adjusting a Guild truss rod

[Daveyo]

I was supprised to find that the truss rod on my Guilds uses a small wrench instead of a hex wrench,
does anyone adjust there own truss rod?
The last Guild I owned , I never adjusted the truss rod, it never needed it,
now, I have a Guild that is new to me and I want to adjust the action a bit.
just wanted to know what to use to adjust it, or do I even try to do it on my own,
I figure I cant mess up the guitar if I just tweak it a bit
thanks for your info
Dave

 

[Bing k]

A 1/4 inch nut driver works nicely.
Make sure it needs a truss rod adjustment before you you do it. The truss rod is all about playability. If the neck has the proper amount of relief, leave the truss rod alone and adjust the action at the saddle and nut. If the neck has no issues such as high frets, twist, or excessive body hump this is the proper procedure.
In this order. First is rod, then saddle, then nut. This is the proper order of setup because one adjustment effects the next. Don't let anybody tell you differently.
Tune the guitar first to where ever you play it. Check the relief by placing a capo on the first fret and fretting the strings at the 14th fret, then check the gap between the bottom of the strings and the top of the 7th or 8th fret. Personal playing style will come into play here. The harder you play, the higher action you will need to avoid excessive
"buzzzzzz". Minimum relief(gap between bottom of string and top of 7th or 8th fret) is .010" and a lot of players play there,but that's pretty tight. A good measurement is a thin pick sliding in the gap a little tight. The rod has right hand threads: To increase relief(more gap) loosen the rod(counter clockwise). To reduce relief tighten the rod(clockwise). Small adjustments, 1/6 of a turn at a time. then let it settle and check.
Then on to saddle and nut.

 

[evenkeel]

Bing has covered the points well. I'll just a add a few more numbers. Relief of .010 is the factory spec for Martin, Gibson is .012. In Dan Erlewines very good "Repair Guide" he gives a personal spec of .005. That's near flat. If you are a hard strummer you will likely want a bit more relief, a light finger picker a bit less.

 

[Ravon]

Daveyo, above all after adjustments to the truss rod, make sure you replace the truss rod cover in the correct orientation. An upside down truss rod cover is a mortal sin here, punishable by severe humiliatian from members :wink:

 

[fronobulax]

Now in the Guilds of Grot Museum...

 

[Daveyo]

thanks so much for the replys
just kind thru me for a loop, I had a Martin and a Larrivee previosly and their truss rods
were on the inside of the soundhole and used the 5mm hex .
I will try it out
thanks again
Dave

 

[Bill Ashton]

Some time ago specs/instructions were available on the Guild web site under Support, but that is long since gone. I recall that the factory relief was .006 +/- .001, explained as one half the high E (.012).

Am I dreaming or was that really up there?

My old GAD30PCE came from the factory with virtually no relief, played wonderfully with Light Gauge strings and never buzzed; my D55 is set close to the .006 spec with no problems using Light or Bluegrass Gauge strings.

 

[steamfurnace]

I was informed by Guild customer service that my Tacoma F412 took the standard allen wrench for the truss rod, but when I removed the cover, I discovered that mine took the 1/4"
socket wrench. Fortunately, it is the same size as my Rickenbacker, so I already had the tool.

 

[chazmo]

I was informed by Guild customer service that my Tacoma F412 took the standard allen wrench for the truss rod, but when I removed the cover, I discovered that mine took the 1/4"
socket wrench. Fortunately, it is the same size as my Rickenbacker, so I already had the tool.

Yup, and I had a tool from Taylor that was the same (and worked on the Guild).

 

[Bing k]

If the pocket is too short to fit the nut driver in over the edge of the pocket then the best answer is the right angle tool provided with some guitars. It's short enough to slip over the hex drive on the end of the rod while clearing the edge of the pocket. Moving the G and D strings outward before installing the wrench makes things easier.


Shameless self-promotion: Remember, we're going to be in New Hartford this coming week visiting the Guild factory. We will have the opportunity to personally hand select some instruments so if you have something you would like us to look for let us know by Monday morning the 16th.