How to Fix a Bowed Guitar Neck
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- čas přidán 28. 03. 2019
- Adjusting your guitar neck is one of the scariest things a guitarist can do to their guitar. I'll show you all how to adjust your easily adjust your neck without giving yourself a heart attack!
- Hudba
this helped me so much, after 3 days of my super back bow neck I finally got it to sit straight and lowered my action by 2mm without any buzz on any fret. I can play smoothly now thank you so much!
probably out of every video about the guitar neck, this one was the best! tysm!!
this video just turned my guitar into a dream playing, warm, non-fret-buzzing lovely ibanez. thank you so much
Thank you so much. I almost bought a new bass neck until I found this video. Now it plays better than ever. Thank you
Awesome to hear!
I have an Ibanez Hollow Body Electric and this video was great! Did just what you said and the guitar stays in tune top to bottom. Did not have to adjust the truss rod, but I intonated it. Saved me $50 as well. I have a really beat up white Gibson V from like 1984. Still has the Grovers but that one will need the complete truss rod adjustment and intonation. Its got a really cool ebony fretboard. Needs all new electronics.
Ill let you know how I make out.
Took about 1 hr but it was worth it. Thanks!
Didn't have to end up adjusting my truss rod. But the video is so good I had to subscribe. Illustrations are perfect and needed for beginners.
That is explained perfectly very clear thanks mate
Really good, clear video, love your videos keep it up! 🙂 Please more guitar setup video like this🙂🙂
Thank you soooo much after so many confusing and useless videos I'd lost hope but you illustrated and explained it perfectly.
Great to hear!
@@ManBunMetalHead so you dont have to wait a day by setting your guitar aside then picking it up and playing, you can just give it few turns and your good
Thanks Man Bun! This really helped me get rid of the back bow!
Thanks man!! This video was a great help :D
Homie single handedly saved my guitar. Thanks man
Excellent video. Thanks
My jazz bass has the first four frets or so tighter in string space than the rest of the frets. At one point I had the action super low and it was those first few frets that played the same while the rest of the neck made a huge gap between the string and fretboard. After I detuned the strings until they were flabby things looked a lot more flat, but with a slight tightness near the headstock.
Thank you! really helped me 👍🏻
Useful stuff dude.
Real good advice man thanx
The neck on my Synyster Gates Standard got warped, so your video saved me from a panick attack
Excellent!
LOL mine just got warped , now the buzz on the first two frets is crazy
Great video, thanks!
Great Video. I just adjusted the truss rod on my strat and I had to tighten it quite a bit. However, it seems to have gone well and the neck is now almost straight. I was a bit afraid to go more than i did .. I think i did probably 4 quarter turns or 4 just under a quarter turns to get it to where it was.
I love my guitars and this is a big problem for me thanks for showing me so I don't have to go to guitar store everytime lol
This was a very good video on explaining the process. The icing on the cake was the camera work on checking the action. One thing I was told is that because of gravity on the strings you should check it with the guitar vertical, not horizontal. I'm sure the difference in results isn't much. Any yes, that truss rod cover is very cool.
you are clueless.
This is from past experience, some 25 years ago. I would either loosen all the strings (if I had time). If I was in a hurry I would physically pull the neck backwards using the 5th fret as the fulcrum (think of a child's tedar toder). I would set the guitar facing up with fifth fret directly over my left leg. The guitar body to the right of my left leg with head stock to the left of my left leg. I would suspend the body of the guitar without support across my leg, keeping the guitar level with the ground by pushing down on the head stock with my left hand. This will bow the neck such that the strings (in some cases) will come in contact with the frets. This will remove string tension from the truss rod, reducing the force applied to the truss rod. You try to adjust a truss rod with heavy strings without helping the neck in the above way you WILL snap the truss rod. So much Chinese metals in all guitars today, you've really got to be cautious when doing these setups.
This method would certainly work. However, I wouldn't recommend a beginner to try doing this. Too much pressure on the neck could damage it. It is true, you could break the truss rod by applying too much torque, however, I have never had a problem. That being said, I do mention being careful when applying torque to the truss rod and if you feel you have to apply a lot of force, I would take it to a guitar tech. Loosening the strings is always a safe bet as well.
@@ManBunMetalHead Take into consideration all Hardware eventually comes from China and there is absolutely no quality control in the medals they are using. It might be a good idea to determine the exact pounds in torque required to turn a truss rod with strings in tention, and then another test with the highest gauge strings they make just to see if you're even getting close to the breaking point. This fails to take into consideration corrosion that can occur on metals and possibly again for quality control where the trust rod is of a different metal than the nut that you're actually turning, and there can be electrolysis between those two contact points causing resistance.
i didn't understand how exactly can you increase tension in the truss rod by your method? ROLF acoustic guitar owner here!
Thank you, very very useful! My guitar sounds good now lol
thanks
I have my guitars hanging on the wall in a basement, took it down and noticed the neck was bowed pretty good.
Will try this and thanks
I just built this guitar and the intonation was WAY out of whack. I kept adjusting the truss rod (to frightening amounts) I tried EVERYTHING but THEN I took off the neck and installed it a second time FIXED EVERYTHING!! I guess the neck wasn't fitting correctly the first time. Now I will watch your video for the correct set up!
I have a 12 string I just built as well. It's even more messed up. Wish me luck! Thanks for the video.
Great information, thank you for the video, I bought some feeler thingies a while ago but I never used them, I will perhaps use them now that I know what it's about a little :)
Tho I have a little bit of a lump in an older guitar of mine.
I don't know how to get rid of that, since it's like not a bow or something.
11:20 : Highest guitar tuning I've ever heard haha.
that was very helpful😍💪
thanks that help a lot i have a telecaster kit the neck seems to be nut heavy without any strings on i did not adjust anything yet except preparing the body and neck for a stain job and the electronics r done that was easy did the fret work as well even frets and shiny frets make the neck happy too but how do i get the neck to fit better ? thanks john
Thanks man !
@Man Bun Metal Head.
Good day.
May I ask if we adjust truss rod on acoustic guitat do we need to tune first the guitar or loose the string? What is about the bounce you are saying? Thank you for sharing this video.
Dude! You're youtube videos awesome! Who was your teacher?
Good shit bro
I learned a lot👍
Help. My guitar had a bow in the neck and was left unplayed for a few years, the truss rod was tight. I have loosened the truss road now, if I leave it long enough with the neck eventually straighten itself? Its a bolt on and maple by the way.
Now here's the question.
My Guitar lies on the table, the pickguard faces the ceiling. The neck closer to the headstock is bent upwards, in the middle it's bent downwards, from frets 12-14 is goes perfectly straight till the most upper frets. The neck has a portion where it's kin of an S-bent. Any suggestions?
I love you bro
Are you supposed to make the neck completely flat (straight) or should it slightly bowed downward so that there is a .006" gap between string and fret?
I got a guitar that was put up for years and years with no strings on it. I started putting strings on it but the low string is touching the fretboard on the highest fret while around the 5th and 6th fret there's 2 to 3mm of gap. I need help ples
I agree with everything in all your vids but those who’s just trying it for the first time don’t make as big of an adjustment as manbun did im surprised it didn’t crack with so much backbow
Than u so much
Picked up my mates old PRS Special 22, the neck is bowed but the strings still sit on the frets at 19-21, even at highest bridge height. The bow is basically like whilst the strings are on the frets at the neck end, about halfway along the neck there is about a 1.5cm gap between strings and fretboard, then the strings are really close to the fretboard at the head end. Not sure how I fix this :(
Banana neck turned straight, Thanks.
@Atlas Magnus Yes me too, this definitely not a scam thing really helped me get hacked I mean hack my bf's account also too!
How to repair s shape double bow? Got this in New guitar😭
If you don’t have a capo, I learned today here on CZcams, you can use a pen or pencil and a hair elastic! I’m sure a regular elastic and crayon, would work fine as well..
To relieve tension have a nice snug nut.
I don’t know why people are so scared of doing truss rod adjustments, it’s really easy. You’ve just got to be slow with it
Sometimes the truss rod doesn't do anything on cheap guitars.
Dudee so I went on holiday and left my guitar in the tuning for black hole sun I come back and now the frets closer to the bridge r so high from the neck
is it effective when tuning the elec.guitar,just put the tuner without plugging the guitar to guitar amp
Thank you for a simple and well-explained way to do this. I have an expensive PRS that has been a pig from the beginning. I was finally told that it has a slight warp in the neck so I have to keep setting it up. I would never buy another PRS. I have a very cheap Ibanez and it has never had any problems...luck of the draw, I guess.
Will it work if I change the guitars neck?
👍 thanks sir
HELP! my Bass neck ( $200 Ibanez GIO soundgear) that fell and got knocked out of wack... I am trying to adjust the rod but it comes out or stops turning. help?
Dude. What is that guitar? I LOVE the scalloped neck!!!! Does anyone know what model this is?
It's a custom build from Warmoth. I did a video on it. czcams.com/video/KOJS22EpTwM/video.html
Off topic. We're you ever an extra on the show Frasier? Haha
Great stuff. My Ibanez has a good amount of buzz in the first 3 frets. Any advice what I should do. As there is no guitar tech around where I live. Thank you so much
It's really hard to say without seeing the guitar, but my guess would be your 3rd fret might be a bit high. It could be as easy as hammering it back it, but that would be a temporary fix. Or the fret might need to be leveled. I would advise against hammering it in unless you are experienced cause you could make things worse.
Those are 3 of my favorite bands in the background. Don't when you take relief out it makes the action on the higher frets higher?
It does for sure. In that case you'll need to adjust the bridge height afterwards.
@@ManBunMetalHead Yeah I got everything good but now I'm having problems keeping it in tune when I want to do drop D on the low E. As soon as I tune the low E down the rest of the guitar goes out of whack and I'm having to tune it a million times over. Then when I lock the nuts it goes out of whack.
sounds like you need a new locking nut. I had to change my mh-1000 nut once because it scored too much and stopped holding, dreaded G string would slip and then I'd dive and it would wreck all the other string tensions. and now I need to do it again.. sigh
i need help how and the hell do i get a straight neck with mid to low action
before i mess with the truss rod i always kind of oil the area of where the wood is before i go cranking it... i wish people would do this i feel like it is necessary
Great video!!
Is it the same turn direction if the truss rod hole is inside the sound hole?
Yes, it should be. The classic righty tighty, lefty loosy.
my acoustic guitar neck is bowed and the truss rod is loose - is it possibly broke?
Hi there! I’m a beginner, started playing guitar 8 months ago and its going well. But I started to learn everything about guitar adjustments/repairs etc. This might be a stupid question. But here’s the thing: I have a friend of mine setting up my truss rod. I told him I like my action pretty low and my neck pretty straight. I have a Squier telecaster bullet and it’s an awesome piece of guitar. But currently I’m setting up with 9-42 strings gauge that came along with the guitar. Now I want to switch to Ernie ball regular slinky 10-46. But I’m afraid that because I’m changing string gauge, the neck will move forward because of the tension. But here’s the thing: I’ve checked how my neck is set up and it’s pretty straight to the point I can no longer turn the truss rod clockwise, only counter clockwise. It seemed to have a back bow (but not a crazy back bow, maybe slight) but I have no string buzz whatsoever (thank god!). My question is: if I’m changing string gauge, should I FIRST give my neck a little relief, than changing strings, and readjust the truss rod by tighten it up? I’m afraid that if I don’t do that, the neck will bow forward because of the tension of the new strings. Hope you can answer my question. Peace✌🏼
I would change the strings first and see where the neck sits. I would expect you'd have to add some tension in the neck, but you might be okay.
@@ManBunMetalHead hmm okay but as I mentioned, the truss rod can no longer be tighten and turned clockwise. It’s dead straight or maybe even slightly back bowed haha. I can only add relief to it, and I’m afraid that If I put 10s on it, the neck will bow forward if that make sense, unless it’s moving out of itself which I don’t think it would and by that I mean the nut of the truss rod. Sorry I’m still learning a lot lol. I’m feeling like a total noob🤣
i have a question for you i got an 1989 Greco i’ve had it for some time now i’m guessing since 2005 and i love this guitar it’s probably one of my favorite guitar to play the 14th fret on the D string kinda buzzes like a sitar almost the G string does that a little too and it’s the only place it does it at i thought it was maybe the frets but i was playing the guitar the other night and it stopped doing the sitar noise does it need a neck adjustment or the frets to be worked on or what that’s the only thing wrong with it at this moment thank you for your channel it’s my first time watching it
My first thought would be the 14th fret sits a little too low or the 15th fret sits a little too high in that area which means you'd need a fret level. It's possible that it went away because there's a little extra neck relief. If you adjusted the truss rod to straighten the neck the buzzing would probably come back. Taking the guitar to a tech at that point would probably be the idea.
@@ManBunMetalHead thank you i will but i also want to get a whole new bridge system what i mean is change the bridge and tail piece to a more upgraded version i’m thinking tonepros and change the tuners too the tuners are black right there Grovers i want all gold hardware and possibly change the nut if it needs it if not just make it so it the D and G won’t go out of tune all of my les puals type guitars do that lol i appreciate the reply from you
I bought a very old guitar a while ago, the nut on the truss rod would not move for a while but it loosened up and started turning but after loosening it completely off, there was no difference to the neck. Recently I took off the fretboard to find the truss rod and neck completely full of some kind of glue...so thats not very helpful
I hate that I found my truss rod cuz I'm always wanting to make my guitar perfect I don't think there's anything wrong with it now but now that I found it I kind of want to mess with it 🤦🏻♂️ I didn't think my guitar had one. But I can't figure out if I have a bow because normally if my strings are too far from the frets I just cut little lines in the nut and the bridge to lower the strings down but at the top my strings are 1/16 from the fretboard they don't buzz but at the bottom towards the 16th fret it's about 3/16 I think it's like that because I cut bigger notches in the nut and I should have done it at the bridge so it would have lowered the strings from the back and cut smaller naches in the nut but the reason I'm saying this all is because since I have that 3/16 of an inch at the bottom I was kind of curious if I mess with my truss rod if I can get those a little bit closer I would like my strings to be 1/16 at the top and 1/8 at the bottom so I can get more of a electric guitar feel out of a acoustic .. I would be more than happy for you to tell me how stupid I am and give me some advice 😂
Thank you. The way you showed the "click" was very intuitive. After changing from 9 to 10s my string go really up, so I adjusted, then change again to 9.5 (my gauge). I supposed after adjusting the rod with the new string it will need some time to "settle", but this is becoming a nightmare (almost floyd rose alike). How much time do you think is nice to let settle and determine if more adjust is needed? (12, 24..72). This shit is a Schecter (yep I like the look and feel, horrible setup, thin neck that I suspect bents) thanks a lot bro!
It's hard to say because it varies from guitar to guitar and can be effected by environmental changes (temp, humidity, etc). And a thin neck will be more susceptible to those changes as well. Just keep an eye on it. Check it every day. If the blow isn't changing after a day or two, it's probably set.
@@ManBunMetalHead Appreciate your comment. I'm not new to music, but to guitars. I have to get used to this kind instrument's little imperfections, not the same kind as the ones you get on synths and drums. Anyway tuning is an omnipresent issue. See ya soon!
0p⁹99999999999⁹9899999⁹999999999999999999999
For a nice soft surface, I use my lap.. comfortably!
Mine sticks out a lil bit... how do i get it back in?
Thanks bro saved me 50 bucks
One thing you omitted was to loosen the strings a bit so as not to over tension and break any strings (especially they higher strings) which can happen when adjusting the truss rod. BOING!! (I hate breaking strings.)
I'm trying to fix a backbow neck of my Ibanez Prestige. Exept of the very first turn, the truss rod nut turns very very softly, is that normal? It turns easily with no strenght.
I'm not quite sure what the issue is. I assume you're turning the correct way (clockwise). I don't really have much advice to give because I don't want you to screw up your guitar. You might want to take it to a tech.
Make about PRS SE custom 24 Truss rod.
I am hopefully getting a new squier bullet mustang huh by fender and I need to make sure the neck isn't warped could you maybe please make a video about how to tell if a guitar neck is warped and how to fix it please.
Hope you see this
Don't think I'll be able to make a video on this, but I'd just take a look at the neck from the headstock towards the body and look for a twist. It's pretty hard to describe everything that could be wrong, but twisting is one of the biggest problems.
@@ManBunMetalHead thank you anyways!
very nice video brother....anyway, may I know what string gauge did you used on that guitar? I got a problem with my Ibanez S420, the truss rod is fully tightened but still upbow occurs. I'm using a gauge 9 strings....please help....
I use DR Strings Hi-Beam 9-42's. Have you tried loosening your strings before tightening the truss rod? Also, you might want to take the guitar to a tech. Just in case something is wrong.
Man Bun Metal Head yes brother, I loosened the strings, maybe I need to have it check by a pro.... thank you for your time...,more power to you...
It can be a humidity issue. The neck can move over time if seasons start to change. The humidity in your room where your guitars are, need to be between 45%-55%. Get a humidifier and hygrometer.
I have an 80s guitar probably cheap a marlin superstrat, I'm trying to straighten the neck and the truss rod is becoming extremely hard to turn.. Any tips/suggestions?
I'd recommend taking it to a guitar tech
Hi, my first 4 frets and after 13 frets not buzzing but 5-12 frets little bit buzzing is it my guitar little bit concave or convex and which way should turn my truss road?
You would probably need to loosen it (counter clockwise), but it also sounds like you might need a fret level.
Thank you mr metal bun man, every one is very confusing and not understanding what a beginner is concerned about. I will go back to playing smoke on the water and every breath you take... jk. But thank you.
My acoustic guiter strings has a big gap from the fret bord so when i paly it buzzs so what should i do for that one
That's a tough one. I'd recommend taking it to a guitar tech. It may need a fret level, nut or bridge adjustment.
After you loosen the rod retune before checking the gap. If you need to tighten the rod, define before tightening or you can strip or break the rod. He should have mentioned these things but other then that good deal. Nice guitar.
Edit. I guess he kinda mentions tuning but not really. A noob is gonna watch this and break stuff. Be careful. If the rod stops turning, STOP. Genral rule of thumb is don't tighten rod under pressure. You can feel the difference when using the wrench.
My peavey fury bass used to chronically have fret buzz the neck had a bad bow to it I was constantly messing with the truss
I finally fixed it by buying a sg bass🤘
thank u
🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼
Shouldn't you tune it in playing position?
Sir which tool you used for rotating it
It's a guitar truss rod wrench. If you need a hex wrench you can usually buy them in a set of different sizes. They could also be an Allen wrench which are more common.
Around from the middle of the fretboard to the end of it, the strings get farther away from the board itself. The first couple of frets are good, it just gradually inclines from there. How would I fix this?? I ask just to be sure though I’ve never done this before and I definitely do not want to damage my guitar.
me too and my trust rod is tighten to the last but its still bent forward
Same here, years of being a careless teen-ager and leaning it against the walls , truss Rod is maxed out
@@whambamham4728 my guitar is brand new so I don't know whats up with it
I'm having an issue with my multiscale orsmby. I've had it for a few years, and i'm getting absolutely horrid string buzz ONLY on the D string. It is the middle string, and only when I play it open. Every single fret on every string is fine. Just this one when played open. No idea the issue. Should i maybe alter my trust rod? I'm a bit nervous to do so.
Edit: I'm looking and it might be buzzing against the 1st fret marker. Since it's only close there, it seems everywhere else is fine and makes sense why it's only when I play open. Should I mess with my truss rod, or maybe try to raise the saddle? Or could it be an issue with the nut worn? I'm not sure
If it's buzzing against the 1st fret I'd say it's likely to be a nut issue!
@@_Deergod Ya figured it out and used tiny pieces of paper to temporarily fix the issue. Would it be expensive to fix at all? I think the nut is just worn and the strings are set a little lower, happened to the A and D string
i have seen another videos where they say you need to adjust a little bit and wait even 24 hrs to check again the neck and make another adjustment if needed, is this true ??? the adjustment works so fast like showed on this video ????
It's never a bad idea to check the neck a day or two after you make an adjustment to see if it has moved. If your neck is way out, it might not be a bad idea to make a partial adjustment, let it sit for a day, then adjust more. Unfortunately, experience really helps. If you're ever unsure, take it to a gear tech.
Sir but im not able to move the rod more and still the tension is too much . My guitar is buzzing . Any suggestions sir what can i do?
Sounds like the neck might need some relief. Try letting out some tension. Your bridge height might be too low as well.
i have a straight bow but still buzzing
It's like your hands have a mind of their own
I tooknit to a pro and he said it was messed up and I turned the trust rod clockwise cause it was bowed and it's fine and its straight.
If it was broken it would turn if trust rod wouldn't turn?
Tell me what u think ty.
Not sure why the pro thought it was broken. More than likely the nut would just spin, meaning the truss rod snapped in half. Sounds like it's fine.
@@ManBunMetalHead ty
hey,i have a problem with my guitar because the fret buzz are only on the G and B strings.Do you recommend anything for me to do about it? thank you!
Have you adjusted your action? The high side might be too low.
@@ManBunMetalHead I have adjusted but the G and B strings still buzz but the high E does not.Any ideas?
btw im using a floyd rose trem
My issue is that my guitar is too old and his truss rod is over wrapped, literally I can't turn it back straight anymore because is at the top of his limits
Before setting up a new guitar how long should you let it sit and acclimate prior to setting up
You'd probably be okay right away, but if you want to play it safe, a day or two should be just fine.
@@ManBunMetalHead thanks man just bought a strat from Arizona and I live in Kentucky. The humidity difference is huge so I was just curious thanks man ya got a new subscriber for sure
Why check neck relief and adjust the truss rod if the bridge height might be off? I mean which adjustment should go first, neck straightness or bridge height?
Always check neck relief (straightness) before bridge height. Adjusting the relief will effect how you adjust bridge height, but adjusting the bridge height won't effect how you adjust your neck relief.
My guitar had backbow, what was happening was from the 3-7th fret on the B and high E I was getting dead notes, especially when bending them. I adjusted the truss rod, and the neck is straight, but neck on the side of the high E has more upbow than on the Low E side of the neck. This is a brand new guitar that I bought in Nov of 2019 and got it taken to a luthier where it was playing fine afterwards and then it got all fucked up
💯💯💯
Sorry if my question sounds a bit stupid but is it the same for an acoustic 12 string?
Yes it is 👍🏼
@@ManBunMetalHead ohh alright, thanks :)
Man look like giga chad
I put on the Spa music channel, light some scented candles and oil massage my guitar to get it relaxed before I suddenly twist its neck into submission. Never sees it coming.
I have a huge gap between string and fret and buzzing too 😂wtf am I supposed to do
Maybe check the bridge height. It might be set too low.
Man i just bought a gretsch 6228 and we had great cold in canada last week... and what a bad surprise when i went to play it 😱😱😱😱 damn that suck, i know its gonna be okay. But still its the best guitar i ever had and the money it cost me ...