Fixing a bent guitar neck

One of the explanations a guitar may not play well can be ascribed to a bent or warped neck. Guitars often require some neck adjustment but how does one go about doing this? Dependent on the scale of the difficulty almost all of the time this is a relatively straight forward task and is actually an exceedingly convenient system to learn.

Getting underway

Important things first, check there's even an issue. Confirm your guitar is in tune , then lay a straight edge down on your neck. If you do not have a straight edge your low E string will suffice. If you do see an issue then you will need to make a few changes, it’s important to remember that not all guitar necks are going to be dead straight nor should they be, there is an acceptable bend allowable in some necks. Electric guitars sometimes allow you a straight neck, acoustic guitars on the other hand typically cater for a bit of neck bend.

It's very important to remember you are not trying to adjust your guitar’s action but instead improve the playability. The initial step will be to find your truss rod cover and remove it so that you can make alterations. This may be found at the base of your neck under the strings between the nut and headstock. You'll typically need a screwdriver to get rid of the screws to allow you access to the truss rod.

Straightening the neck

Next lay your straight edge down and test the straightness of your guitar neck again. Typically you will be coping with a slight to moderate warping of the neck and it is necessary to don't forget to walk cautiously here. If you take things too far you can risk breaking the truss rod. It’s far better to make minor adjustments and then checking the results. Most of the time the neck will be bent inwards e.g. The lower point will be in the middle of the neck, this means your truss rod must be loosened which requires turning the alum key away from you.

Checking the adjustment

Lay down your straight edge again and test your correction. If the neck is still bent keep making minor corrections. If however your neck seems to be straight then put the guitar down on a flat surface and leave it for ten minutes to let the neck. Once the neck has settled check again before signing off on the job.

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