-33512"},{"categoryId":33662,"title":"Academics & The Arts","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/articles/academics-the-arts-33662"},{"categoryId":33809,"title":"Home, Auto, & Hobbies","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/articles/home-auto-hobbies-33809"},{"categoryId":34038,"title":"Body, Mind, & Spirit","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/articles/body-mind-spirit-34038"},{"categoryId":34224,"title":"Business, Careers, & Money","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/articles/business-careers-money-34224"}],"breadcrumbs":[],"categoryTitle":"Level 0 Category","mainCategoryUrl":"/category/articles/level-0-category-0"}}},"navigationCategoriesLoadedStatus":"success"},"searchState":{"searchList":[],"searchStatus":"initial","relatedArticlesList":{"term":"209631","count":5,"total":347,"topCategory":0,"items":[{"objectType":"article","id":209631,"data":{"title":"How to Straighten a Guitar Neck","slug":"how-to-straighten-a-guitar-neck","update_time":"2016-03-28T14:32:07+00:00","object_type":"article","image":null,"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Academics & The Arts","slug":"academics-the-arts","categoryId":33662},{"name":"Music","slug":"music","categoryId":33730},{"name":"Instruments","slug":"instruments","categoryId":33731},{"name":"Guitar","slug":"guitar","categoryId":33735}],"description":"Straightening a bowed guitar neck keeps your instrument from sounding buzzy. This video shows how to repair a warped guitar neck with a truss rod. Straighten the neck, correct the bow, and get back to making music.","item_vector":null},"titleHighlight":null,"descriptionHighlights":null,"headers":null},{"objectType":"article","id":198060,"data":{"title":"How to Adjust the Truss Rod on a Bass Guitar","slug":"how-to-adjust-the-truss-rod-on-a-bass-guitar","update_time":"2016-03-26T22:27:00+00:00","object_type":"article","image":null,"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Academics & The Arts","slug":"academics-the-arts","categoryId":33662},{"name":"Music","slug":"music","categoryId":33730},{"name":"Instruments","slug":"instruments","categoryId":33731},{"name":"Bass Guitar","slug":"bass-guitar","categoryId":33733}],"description":"As the weather changes from season to season, the wood in the neck of your bass guitar can bend or straighten slightly. If you know how to adjust the truss rod on a bass guitar, you can counteract those changes and keep your bass sounding great.\nChanges in temperature, pressure, and humidity can cause the wood to bend. The change in position can cause the strings to either pull away from the frets or rest against them; this makes playing almost impossible because the strings need space to vibrate freely over the entire length of the neck.\nThere needs to be a slight gap between the strings and the frets. To determine how much action is enough\n\n Press the E string down at the first fret with your left hand and hold it. \n \n Press the E string down at the last fret with your right hand. \n \n\nThis should open up a gap between the strings and the 7th and 12th frets (about the thickness of a credit card). \nIf the curvature of your bass neck is not correct, you need to adjust the truss rod. To adjust the action, turn the screw in the truss rod to change the curvature of the neck.\n\n If the gap is too large, insert the Allen wrench or Phillips screwdriver into the screw (located either on the headstock or at the other end of the neck) and then tighten the truss rod by turning the screw clockwise. \n \n If your strings buzz when you play on the first four frets (near the headstock), you need to loosen the truss rod by turning the wrench or screwdriver counterclockwise. \n \n\nGenerally, you'll want to use the small Allen wrench that comes with your bass. If you lose this wrench, you can get another one from your local music store or the bass manufacturer. On other basses, the screw of the truss rod requires a Phillips screwdriver.\nDon’t try to force the truss rod with anything that doesn’t quite fit. If you strip the truss rod, it’ll cost you. Turn the truss rod only between one-quarter and one-half of a turn per day. You need to allow the wood to settle before you do any more adjustments.\n\nOn some basses, you have to remove the neck from the body in order to reach the truss rod screw. Don’t attempt to loosen the screws at the back of the bass that hold the neck in place without first loosening the tension of the strings. Otherwise, the neck will snap off, stripping away the wood that holds the screws.","item_vector":null},"titleHighlight":null,"descriptionHighlights":null,"headers":null},{"objectType":"article","id":198059,"data":{"title":"How to Adjust the Truss Rod on a Guitar","slug":"how-to-adjust-the-truss-rod-on-a-guitar","update_time":"2016-03-26T22:27:00+00:00","object_type":"article","image":null,"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Academics & The Arts","slug":"academics-the-arts","categoryId":33662},{"name":"Music","slug":"music","categoryId":33730},{"name":"Instruments","slug":"instruments","categoryId":33731},{"name":"Guitar","slug":"guitar","categoryId":33735}],"description":"An important part of maintaining your guitar is knowing how to adjust the truss rod. When a guitar experiences temperature and humidity swings, such as when seasons change, it can develop a slight bow in the neck that results in a guitar that plays buzzy or is suddenly much harder to fret. If this situation occurs, you can often correct the problem simply by tightening or loosening the truss rod.\nThe neck of most guitars has what’s known as a truss rod, which is a one- or two-piece adjustable metal rod that goes down the inside of the center of the neck. You can adjust the truss rod with a nut located at one end. Different manufacturers put them in different places, but they’re usually at the headstock, under a cap just behind the nut, or where the neck joins the body, just under the fingerboard. \nSome older models don’t have truss rods or, in the case of old Martin guitars, have truss rods that you can’t adjust without taking off the fingerboard.\nTo adjust the truss rod, you'll need to turn the nut a quarter turn at a time, enabling the neck to adjust after each turn. (You can play during the adjustment time.) The necessary truss-rod adjustment depends on which way the neck bows:\n\n If your neck bows outward between the seventh and twelfth frets, creating a large gap that makes pressing down the strings difficult, tighten the truss rod by turning the nut clockwise (as you face the nut straight on). \n \n If your neck bows inward between the seventh and twelfth frets, causing the strings to buzz and fret out (that is, come in contact with frets they’re not supposed to as you press down the strings), loosen the truss rod by turning it counterclockwise. \n \n\nAll guitars come with their own particular truss-rod wrench, so if you don’t have a truss rod wrench for your guitar, try to find a replacement immediately. (Try your local guitar store first and, failing that, get in touch with the manufacturer.)\nIf you can’t correct the problem in a few full turns, stop. You may need a qualified repairperson to investigate. Overtightening or overloosening a truss rod can damage the neck and/or body.","item_vector":null},"titleHighlight":null,"descriptionHighlights":null,"headers":null},{"objectType":"article","id":148421,"data":{"title":"How to Check Your Guitar's Neck Relief","slug":"how-to-check-your-guitars-neck-relief","update_time":"2016-03-26T10:49:43+00:00","object_type":"article","image":null,"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Academics & The Arts","slug":"academics-the-arts","categoryId":33662},{"name":"Music","slug":"music","categoryId":33730},{"name":"Instruments","slug":"instruments","categoryId":33731},{"name":"Guitar","slug":"guitar","categoryId":33735}],"description":"Adjusting your guitar’s neck relief (the amount of bow and resistance in the neck) may sound like a scary proposition to the first-timer, but this task is something you can definitely do yourself if you take it slow and work in very small increments.\nMost quality guitar manufacturers supply the correct tool for adjusting neck relief specifically because they feel this is a job the player can tackle and often needs to tackle as wood shifts due to seasonal changes in climate, travel, normal aging, and other factors.\nIf you just don’t feel confident doing this yourself, though, don’t hesitate to take it to a pro; a basic neck adjustment shouldn’t cost and arm and a leg, unless there’s something drastically wrong.\nThe internal tension applied in a guitar’s neck to counterbalance the natural tension applied by the strings is achieved by a component called a truss rod. This long rod is set into a channel routed under your guitar’s fingerboard.\nIt’s usually fixed at one end and adjustable at the other (threaded) end with a bolt that you turn to increase or decrease the amount of backward tension the rod applies to the neck (that is, the degree to which it counteracts the string tension).\nA straight neck may sound like a good thing in all circumstances, and the idea of bow (or anything other than straight) a very bad thing.\nIndeed, many players do prefer a very straight neck, but in certain cases, though, players like to have just a little concave bow in the neck — with the fingerboard curving up if the guitar is lying on its back — to keep the strings from buzzing against the frets when you strum and to provide a natural curvature that matches their vibrational arc when you play.\nYou never, however, want any back bow (a convex curve in the fingerboard), which definitely produces a lot of fret buzz and other playing difficulties.\nCredit: Illustration by Rashell Smith\nThe procedure for checking neck relief is simple, and all you need is a capo and a feeler gauge (and even that isn’t absolutely necessary):\n\n Put a capo on your guitar’s neck at the first fret.\n \n Holding the guitar in playing position on your lap, with the body perfectly perpendicular to the floor, use a finger on your right hand (for right-handers) to fret the low-E string up the neck at the fret where the neck joins the body.\nCredit: Photograph by Dave Hunter\n \n Slip a 0.010-inch feeler gauge into the gap between the bottom of the low-E string and the top of the 8th fret (or whichever fret is half way between the capo and where you’re fretting the string).\nMost techniques recommend an average gap of around 0.010 inch, although some playing styles might like a little less, some just a little more. The appropriate gauge should slide in easily between string and fret but without any further gap between them. (If you don’t have any feeler gauges, the average business card usually works for a rough estimate.)\n \n Repeat Steps 2 and 3 with the high-E string.\n \n If you have considerably less or more gap than desired, adjust your truss rod.\n \n\nHaving checked your neck relief, now you can adjust most standard truss rods if necessary. Before doing so, however, always consult your guitar manufacturer’s adjustment instructions, and be aware that some modern truss-rod designs function differently than the norm.\nIf a gentle quarter or half turn of the truss-rod nut doesn’t seem to produce any results whatsoever, or if the adjustment point is stiff and won’t turn easily, or at all, consult your guitar’s manufacturer before proceeding, or take it to a professional repairperson.\nAlso, be sure you’re using the correct tool for the job, ideally one supplied by the guitar’s manufacturer, or as per its instructions (there are too many variations to cover them all in detail here).\nBefore making any truss-rod adjustments, loosen your guitar’s strings until you have removed all significant tension from them, but not so much that they’re entirely slack and floppy. For some guitars with headstock-end adjustments, you may need to remove a truss-rod access cover before proceeding, and you usually need to lift some strings aside to do this.\nCredit: Photograph by Dave Hunter\nFor some guitars with body-end adjustment nuts, you have to remove the pickguard, or even loosen and lift the neck, as on many bolt-neck Stratocaster-style guitars.\nCredit: Photograph by Dave Hunter\nTo make adjustments to neck relief, proceed carefully, gently, and slowly, and work in increments of just a quarter turn at a time.\n\n Decrease: To decrease relief in the neck (reduce a concave bow), turn the adjustment point clockwise to tighten the truss rod (as viewed facing the adjustment point).\n \n Increase: To increase relief in the neck (increase concave bow), turn the adjustment point counterclockwise.\n \n\nIf you’re new to truss-rod adjustment and don’t have a handle on how much of a turn achieves what result in your guitar, start with just a quarter turn, then bring the strings back into tune and check the relief again. If that has produced little or no result, de-tension the strings again and go with another quarter turn, or even a half turn this time if there was absolutely no evidence of movement.\nTune up, check again, and proceed accordingly.\nAgain, if the nut gets either very tight or so loose that it feels about to come off and the adjustment hasn’t yet produced the desired result, or if you find yourself turning more than one and a half or two full turns or so with no apparent result, then STOP! Take it to a professional.","item_vector":null},"titleHighlight":null,"descriptionHighlights":null,"headers":null},{"objectType":"article","id":198028,"data":{"title":"Stretching Out and Tuning Up New Guitar Strings","slug":"stretching-out-and-tuning-up-new-guitar-strings","update_time":"2016-03-26T22:26:29+00:00","object_type":"article","image":null,"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Academics & The Arts","slug":"academics-the-arts","categoryId":33662},{"name":"Music","slug":"music","categoryId":33730},{"name":"Instruments","slug":"instruments","categoryId":33731},{"name":"Guitar","slug":"guitar","categoryId":33735}],"description":"Once you secure the new strings to your acoustic guitar, you need to get the new strings tuned up. As the string draws tight, hear the string come up to pitch. The easiest way to tune the new strings is to change the strings one at a time. You'll want to tune the new string to the old ones, which, presumably, are relatively in tune.\nBoth steel and nylon strings need to be stretched out in order to keep the correct pitch. So, once you get the string to the correct pitch, pull on it in various places up and down its length to stretch it out a bit. Stretching the string can cause the string to go flat — sometimes drastically — so tune it again by winding the peg. Repeat the tune-stretch process two or three times to help the new strings hold their pitch.\nAfter the string is up to pitch and stretched out, you need to remove the excess string that sticks out from the post. For steel strings, you can either snip off the excess with wire cutters or bend the string back and forth over the same crease until it breaks off. Nylon strings can simply be cut.\nWhatever you do, don’t leave the straight string length protruding. It could poke you or someone standing next to you (such as the bass player) in the eye or give you a sharp jab in your fingertip.\nAlthough nylon strings aren’t as dangerous as steel strings if any excess protrudes, the extra string hanging out is unsightly, and besides, classical guitarists are a little fussier about how their instruments look than acoustic guitarists are.","item_vector":null},"titleHighlight":null,"descriptionHighlights":null,"headers":null}]},"relatedArticlesStatus":"success"},"routeState":{"name":"Article4","path":"/article/academics-the-arts/music/instruments/guitar/how-to-straighten-a-guitar-neck-209631/","hash":"","query":{},"params":{"category1":"academics-the-arts","category2":"music","category3":"instruments","category4":"guitar","article":"how-to-straighten-a-guitar-neck-209631"},"fullPath":"/article/academics-the-arts/music/instruments/guitar/how-to-straighten-a-guitar-neck-209631/","meta":{"routeType":"article","breadcrumbInfo":{"suffix":"Articles","baseRoute":"/category/articles"},"prerenderWithAsyncData":true},"from":{"name":null,"path":"/","hash":"","query":{},"params":{},"fullPath":"/","meta":{}}},"dropsState":{"submitEmailResponse":false,"status":"initial"},"sfmcState":{"status":"initial"},"profileState":{"auth":{},"userOptions":{},"status":"success"}}How to Straighten a Guitar Neck
Straightening a bowed guitar neck keeps your instrument from sounding buzzy. This video shows how to repair a warped guitar neck with a truss rod. Straighten the neck, correct the bow, and get back to making music. About This Article
This article can be found in the category:
