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(On some guitars, you might have to poke beneath the pick guard to get to the guts, but with a gentle touch you should be able to access the offending component.)
#Figure 1 action strings how to
HOW TO DO IT Simply remove the plastic cavity plate on the back of your axe, then plug in and listen for the source of the noise. TOOLS Electronic contact cleaner (available at any electronics store), various screwdrivers, socket wrench or adjustable open-end wrench Also, all the nuts and screws that anchor the guitar’s electronics should be tightened. For amplified acoustics as well as electrics with active pickups, this means a battery check (and, if necessary, replacement). If they do, it’s a once- or twice-in-a-lifetime procedure.ĭo your switches snap, crackle or pop? Does it sound like someone’s frying bacon every time you do a volume swell? A good setup includes checking a guitar’s electronics. The good news is most guitars don’t need nut adjustments.
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FACTOR★ You need not only moderately expensive tools but also a specialized skill. A set of nut files is an investment for a dedicated luthier, and cutting properly shaped nut slots takes an artisan’s touch.ĭ.I.Y. A high slot will cause the notes at the 1st fret to sound 10 to 15 cents sharper than they should. If all is clear, check the pitch with an electronic tune. Of course, this means the other slots must be deepened to compensate for the higher nut. If any open string buzzes, its string slot is low and the nut must be shimmed up. TOOLS A machinist rule, a screwdriver or hex-key (electric guitar), calipers, a shim stock or stationary belt sander (acoustic guitar) On an electric guitar, this is a matter of twisting the appropriate screws on an acoustic guitar, you may have to shim or sand the bridge saddle. Subtract a star if you’re spooked at the thought of screwing up a perfectly good guitar, and subtract another if you own a bolt-neck guitar with concealed nuts.Ī guitar’s action can also be adjust at the bridge.
#Figure 1 action strings pro
FACTOR Add one star if you’re confident, mechanically inclined or have seen a pro perform the adjustment.
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When adjusting the truss rod ( PHOTO 3), turn the nut in minute increments-say, quarter turns-checking the relief frequently, and use as little torque as possible.ĭ.I.Y. If the neck is back bowed, the strings will lie flat against the frets, and the truss rod must be loosened.Īn experienced repair tech might simply sight down the neck ( PHOTO 1) or use a straightedge ( PHOTO 2) to take a precise measurement of neck bow. If the neck has too much bow, or relief, the gap will be wider, and so the truss rod must be tightened. If the neck is perfectly straight, there will be a tiny gap-just enough to slip a piece of paper or business card through-between the string and the frets in the middle of the neck. By doing this, the nut and bridge-the other two arbiters of action (besides the neck)-have been eliminated from the equation. The string is now forming a straight line between the two frets. HOW TO DO IT With the guitar strung and tuned to pitch, press one of the strings both at the 1st fret and at one of the frets near the neck-body joint. Bolt-neck axes with concealed nuts require removing the neck and using a surrogate body and a neck jig-this is a job best left to a pro shop. TOOLS Small Phillips-head screwdriver (to remove the truss-rod cover), appropriate hex key or wrench (almost always supplied with a new guitar). Note: Classical guitars, which use nylon strings, don’t have truss rods.
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On an acoustic guitar, it can typically be found within the body of the guitar, at the neck-body joint. On an electric guitar, it is usually beneath the truss-rod cover on the headstock or at the body end of a bolt-neck. The adjustable end of the truss rod-either a male or female nut-can be found in one of a few places. Tighten it, and the neck bends backward-this is call back-bow-against the natural curve the string tension imparts, moving the strings closer to the fretboard. Loosen it and the strings pull the neck into a concave bow, resulting in higher action-i.e., the distance between the strings and the fretboard. Virtually every acoustic and electric steel-string guitar built after the mid-Seventies has an adjustable truss rod, which runs the length of the neck and counteracts the tension of the strings to help keep the neck straight.