boardusmcer Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 I have never strayed from factory size strings on my guitars and so haven't ever had to adjust the truss rods. Is it necessary to adjust them everytime you change from one size to the next? I'm really liking having 12's on the DF because i'm in the red bank and lot and don't have any issues bending or anything in the blue bank. Should I take it to a shop and pay 15 bucks to have them adjust it? Or can i just try minimal adjustments until i think it's right. I would like to learn to do this myself and i'm not sure how to learn other than just trying it out. Which direction should i turn the rod since i went to heavier strings? Thanks for any help on the subject Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
photonutalan1 Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 Hi boardusmcer, You may wish to refer to refer to my reply to liystalander in the thread "Does it void your warranty to have your DF set up professionally?" This (truss rod) is a very simple adjustment; there are many websites, and even youtube videos, that tell/show you how to do it. Whatever you do, don't take it to a shop and let them fool with your DF; they'll probably screw up your factory computer-controlled PLEK setup! To answer your specific questions: "Is it necessary to adjust them everytime you change from one size to the next?" No, and maybe. Wait awhile and see what happens; it takes time for for the neck to stabilize. "Should I take it to a shop and pay 15 bucks to have them adjust it?" Absolutely not!!! Do it yourself is easy, and you can watch what's going on, and continue playing in the meantime. Again, I can't overemphasize how easy his is to do. "Or can i just try minimal adjustments until i think it's right." Yes. You're the best judge of what your action is doing. Bear in mind here, 1/8 to 1/4 turn (max) is a reasonable adjustment range. It will take 2-3 days for you to see the real result. I advise going an 8'th turn at a time and wait 3 days before making another change. "Which direction should i turn the rod since i went to heavier strings?" If at all (perhaps uneccessary), it will be to tighten the truss (clockwise as viewed from the headstock). I hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boardusmcer Posted March 8, 2009 Author Share Posted March 8, 2009 thanks for the info, I didn't realize it needed time to adjust. I noticed immediately the action getting noticably higher when i went up to the 12's and the action was one of the awesome things about the guitar for me. I guess I'll try waiting a few days and then tighten it up just a little bit. I did read some articles on how you can break the rod and that freaked me out, but I'll take your advice and give it a whirl. I will have to look up what PLEK is exactly, i have a smartwood that was help captive for a year and the action is just terrible now compared to the DF and I want to try to get it as low as possible. Would this be a truss rod adjustment or is there PLEK on the smartwood I could use? thanks again EDIT: From what I can tell about PLEK it's all about sanding the frets down so there is no way to mess up the plek unless i have someone refret the instrument... is this correct? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
photonutalan1 Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 Hi boardusmcer, Since you've already noticed the action getting higher, give the truss rod a 1/8 turn (clockwise viewed form the headstock) and wait 3 days; if it needs more, give it another 1/8 turn. You'll know when it's right. Don't worry about breaking the truss rod; it's the guys who crank on it as if they were tightening wheel nuts on trucks who break truss rods! Do look up PLEK (perhaps Elantric can step in here?); basically, it's way of computer dressing your frets while the guitar is strung up and under tension. I'm sorry, but I don't know what a smartwood is, but I would imagine that a truss rod tightening (you said the action was high) would help it greatly. Give it a try; it can't hurt. Please, what is a smartwood? EDIT: Yes, or letting some so-called luthier adjust your truss rod, then file the frets. Quelle horreur! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boardusmcer Posted March 8, 2009 Author Share Posted March 8, 2009 the smartwood was a type of les paul made out to be environmentally friendly... came with a really sweet tweed case too. But mostly, it's just a lower end lp http://tinyurl.com/smartwood I'll try adjusting the smartwood first, i didn't know if the neck wouldn't be able to be fixed by a truss rod adjustment since it sat so long with strings on it and not being played. Hopefully the adjustment is all I'll need to do since i'm just starting to get into doing these things myself. Will i need to have intonation done following a truss rod adjustment? Read something about that on one of the sites I found. I think i grasp the basics of the plek and i'm pretty certain my smartwood didn't have this done so if the truss rod doesn't work i'll probably have to take it to a luthier :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
photonutalan1 Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 Hi boardusmcer, The truss rod adjustment *will* work, just give it some time to do so (and repeat as/if necessary). If the intonation was right when you put the guitar away, it will be the same when you return the neck to normal. Thanks for the info and link re: the smartwood; I'd never heard of it before. It's a very interesting, and pretty, guitar. Do you have a photo of yours to share? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boardusmcer Posted March 8, 2009 Author Share Posted March 8, 2009 i have a poor picture of it on my computer here at work, but i'm not sure how to load it onto the forum. (my work computer doesn't allow me to use flickr, photobucket, etc) I can take and load a pic of it when i get off work, about 9am EST unless you know how to load one from a harddrive on here, i click image and it just puts in html stuff... EDIT: forgot about the avatar, that is the best picture i have... me playing the DF in front of it! haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boardusmcer Posted March 9, 2009 Author Share Posted March 9, 2009 have to change the avatar... it's the only way i can figure to let you see the picture. i told you it was a poor picture, it's me playing the DF in front of it! haha, have to admit it's been collecting dust since i got the df Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
photonutalan1 Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 Hi boardusmcer, Thanks for the pic, very nice! I totally understand about other instruments gathering dust after acquiring DF; mine too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boardusmcer Posted March 10, 2009 Author Share Posted March 10, 2009 thanks for the compliments on the smartwood, I really enjoy it and I think it may even become a collectible one day (I'll have to thank my parents for setting my strict budget on that purchase!) I just adjust the truss rods on both of the les pauls and I'm really glad you guys helped to talk me into it, it really wasn't that bad or scary (the smartwood's hadn't been adjusted since factory probably 7 years ago at least and was really loose) and I was able to get everything set up in just a few minutes. I adjusted the action on my smartwood too since after the truss rod adjustment the action was still pretty terrible, lowered the bridge but haven't been able to plug it in yet because it's getting pretty late. Hopefully it's not too close to the humbucker to where the high E is a lot hotter than the other strings, we'll have to wait and see though. Do you normally have to adjust intonation when adjusting the bridge down to make the action tighter? I couldn't really tell anything was off, but I'm not sure if I'd know. Thanks again for saving me some money and helping me learn some cool new stuff about the guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
photonutalan1 Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 Hi boardusmcer, I'm sooo happy for you! I'm glad you got those guitar's truss rods adjusted (but give them a few days to settle in; you may need to back off later). Your smartwood will undoubtedly become a collectible; it's a really neat instrument and I thank you for informing me of it! At this point, I urge you to move slowly and be patient; it will take those necks 2-3 days to show the full effect of your adjustments. Don't make any other changes (bridge, nut) until the necks have stabilized. If the necks move beyond what you intended, readjust and wait again. Once they're stable, then you can evaluate your next move. (Re-reading this, you've now obviously gained the confidence and knowledge, through your own experience, to track your guitars' potential setup, and adjust as necessary, as they/it settle(s) in). Assuming a proper initial setup at the factory, or years ago, you should not have to adjust the intonation at all; you're really just returning your instrument to its original condition. Be especially patient with your smartwood; I'd advise you *not* to fiddle with pickups until you're happy with the action (that affects string heights, obviously). You're a *very* fast study! Enjoy! EDIT: I suggest you install new strings before establishing your final setup, and especially before setting intonation and pickups. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boardusmcer Posted March 10, 2009 Author Share Posted March 10, 2009 Thanks again for all your advice, I'll put the new strings on it after a few days to let the truss rod adjustment settle. I will not mess with the intonation, since i can't tell something is wrong anyway. Again, thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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