Truss Rod Not Doing Anything: 5 Recommended Fixes

A guitar as an instrument needs to be handled with care because some features of the guitar are very fragile.

One of the key parts of a guitar is its truss rod, it is known as the part that is screwed into the body of the guitar and its main purpose is to help in stabilizing the guitar’s lengthwise forward curvature.

The truss rod can be found in the neck of your guitar as well as other string instruments. It helps you ensure that all your guitar chords and strings are aligned perfectly and tuned.

Sometimes, you will notice that your truss rod is getting hard to move and is not doing its job correctly; this means that there is something wrong with your guitar’s truss rod.

All guitars don’t need to come with a truss rod but if your guitar has one and you’re facing difficulty in moving it or you are noticing that it’s not working fine then you need to consider fixing your truss rod. Here are some things that can help you fix your guitar’s truss rod.

Truss Rod Not Doing Anything

1. Clean it off

It is possible that sometimes dust particles can gather around your truss rod, causing difficulty for your guitar. You need to start by making sure that you clean it carefully and make sure that there are no remaining dust particles.

To clean off your truss rod, you would need to screw it out from your guitar and clean it with a damp cloth, make sure that your cloth is not too wet as it can cause your truss rod to rust.

Cleaning your truss rod is not difficult but you just need to be careful and make sure it is properly cleaned.

Once you have cleaned the truss rod thoroughly, you need to carefully screw it back into your guitar and make sure that it fits your guitar correctly before you begin screwing it in.

You need to keep an eye out and check that your truss rod is not getting stuck or is at an incorrect angle.

After you have screwed the truss rod out and cleaned it and screwed it back in, it will be evident that the truss rod is working perfectly.

It is not unusual for dust particles to gather and the cleaning process is simple and it should do the job of ensuring that your guitar’s truss rod is working perfectly again.

2. Adjust it Right

One of the reasons your truss rod is not working fine is that you are not adjusting it correctly. You must adjust it in the right way. You will notice that your truss rod feels jammed, it might probably be because you have tightened it beyond its capacity.

The truss rod helps you keep the alignment of your guitar strings correctly, if you have adjusted it too tight or too loose, you will notice a major difference in your guitar. You need to be very specific with the adjustment of your truss rod.

The adjusting process is easy, you need to tighten or loosen the truss rod bolt. The adjustment of the truss rod depends from person to person.

If you are someone who prefers having tight strings, you keep the adjustment a little tight and if you want to ease your guitar then you can loosen it as well.

It is best advised that the truss rod of a guitar should be adjusted at a middle point, where it is neither too tight nor too loose. An extremely tightened truss rod will cause it not to work and you will face difficulty in playing your guitar because of this.

Once you have rightly adjusted your truss rod, you should no longer face any difficulties with it unless an adjustment is not the main cause that your truss rod isn’t working. You may as well look into other options to make sure you get your truss rod fixed and working.

3. Replace it

Oftentimes, your truss rod will stop working altogether. This can happen as a lot of tension is built in guitars due to regular use and this can also result in breaking your truss rod. From time to time, you should keep checking to make sure that your truss rod is not damaged or broken.

If you notice that your truss rod is broken, it is better to get it replaced as soon as possible. With a new truss rod, you will feel a significant difference.

Broken truss rods cause it to stop working completely and this issue cannot be fixed, the only way to resolve this is by getting your guitar’s truss rod replaced.

Truss rods can also get broken if they are not in use for a long period, oftentimes they can get affected by rust and eventually get weak and broken. Extensive use or no use of the truss rod can result in a broken truss rod.

Getting your truss rod replaced is an easy task and does not even require too much time; you can even buy a new truss rod and try to replace it by yourself.

You will need to screw out the old broken truss rod and replace it with the new one. Make sure that the alignment is perfect when you screw in the new truss rod.

If you are wondering that it will be costly to get the truss rod changed, you’ll be surprised to know it’s relatively cheap and easily found. You can get your truss rod replaced from any guitar shop or buy a new truss rod from your trusted guitar place.

4. Checking The Relief

This is something you may not have heard of but when you are adjusting the truss rod of your guitar, you need to also keep a check on the amount of relief during the adjustment process.

You can easily start with checking the neck relief; this will give you an idea about how much adjusting is needed.

As mentioned above, if you adjust your truss rod too tight it might break and if you adjust it loosely, it will still not work. You also need to keep in mind that the result of adjusting your truss rod will not be immediate.

Over time when you will begin playing your guitar, the effect of a correctly adjusted truss rod will begin to show in your music. When you check the relief of your truss rod, you will notice how it will be obvious that the adjustment was either too tight or too loose.

5. Get the Guitar Checked

Lastly and importantly, if you have tried and tested all of the above-mentioned options yet your truss rod is still not working fine you need to get it checked by a professional. Sometimes there are problems with your guitar that can be fixed or replaced.

Of course, you can attempt fixing the truss rod of your guitar by yourself but when you reach a dead-end and still find no solutions; it is best advised that you seek the help of a professional.

ou may be missing some minor detail while trying to fix it on your own but a professional will thoroughly examine your guitar’s truss rod and fix it for you.

A professional is highly skilled and once they can take a good look at your guitar and its truss rod, they will get to know the cause behind your truss rod not working. They will be able to fix any issue present or if it cannot be fixed, they will help you replace your guitar’s truss rod.