Official Luthiers Forum!

Which was exactly my point in the previous post in which I stated there are different ways to increase the strength of threads including material, tolerances, and type of thread

I don't claim to know everything, that's why I was asking for the opinions of those that have more experience. I'm not a repair person, but I learned to do my own setups back in the '60s. I've been maintaining my own guitars for a while, and I have seen a few others. Some of them I have adjusted under string tension, electrics with lights, but they adjusted easily.
Taking the tension off is the safer method, and I believe it is necessay in some situations. It's counterproductive to promote procedures that can be problematic.
My opinion is that truss rod adjustments should be few and far between, good necks don't move around that much, so the truss rod should only need adjustment when the string gauge is changed, or to make up for 10 years of cold creep. I always check the relief, but almost never adjust it.

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A man hears what he wants to hear, and disreguards the rest. Paul Simon

The problem I had was that you did not ask for opinions. You gave yours and then proceeded to attack mine due to the fact that you have built more guitars than I. You simply stated that adjusting the truss rod under string tension IS wrong. No exceptions. Which is obviously not your belief since you have stated that you have adjusted some guitars under string tension. Next time maybe you should not try to act like you are always right and attack others based on what you believe to be lack of experience. I makes you look bad, especially when you come back explaining you sometimes do what you previously stated was wrong.

AnthonyE wrote:
"In theory it should be the same idea as adjusting a block plane blade, especially the type with a lever cap screw to tighten down the blade. You should ALWAYS release the tension off the lever cap before adjusting the depth of cut. If not then you end up putting far too much pressure on the threads of the adjustment screw. "

I've been pushing hand planes for forty years, and that's the first time I've heard that one. I don't see how you can adjust the cut if you loosen the cap, since that just allows the blade to shift: all the planes I have have 'way too much backlash for that.

The same holds in it's way for truss rod adjustments, I think. I just don't see how you could get it right if you slack off the strings every time.

Its true that too many people (not on _this_ list, of course..) think that the function of the truss rod is to adjust the action height. It does, of course, but that's secondary to it's real function, which is to control the relief of the neck. I like to build in the relief that I want when there is no tension on the strings or the rod, and then adjust the rod after stringing to get the neck back to that shape. In theory that should leave you with a balance of forces on the neck; as much 'down' force from the rod as there is 'up' force from the strings. This leaves the neck purely in compression, which should allow it to remain stable. A change in the setup or the strings will, of course, necessitate another truss rod adjustment, and, in some cases, seasonal changes need to be taken into account as well, but it's not an action adjustment.

That wasn't belittling.

But he did say it was "the same idea", then he mentioned damaging the THREADS.

I was pointing out in a humorous fashion that it wasn't the threads that were typically the problem, but in fact the ADJUSTMENT nut.

That's a different idea entirely.

I guess I'm belittling you now, pointing that out.

That's not my intention.




Again, I'm not belittling you by saying that this doesn't work for most guitars. Gibson's, sure, but lately they've been making the nuts out of harder material on some models with no ill effect.

The problem is that now 90% of instruments come with double rods and the nut is welded onto the end of the rod.

The American Fender nuts are sealed into the neck with a walnut plug which has to be removed to replace the nut, but it's doable.

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Old growth, shmold growth!

I appologize to any that took offense to my post. I thought that taking tension off the rod before adjustment was standard operating procedure for all professional repair people, which does not seem to be the case. I'm an amateur, which gives me the luxurary of not maintaining professional standards.
By the way, I'm a soundhole guy, because there's less temptation to adjust the rod under tension.

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A man hears what he wants to hear, and disreguards the rest. Paul Simon

I just spread the strings apart with one hand and adjust with the other.

Some allen keys also have rubber tubing on them to protect the strings.

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Old growth, shmold growth!

As do I rodger. Last week was a rough one and I was at my breaking point. Dealing with some of the people I am forced to associate with at my job had me in attack mode over anything. I think I overreacted to your post and now that Ive had a weekend to cool down I realise that . Sorry for jumping on you like that.