Truss & Neck Tuning on Acoustic Guitar

The ability to tune an acoustic guitar is quite an important skill for a person who seeks to master this musical instrument.... After all, tuning and adjusting the neck, the tension of the strings and, accordingly, the sound are faced by all owners of guitars. Each time about this, contacting the master is a troublesome business.

Adjusting the neck of an acoustic guitar is not an easy process, but mastering it is not that difficult. You can tune an acoustic guitar with your own hands, without contacting specialists. You often have to adjust the string tension, as light tuning is almost always required. In addition, the service life of even the highest quality and most expensive strings is not infinite. Therefore, during operation, they lose their properties, and they have to be replaced periodically. But tuning an acoustic guitar doesn't end with choosing the right string tension.

It is also necessary to perform the tuning of the truss of the acoustic guitar. The truss rod (truss rod) is placed in the neck of the instrument. It is a straight rod made of metal, its thickness is approximately 5-6 millimeters. The base of the anchor remains fixed, and the other end is equipped with a special bolt, thanks to which the strength of the anchor is adjusted.

Since the tree can change its shape under the influence of external factors, strengthening the bar is necessary. The truss rod can be installed in the neck of a guitar in two ways: under the fretboard or from the back of the neck.Exactly how the truss rod is installed does not have much of an impact on the alignment of an acoustic guitar. Truss tuning allows you to align the guitar neck, pull up, raise or lower it in relation to the strings.

The need for adjustment may appear for several reasons. The most common of these is changing the gauge of the strings used. If the new set of guitar strings is thicker than the old one, the tension will be tighter. As a result, the guitar neck bends in approximately the same way as the bow bends under the influence of the bowstring on it. If the new strings are of a smaller gauge, the tension will be weaker, causing the strings to "sag" and start banging against the frets.

In addition, several other factors affect the tension of the strings and the sound of a musical instrument. For example, extreme changes in temperature or humidity in the room where the acoustic guitar is stored, when traveling, when flying on airplanes, and so on.

In order to adjust the truss, you will need to use a special guitar wrench. It is a small specialized tool. It can be made in the form of a head or a hexagon. But the most commonly used universal keys, which are presented simultaneously by both options. They are much more comfortable and suitable for different types of acoustic guitars. Key size may vary. Thanks to its use, you can set the required distance between the neck and the strings.

Today manufacturers offer a large selection of anchor keys:

• cap;

• hex;

• for an instrument with metal strings;

• for instrument with nylon strings.

Before starting to adjust the neck first it is necessary to release the tension on all strings. All modern anchors are available with right-hand threads only. In this case, the head intended for tuning can be located near the neck head or under the top deck. Regardless of where it is located, there are certain rules for configuring that must be followed. Where you need to turn the key depends on the result to be achieved.

You don't need to turn the nut much at a time, about one quarter of a turn. In this case, it is necessary be carefulso as not to strip the anchor threads. If this happens, you will have to carry the tool to the workshop. It should also be borne in mind that making a guitar truss adjustment only affects the amount of neck deflection.

The neck should not be completely straight. With perfect evenness during play, the strings touch the frets. Naturally, this is inconvenient and affects the sound quality of the musical instrument. This is why slight deflection in the middle of the neck of the guitar is a practical necessity. But if there is a strong deflection, it is necessary to straighten it. There is simply no one-size-fits-all piece of advice for all musicians about deflection. There are general guidelines that every musician tries on for himself. It all depends on the individual preferences of each individual guitarist, the characteristics and individual qualities of the acoustic guitar and even the playing style. The decision to raise or lower the neck in relation to the strings depends on what kind of deflection is and how comfortable it is for the particular guitarist.

Before you begin adjusting your guitar truss, you need to evaluate neck deflection. There are several ways:

• using a ruler;

• "aiming";

• clamping the strings.

One way is to use a regular metal ruler. It should be long enough and naturally flat.... It must be applied with an edge to the frets between the guitar strings. In this position, you can quickly and easily evaluate how smooth the neck of an acoustic guitar is. If an empty space forms in the middle, this indicates that the anchor is weakened. If one of the ends of the metal ruler does not fit snugly against the neck of an acoustic guitar, then the truss rod is overtightened. Instead of a ruler, you can use any level strip.

Another way to determine how flat the neck of an acoustic guitar is is it is to take a musical instrument upside down and try to "aim"... Looking in this way, you can detect the bulge of the neck and determine its direction. If the unevenness is insignificant, then it is practically impossible to detect it by this method. But in this way it is possible to establish how even the frets are.

The quickest method to check the amount of neck deflection is to it is necessary to clamp the strings at the first fret and where the neck is attached to the very body of the instrument. Next, you need to check the distance between the guitar string and the top of the seventh fret. It is in this place that the deflection is maximum. If the string is on the 7th fret and there is absolutely no gap, then the neck is perfectly flat, or there is a reverse deflection. Therefore, you will need to adjust the truss rod.

Beginners should not try to adjust the acoustic guitar on their own so as not to damage the threads and damage the musical instrument. The first time you should entrust the setting to a more experienced person - and look at his actions, study the instructions and all the nuances, and then do the work.