home > The senses > Adjustment of the guitar with an anchor. What is a truss rod for a guitar? Adjusting the neck deflection of a guitar


Adjustment of the guitar with an anchor. What is a truss rod for a guitar? Adjusting the neck deflection of a guitar




An anchor is a metal rod that is located in the "heart" of a musical instrument. Its main purpose is to counteract the force of the strings, which, when taut, tend to deform the guitar neck. Adjusting the neck of the guitar with an anchor avoids its destruction, relieves its owner from the need to constantly change the musical instrument.

Depending on the type of guitar, there are adjustable and fixed truss rods. The former serve to maintain the correct shape of the bar and must be constantly adjusted. The latter, being unchanged, are located inside the neck to give it strength. "Mobile" anchor rods consist of an adjustable part ("nut") and a fixed element.

What is the adjustment for?

The truss in guitars appeared relatively recently - it is not used in classical models to this day. But in modern multi-string guitars, it is an indispensable attribute of strength and purity of sound.

Trumpet adjustment is not familiar to everyone, although this does not mean that you need to neglect the settings of a musical instrument. Failure to adjust the guitar truss rod in a timely manner may result in changes in the shape of the instrument's parts. Depending on how hard the strings are pulled and how many of them are, they exert constant pressure, which is especially noticeable when playing the instrument. In the process of playing, the strings move in a plane in all directions. These vibrations simultaneously weaken their tension, which, accordingly, affects the beauty of the sound. Vibrations also affect how much force you need to pull on the truss rod.

In models with a large, massive neck, the role of the truss rod is not as noticeable as in the “twelve-prongs”. Adjusting the guitar neck with an anchor in them is the only way to protect the base of the instrument from damage during operation. Typically, the truss rod is no more than 6mm thick, and the thinner the neck of the guitar, the longer it will take to tighten the truss rod.

How to Extend the Life of a Guitar Correctly?

For beginner-amateurs, the truss rod adjustment will remind, rather, of the classical string pulling - manipulating the instrument for the sake of beautiful sound. In fact, the role of the anchor rod is the opposite. Nor will it affect the pitch or position of the strings. The anchor is used to create the correct deflection angle of the base of the guitar. Each owner of the instrument customizes it based on their own playability. Note that the correct deflection is as follows: there should be no more than 1mm between the 6th string and the base of the guitar.

Guitar truss is adjusted using an anchor tightening - "nut", which is located on the side of the neck or on the body of the musical instrument. If the truss nut is on the body, detach the neck before tightening it. In modern models, the truss rod is present only on the neck. This is done for convenience and to save time.

The issue of the duration of the procedure is also important. Anchor adjustment takes no more than five minutes. But it is an obligatory ritual for lovers of various seven-strings. People playing an electronic instrument or bass guitar cannot do without it.

Trunk adjustment on an acoustic guitar will be correct if there is a slight deflection in the middle of the neck. It will give the perfect location for the correct sound of the instrument. Too much curvature eats away at the clarity of the sound, while a weak one can cause inconvenience when playing.

People who have played the instrument for years have said that bass trunking is similar to an acoustic one. The focus should be on correct neck deflection. Contrary to misconceptions, the slope of the neck should not be flat - a slight gap in the center will make the game much more comfortable. For this, in fact, you need to adjust the truss, however, bass guitars in this matter will differ in sound from other "seven-string" instruments in a deeper sound. Therefore, do not hesitate to seek advice from experts in specialized stores or music clubs. They will show you how to achieve the perfect performance with a minimum of effort when playing and how to tune the instrument to your liking.

Solving issues with the electric guitar

Trumpet adjustment of an electronic guitar's neck is essentially the same as a bass and acoustic instrument. It is important to consider some nuances with each setting. Most of the materials used to create the neck are wood. Therefore, do not expect instant stretching and shaping the neck. All changes will be noticeable after a few hours, but the guitar will sound in a new way right away. After one and a half days, adjusting the neck of an electronic guitar with an anchor will give one hundred percent the desired result. The neck shape will be at the right angle, the tension is normal, the sound will be clearer.

Experienced tuners advise turning the truss rod gradually, but no more than half a turn. Alternatively, the risk of breaking the thread is great. You need to twist all the way and try not to overdo it with tension. Otherwise, the strings will rattle and you will have to start over. Adjust the anchor rod as needed. Note that as soon as the neck deflection is too strong, there will be "interference" when playing.

Acoustic Guitar Trussis a steel rod that is inserted into the neck and bends the wood so that the instrument can be played - above all, so that the strings sound when they are pressed.

What is a guitar truss for?

Many novice guitarists who do not understand how the instrument works generally misunderstand its structure a little. The neck of the guitar is not at all horizontally straight, as many people think. Moreover, it is not so much a perfectly flat bar as an arc on which the strings are stretched like a bowstring. If this part of the guitar were perfectly flat, then the strings would lie on it and it would be impossible to clamp them. The truss rod performs two tasks at once - it takes on the huge load that the stretched string exerts on the tree, and also keeps the neck in one position for more comfortable playing.

Accordingly, if changes occur with the guitar rod, this directly affects the convenience of the game, as well as the ability to perform songs in principle. With a curved neck directly relatedtwo very common problems:

  1. This is one of the reasons, - that is, they ring on the sills, and instead of giving an even, sonorous sound, they get along, and sometimes they don't play at all.
  2. It becomes very difficult to clamp the strings - it is especially felt at the 5th fret and higher. It becomes extremely difficult to play with the barre technique - the guitarist begins to spend much more effort than it takes. This situation is also directly related to the fact that the guitar truss is overtightened, and squeezes the neck much harder than required.

At the same time, the instrument may stop plotting and sound a little higher or lower than it should be.

How do you fix this? This is what this article is about.

Types of anchors for guitar

First of all, it is worth understanding what guitar rods are in general, and how they generally work. This is important because each type has its own adjustment mechanism.

Contracting

The most popular type of truss rod that is installed on almost every acoustic guitar. Its principle of operation is to squeeze the neck as you scroll the bar with the key. Conventionally, it consists of two parts - the first, static, which is precisely responsible for keeping the part of the tool in one position, and the second, which can be twisted, and which regulates the degree of how the tree is compressed.

Flexing

More complex construction, which is more typical for electric guitars, especially those made by Gibson. It also presents itself as a mechanism of two elements - a rod, which is fixed inside the tree, and a washer, which just regulates the compression force. This type of anchor is called compressive precisely because the rod pulls the tree in the direction opposite to the strings, which is why the force bend occurs.

How the anchor works

As mentioned above, the rod bends the instrument neck outward by force, creating an arc from the straight bar. The more it is tightened, the greater the degree of this arc, and the more. Accordingly, the distance to the strings is greater. And vice versa - the weaker it is, the lower the degree, and the less the strings are distant from the neck. In general, this is all - this is how the rod works inside the tree.

Anchor adjustment. Where to turn the nut?

Adjusting the guitar neckoccurs by rotating the nut, which controls the degree of deflection. On acoustic instruments, it is most often located inside the soundboard, under the block itself, in a special hole. This is done specifically so that inexperienced musicians do not try to fix problems on their own, and go to the master.

And this is true - it is recommended to first of all go to a person who understands what to do, instead of trying to fix the problem yourself. The reason is very simple - you can easily break the thread with your actions, or, even worse, damage the neck. Therefore, the ideal option for a beginner musician is to understand how , and prevent damage based on this information.

In addition, less often, but on acoustic instruments, the truss rod may be at the top - on the head of the guitar. This is common with Gibson products or power tools.

Which way to turn the anchor?


First, you need to understand what is wrong with you.To do this, take a guitar, hold down the first and eighteenth frets, and measure the distance between the strings and the neck in the region of the fifth-seventh frets. It should be about 0.3 millimeters. If the size is larger, then your neck is arched, which means that the tension on the strings is tighter. In this case, turn the nut clockwise.

If the instrument gets along, rings, and sounds more like a sitar or banjo, then this means that the tension of the rod is more than the strings can withstand. In this case, rotate counterclockwise.

Myths, guesses, delusions

On one of the guitar forums I read a topic where a person asked - to what extent should the truss rod be turned? And he was answered - until it clicks.

You can't do that. A click means that you at least ripped off the thread, or even broke the neck, and a crack went through it.


It is necessary to twist the rod carefully, constantly checking the correctness of the deflection. This can be done simply by looking at the bar along the plane - as shown in the photo. So it will become perfectly clear how much it was bent in general, and how long to twist it. Often, it is enough to make a couple of turns to fix the whole situation, so remember - accuracy is above all.

In addition, before making repairs, it is imperative to remove or loosen the strings - therefore, a beginner should first find out , to do it without any problem.

How much deflection should the bar have?


In fact, everyone has a different answer to this question. Someone is comfortable with playing with a slightly larger deflection than usual, someone with a smaller one. However, the standards for acoustic guitar say that the deflection should be such that the distance between the string and the neck at the 5-7th fret is no more than 0.3mm when the first and eighteenth frets are pressed at the same time.

How to determine the shape of neck deflection

This aspect is also determined by how the strings are felt on the instrument.

  1. If they are hard to clamp, especially at high frets, then the bar has become "convex" - that is, bent outward.
  2. If the strings seem to lie on the neck, rattle and get along, then it is bent inward.

Alternatively, you can lay the guitar horizontally, tune it, and hold down the first and eighteenth frets at the same time. Then roughly measure the distance from the string to the fretboard at the 5-7th fret. It should be no more than 0.3mm.

Conclusion and procedure

Before, what is worth rememberingsetting the anchor – it is caution in everything. Do everything as carefully and thoroughly as possible, checking the consequences of each of your actions. And the actions are as follows:

  1. Determine the shape of the neck deflection;
  2. Remove or loosen the strings on the guitar;
  3. Twist the anchor in the direction that is required to correct the defect;
  4. Check the degree of curvature of the neck;
  5. If something is wrong, twist it again, depending on the desired result;
  6. Examination;
  7. If everything is in order, tighten the strings and be sure to let the instrument stand for a while and accept the changes. It is advisable to give a time limit per day for everything to fall into place.

Also worth noting that weaken or increase the tension a little with a margin - that is, a little more, or a little less, since the strings will also affect the tension, and how well the bar will fit with the rod.

In addition, so that such problems arise as rarely as possible - you need to understandhow to choose an acoustic guitar, since a lot depends on the quality of the tool, as well as its material.

The neck of a guitar, being in its normal, working condition, experiences a lot of stress due to the constant tension of the strings. The pulling force bends the neck and its action is directed upward from the strings. To prevent this phenomenon, a anchor rod(or just an anchor). It is designed to adjust the curve of the neck.

Truss rod

Anchor Is a metal rod with a diameter of 5-6 mm. Located inside the neck, it helps to resist the pulling forces on the strings. One end of the rod is fixed, and the other is needed for adjustment. For this, an adjusting screw or nut is located at the free end. Access to them is most often found on the headstock, but there are instances where the adjusting screw is located on the neck where it is attached to the soundboard.

Truss rod in the fretboard

There are various types of anchor rods. I would point out the following two types: single rod, double rod.

  • A single truss is a single rod that, when adjusted, creates a bend in the neck. An uncomplicated design that is not as efficient as possible. A fairly frequent adjustment is required when various conditions change (humidity, temperature, etc.)
  • A double anchor is already two rods interacting with each other. This is already a fairly rigid and reliable design. Provides good fretboard tuning.

Double anchor

One sign of an improperly tuned truss rod is string bouncing on the frets. In order for this not to happen, it is necessary that the guitar neck is slightly curved relative to the strings downward. For a more accurate determination of whether the anchor needs to be adjusted, the following method can be used. Clamp the first fret of the string and the fret that is at the level of the fretboard attachment to the soundboard. Next, measure the gap between the string and the 7th fret. The optimum distance is 2-3 mm. Other options require adjustment.

Now let's look directly at the process of changing the neck deflection. If the gap described above is less than 2 mm, then the anchor must be loosened by turning it counterclockwise. If the gap is more than 2 mm, then we rotate the anchor clockwise. This is where the guitar truss can be adjusted. You need to turn the nut with a special hex wrench and do it carefully. Rotate ¼ of a turn (90 degrees) and let the guitar sit for a while (for example, an hour). Now we check the bend of the neck. If the result is insufficient, then repeat the operation again.

Hello everyone! Here we will tell you about how to adjust the neck, namely, its deflection. Beginning guitarists, and often experienced ones, do not know how to properly regulate the deflection.

Neck deflection and, as a consequence, the height of the strings can change due to various factors - moisture, changing the gauge of the strings, aging wood, and if you adjust the scale or do something with a typewriter, all this affects the deflection of the neck. Tuning is done using an anchor bolt, which is located inside the neck.

The essence of truss adjustment is to adjust the optimal height between the strings and the neck, so that it is convenient to play, and also that there are no overtones and rattling of the strings. This can be done by adjusting the bridge height, but if the bounce of the string on the fret does not disappear - here we begin to tune the neck.

Basically, on electric guitars, the truss bolt is located under the cap in the headstock. To access the bolt, this cover must be unscrewed. On some guitars, the truss bolt is located in the heel of the neck.

The most important thing in adjusting neck deflection is accuracy. Rotate the anchor slowly while observing the sound change. But first you need to determine the level of neck deflection.

Press down on the string at 1st fret with your left hand and press down on the fret at the base of the fretboard, usually the 14th fret. check the distance (gap) between the fretboard and the string at the 7th fret, If everything is adjusted correctly, then from the 1st to the 14th fret - the neck bend will be normal, that is, straight.

All measurements must be taken in the playing position. If you put the guitar down, the neck deflection will be very different and your measurements will not be accurate.

For electric guitars, the distance between the strings and the nut is 0.3 mm, for the bass it is 0.4 mm. Even an absolutely finely tuned neck can slightly change its deflection. Therefore, the main task of tuning is not to perfectly fine tune the neck, but to make it so that it is convenient to play and there is no bounce from the strings.

It's important to know! Be sure to check the neck deflection when changing the gauge (thickness) of the strings. To fine tune the truss bolt, the guitar must be tuned the way you would normally play. If you twist the truss rod too much, the neck of the guitar could be damaged!

Anchor rod adjustment

We need keys to adjust.

Allen's wrench (hex) - depicted on the left, barrel wrench - on the right. The most common wrenches are 4-5mm Allen keys, but for the Fender Stratocaster of American origin, you will need special 3.175mm (1/8 ”) wrenches, which are quite problematic to find.

Important! Use only quality wrenches and insert the wrench into the anchor all the way to the stop, otherwise the threads may be stripped, leading to costly repairs.

Loose anchor. the neck is concave outward

If the anchor is loosened, the hyphae bend is large. It will be difficult to press the strings, since the distance between the nut and the string is large.

Take the hexagon and gently, no more than ¼ turn at a time, tighten the anchor clockwise, and check the sound of the instrument. This stretches the anchor rod..

Overtightened anchor. the neck is concave inward

Shown below is an overtightened anchor. This is an exaggerated image and, as a rule, there are no such deflections, but the meaning is clear.

Take the wrench and slowly turn the nut counterclockwise. Pause (10-15 minutes) after each movement (turn), because the changes in the bend will not be felt immediately. In this way, we loosen the anchor rod.

Truss rod(Guitar Truss) - This is a metal rod inside the neck of a guitar about 5-6 mm thick. At one end of the anchor (and sometimes at both) there is anchor bolt, with which you can adjust the tension force of the rod. The tension in turn affects the degree of bar deflection.

Appointment

The neck of the guitar is exposed to severe stress due to the constant tension on the strings. By itself, the neck is not capable of handling this load alone, so an anchor rod has to be used, which increases the rigidity of the structure and prevents deformation. In addition, the guitar truss allows you to fine-tune the instrument for the needs of the guitarist and playing technique.

Types of anchors

1) Single anchor rod(classic, single truss rod) - anchor, one end of which is fixed in the neck, and the other is equipped anchor bolt to adjust. When tightening anchor bolt pressure is created on the bar from below. Location anchor bolt guitar truss can be different: at the heel of the neck (closer to the soundboard, most often found on acoustic guitars) or at the headstock (usually on electric guitars).
It is the most common, cheapest and lightest of the lowest torque rods. Among the disadvantages: the bar is more prone to curvature; more frequent adjustments are required.

2) Double bolt anchor rod- the construction of the anchor is the same as the single one, only it is adjusted with two anchor bolts on both sides.

3) Double anchor rod(dual truss rod) - represents two rods adjoining each other, interacting with each other during tuning. Stiffer and more durable than a single bar, pressure is applied to the neck from both the top (edges) and the bottom (center), which largely saves the neck from deformation. The bar becomes more stable, the change in moisture has little effect on the deflection. The increased mass of the anchor gives more sustain. However, this kind of guitar truss is more expensive to manufacture.

Various factors can affect neck deflection and string height, such as changes in moisture levels, changing strings, manipulating the bridge and scale of the guitar, time factor (wood dries over time), fret wear. For every guitarist, sooner or later there comes a time when you need to adjust the neck by tuning the truss of the guitar.
To begin with, let's determine the approximate norms for the height of the strings. Press the string down 1 fret with one hand and 18-20 frets with the other. Estimate the gap between the string and the 6th or 7th fret. For a guitar, the normal clearance is 0.2-0.3 mm, for a bass guitar - 0.3-0.4 mm. This is the approximate normal range.

Anchor bolt adjustment:

A) If the gap is too large, the neck deflection should be increased by tightening the guitar truss anchor bolt. To do this, turn the hexagon clockwise.
B) If there is too little or no clearance, then the neck has a very strong deflection, which should be reduced by loosening the truss rod anchor bolt. To do this, insert the anchor wrench into the special hole and turn it counterclockwise.

  • Insert the hex wrench as deep as possible into the thread, otherwise you may rip it off.
  • Do not over-twist the anchor - there is a risk of stripping the anchor bolts.
  • You should twist smoothly - no more than 1/2 turn at a time.
  • After adjusting the truss, the tuning of the guitar will change slightly due to the change in neck deflection. We'll have to twist the tuning pegs a little.
  • The neck is not rubber, but wooden. Therefore, although the initial result of setting the anchor appears immediately, the final changes occur in a day, or even more.
  • Different wood responds differently to anchoring rod adjustment. For example, maple responds very quickly, while mahogany responds more slowly.