Wow, a small truss rod tweak can really affect tone

[EuroAussie]

I recently put a set of 13's on my SJ, before it was on 12's.

 

Firstly, great improvement in tone. However i felt it could do with a small truss rod tweak, so i gave it a 1/4 turn.

 

Found two things, the action lowered a tad and while it was easier playing lead I really didnt like it in 'cowboy' chords in open position, was just too low and I could not dig in enough and there was not enough height for good hammer ons. No issue with fret buzz.

 

Secondly, the tone really became more placid and some of that SJ growl disappeared, didnt like that at all.

 

So I went back to the original setting, tone is back, I can dig in again and will just have to suffer a bit when playing lead. The neck is straight with a slight bow, nothing significant.

 

Such a big difference from just a 1/4 turn of the truss rod ...

[E-minor7]

Interesting - never had guts to try it. How about 1/8. . .

[BigKahune]

.

I'm thinking it's more to do with string height (action). I've moved it around many times and find (given everything else is the same) there's a tendency to loose some tone as you go to lower action. Some guitars handle lower action better than others, but most of the time lower action is a trade-off - better action, less tone. I try to find that sweet spot where the action is as low as it will go without giving up tone.

 

I'm not saying to use the truss to adjust the action. Using the truss to adjust action is generally considered a no-no. Tuss => relief adjustment only.

[drathbun]

+1 for BK's answer. However, moving to a heavier gauge string will require a truss rod adjustment as the increased tension will induce more relief into the neck. So I would think EA's move to .13's is the change we hear in the tone and the truss rod adjustment is just part of the move to the heavier gauge to bring the relief back to where it was. Heavier strings = more tone.

 

Ask SRV. He tuned a full step down and used .13's on his strat. Major tone! SRV's quote "Tune low, play hard!"

 

Oh wait... you can't ask him. Duh.

[Jack6849]

BigKahune:

 

"Sweet Spot" is a very appropriate description for that "balance point" between "tone" and "playability". Finding that ideal point, unfortunately, on most guitars, is a trade-off that requires the individual player to experiment, and then to make the choice that is best for them. (A sad fact of life and physics...)

 

Your term "Sweet Spot", is really "right on"...

Jack6849

[milod]

Yes to all the above...

 

I dropped to extreme light strings and hadda add some bow to get rid of buzz.

 

But nowadays 99.7 percent of the time I do very gentle fingerpicking.

 

It's not gotta get me a growl, and the action's still too low for almost any flatpicking. It suits what I'm doing.

 

m

[drumrnmuzik]

To check if you need a truss rod adjustment try this;

 

Put your right pinky finger on the last frett of the 6th string and your left index finger on the fist frett. Now stretch your right hand's index finger to the 12th frett. You should see a bit of a gap there, about 1/2 milimeter. This means that your neck is bowed correctly. Try all the strings and make sure that there is distance between each on the 12th.

 

Have fun!

[brums]

Hi, folks,

I think that 0,5 mm is a too great bowe for correct truss rod adjustment......

[Frosty]

There is no one-size-fits-all relief setting. Depends upon how

you play and how much "dirt" you want accessible. I like the

fingerboard to be as flat as possible for my fingerpicking,

while my bluegrass flatpicking friends like to see more relief.

[drumrnmuzik]

Actually my 1/2 mm was and example, I just eyeball the thing. A bit thicker then a piece of paper, but thinner then a playing card. Can I say 1 RCH?

 

It's just important to have some space there on the 12th.

[EuroAussie]

I found the sweet spot to be around 2.4 mm on the 12 fret low E.

[drumrnmuzik]

I found the sweet spot to be around 2.4 mm on the 12 fret low E.

 

 

I bet you don't get any string buzz that way.

[ksdaddy]

...but thinner then a playing card. Can I say 1 RCH?

 

I used to use that expression all the time but then she died.

 

I've raised the action on both J200s and the tone is so much better I don't care about the tiny extra bit of fight. Both necks are nearly straight; barely any relief but the saddle dictates an action height of 6/64 at the 12th fret. I used to try to make them as low as possible but I've gotten religion since then.

[EuroAussie]

No issue with string buzz at 2.4mm or 3/32 in Nth American lingo ...

 

I bet you don't get any string buzz that way.

[drumrnmuzik]

When you guys say 3/32rds or 6/64ths, you mean with an open string, right? Not holding down the string on the last frett.

 

BTW, KSDaddy, sorry about your loss

[Jerry K]

(Way off topic but when I work on saddles I put the original in the case pocket and work on a new blank. Hey, they're cheap, try it. The saddle is just sitting there in the slot, not glued. You can always put back the original.)

 

I like to have one guitar about where I sand the saddle down to optimum...and then go just a tad bit lower.

 

It whines, it cries. It's good for that really tough piece I'm warming up...

[drumrnmuzik]

My LP has a very low action, because a little buzz doesn't affect the sound so much. But an acoustic is just a whole different animal. Any tiny thing buzz gets amplified and sent out for the whole world to hear it.

 

So a small amount of bow and a low bridge ? Just thinking bigger strings have a larger vibration amplitude so more prone to buzzing... of am I just going down the wrong path here?