Truss rod. How loose is too loose?

[Telecaster Joe]

I need a little more relief.

My saddles are at the end of their threads and are as high as they will go and my truss rod is just about an 8th of a turn from being totally loose.

Should I loosen it all the way or is that too much? Will the string tension compensate for this?

Any help would be appreciated.

Also would I benifit by putting longer adjustment screws on my saddles? And, if so, is there a company that sells these?

[ECpicker]

What are you trying to acomplish?

The truss rod will have very little if any effect on the string height. I would put it back in the normal position. With a slight bow.

[Telecaster Joe]

"Let us not talk falsely, now."

"The hour is getting late."

:D Just a little joke. :D I could not resist. :D

[WrapAround]

The truss rod will have very little if any effect on the string height.

I find this a little inaccurate. When you combine the truss rod adjustment with height adjustments of saddles, you can tweak the overall action of a guitar in many different ways. For example, you can set up your neck completely straight or with a very slight back bow then compensate the lack of relief at the saddle, you'd get a super low action.

In this case, rather than loosening the truss rod, I'd put it back where it was and insert a shim in the neck pocket closest to the headstock. That should get you the higher action you want.

[Teleologist]

Originally Posted by WrapAround

In this case, rather than loosening the truss rod, I'd put it back where it was and insert a shim in the neck pocket closest to the headstock. That should get you the higher action you want.

...but if it's a tilt neck try backing out the tilt screw. If not, check for a shim in the rear of the pocket. This adjustment is called neck pitch - the angle between the neck and body(Gibsons have lots of neck pitch, Fenders almost none). It sets the string height over the body and also at the bridge. On Teles gettting the saddles too low also affects twang and can even cause rattles, so don't go too crazy.

[LouisianaGrey]

Those who've seen me post on other boards will know this is a hobby-horse of mine.

The truss rod adjusts the neck relief (i.e. the amount of bow in the neck) so that when you fret in the middle of the neck the strings clear the frets higher up the neck. It affects the angle of the string between the fretted position and the bridge saddle. It does not adjust the string height.

It has its greatest effect between frets 5 and 9, and progressively less effect as you get closer to the ends of the fingerboard. By the time you get below 3 or above 12 it's not doing anything at all. If your problem is between frets 5 and 9 then the truss rod may be the answer.

In this case the comment about the saddles being at the limit of their adjustment makes me think that either the neck is warped or there is a problem with the neck angle.

If the saddles and the angle are right you don't need a lot of neck relief. If the truss rod is slackened so that the neck is level with the strings off then the string tension should create enough relief (possibly too much, depending on your string gauges) with the strings on and brought to pitch.

[Telecaster Joe]

I have considered shimming the neck a little.

It is a MIM Stratocaster. So, there is no Micro Tilt.

I got a shop to order me some longer saddle screws also.

In the meen time I will try to shim it. I will let you all know how it works out.

And once again THANKS :)

[slack]

Don't hesitate to try shimming the neck, or be concerned about doing so. Many of the best sounding and playing Teles I have come across turned out to have shimmed necks. I just used three layers of a popular frosted breakfast serial box to shim a Danelectro reissue neck, and it's all good now.

[Telecaster Joe]

I shimmed it with a piece of a D'Addario carton cut to size and folded once over. That did the trick.

I was even able to bring the saddles down a little.

She plays like butta now.

Thanks for the tips guys.