Neck won't level

[TheMiko76]

I used a notched straight edge to level out the neck on my guitar but there's a "droop" around the 7th-9th fret. I backed out the bolt to the point where I could see the threads of the truss rod. What gives?

 

[Roxy13]

You've posted about this before with the truss rod being maxxed out, You need to get that taken care of.

 

[TheMiko76]

You've posted about this before with the truss rod being maxxed out, You need to get that taken care of.

True, but I was finally able to measure the level of the rod with the straight edge

 

[emoney]

When you say "droop" do you mean relief? It's a concave bow at the 7/9th fret with zero truss rod? I'm assuming you're talking about a Gibson LP, but is that the case? Show us a pic of your trussrod nut/threads/etc. If this is the case; single action trussrod, maxed out to flat, neck still has a down bow/relief, then you need to start by sussing out the neck issue. It's not a difficult job, if you're comfortable with pulling the fretboard. But let's start with the pics.

 

[TheMiko76]

You're correct on all counts. I sent an email to tech support at StewMac and they said this can happen over time, a slight warp in the neck.

 

[emoney]

There are jigs that folks have made....StewMac used to even sell one, that straightens the neck. My experience is if the wood has moved, it's not going to take to "straightening" without being re-shaped. So you're down to some choices; try a jig to straighten it, or, is it something that can be sanded out of the frets/fretboard? If it removes too much material for comfort that way, then pulling the fretboard off and resanding the neck flat becomes the final, and/or only option.

 

[moreles]

With wood, anything can happen. Buyt the same is true with truss rod action. Can you tell if loosening the nut actually loosened the rod? They sometimes get glued and stuck. I sometimes flex the neck a bit by hand to make sure it's free to flex itself (though you can cause a headstock crack if you're incautious.) If you neck has taken on a permanent dip as slight as the one you show, doesn't tightening the rod eliminate that? If not, and if the rod and all else are working, and if you still have too much relief, or relief in the wrong spot, I'm guessing you need to have your fretboard levelled, which on a nibbed LP is a PIA job, though less so if you don't mind losing the nibs.

 

[OHIOSTEVE]

If the neck has too much relief and the truss rod works but is maxed out..... remove the truss rod bolt and add a small washer or 2. I had an SRV strat that the neck had way too much relief even with the truss bottomed out... couple of small washers and fine... .. you didn't say what kind of guitar but I have removed the neck and all of the hardware from the neck. Made a small jig to force back bow into the neck and stuck it in my oven on the lowest setting with a pan of water for some steam...left it in for quite a while.... fixed the issue. And I kept the guitar probably a year after that and it remained fine.

 

[OHIOSTEVE]

BTW.. I am a kitchen table hack so if someone else says DON'T DO THAT....don't do that.

 

[LtDave32]

.

 

[cmjohnson]

You've got the truss rod nut backed off to slack and there's a dip in the neck around frets 7 to 9?

You've adjusted the truss rod in the wrong direction. Tighten that nut up a bit and that'll straighten the neck. Tighten it up too much and you'll get a back bow.

Some fret levelling may be required to get optimal action height.

 

[CB91710]

You're correct on all counts. I sent an email to tech support at StewMac and they said this can happen over time, a slight warp in the neck.

That gap does not look bad considering that you have zero tension on the truss rod.

Run the nut back down until it contacts, and give it 1/4 turn, let the neck relax for 15 or 20 minutes, then check it again. If there's still a gap, give it another 1/4 turn.
That is not excessive relief for having a deactivated truss rod.

That is pretty close to what you want to see with the string tension on the neck, so you really don't need much. There is nothing wrong with your guitar and your truss rod is not maxed out.

 

[OHIOSTEVE]

My mistake.. fom the way I read it the nut was bottomed out and there was still too much relief.

 

[LtDave32]

That gap does not look bad considering that you have zero tension on the truss rod.

Run the nut back down until it contacts, and give it 1/4 turn, let the neck relax for 15 or 20 minutes, then check it again. If there's still a gap, give it another 1/4 turn.
That is not excessive relief for having a deactivated truss rod.

That is pretty close to what you want to see with the string tension on the neck, so you really don't need much. There is nothing wrong with your guitar and your truss rod is not maxed out.

^--this.

 

[CB91710]

My mistake.. fom the way I read it the nut was bottomed out and there was still too much relief.

From the start, the postings on this guitar have been confusing because of the unclear use of terms like "maxed out" and "relief"

We can now see what condition the neck is in, and given there's no tension on the truss rod, it seems to be fine.

The impression that I got from the previous thread was that he could not dial in enough relief, but what he has now is pretty close to being perfect for not having string tension on it, and I'd probably be happy with that WITH string tension.

 

[LtDave32]

With a single-action truss rod such as Gibson's, one cannot provide relief by mechanical action, such as a two-way rod.

You loosen the nut. The 130 or so pounds of string pressure pulls it forward into relief. Tighening the rod straightens the neck to lessen relief.

Of course we know this. This is for the benefit of the OP.

 

[bgrizz]

BTW.. I am a kitchen table hack so if someone else says DON'T DO THAT....don't do that.

Yes! I thought I was the only one who worked on their guitars in the kitchen! But actually I prefer the kitchen island, it’s the perfect height and it’s square as opposed to round.

 

[TheMiko76]

I used the island as well lol.

 

[Roxy13]

My mistake.. fom the way I read it the nut was bottomed out and there was still too much relief.

Me too because in the first thread he said he tightened it all the way and it wouldn't go anymore.

Glad to know it was the opposite and that the guitar is fine.

 

[TheMiko76]

The guitar plays great now.

Many thanks to you and all who helped me out