Alvarez 12-string woes

[clockwork_66]

My AJ60-SC 12 string seems to have some issues. There is excessive up bow in the neck and the action is remarkably high past the first few frets--fretting chords past the 5th fret is a nightmare! I've kept the darn thing in its case and this just seemed to have crept up. It went from playable to horrendous. Intonation is way off, too, as you might guess. I tried adjusting the truss rod but I either made the problem worse or it's doing nothing to help. I'm pretty sure I need to have a professional handle this.

 

How much can I expect to pay to have this corrected considering I only spent $500 used for what used to be a very playable, great sounding acoustic?

 

Thank you for your help!

[clockwork_66]

How far can you turn your truss rod to make adjustments?

I've turned it about a full turn over the last few days to eliminate the neck bow but with no real results. That is, it's not more playable.

 

Have I ruined my acoustic 12 string?

[PapaTom1]

Clockwork_66, I'm not sure what advice that others will offer, but I would take it to a guitar tech and let them look at it. If it costs $100 to fix it completely so it plays great then it would be worth it to me. More than $100, not sure.

[LDF]

A professional setup would should cost under $100. although your problem might require more work than a tune up. Either way it would be worth it unless you want to pay another 500 bucks:D

[kwakatak]

I've heard that many people recommend tuning 12 strings down a half step to reduce the tension on the neck. If you need to play to pitch then use a capo.

 

I believe that light strings were also a recommendation too.

 

This kind of thing has been mentioned by others here before. Do some searching around www.frets.com and it should help shed some light on your guitar's issues.

[clockwork_66]

Thanks much! I'll suck it up and get a professional to look at it and go from there. I figured that this is smart thing to do before I really screw up my acoustic.

 

I guess it's reassuring to have others with more experience confirm, though. Thanks again.

[Freeman Keller]

Clockwork_66, there are a couple of things that you can check first that will give you an idea of what might be wrong. Note that both Frank Ford's and Bryan Kimsey's sites show these measurements and they are the same for almost any acoustic guitar - 6 or 12 string.

 

First, capo the guitar at the 1st fret and hold the low E strings down at the 12th - how much gap is there between the string and the 7th fret? There should be somewhere between .010" or .012" down to nothing - this is called relief and is what your truss rod adjusts (it warps the neck, so to speak). Less relief generally makes the guitar more playable but can cause string buzzing (my finger style 12 string is about 0.010"). Note you can use feeler gauges to measure but a guitar string works pretty well. You can also do this with a straightedge laying on the fretboard. You or a good repairman can adjust the truss rod to correct minor relief - there are instructions at the above sites or the Taylor guitar site. Truss rod adjustments might be necessary with humidity changes or even changing a gauge of strings.

 

The other measurement is to lay a straightedge on the fretboard and see where it strikes the bridge. The ideal is to just lay on top of the bridge (but not the saddle). If the neck has been pulled back by the tension of the strings the end of the straightedge will be below the top of the bridge (Ford's site shows this well). A stopgap fix if the neck is warped might be to lower the saddle a bit - the real fix is to have the neck reset (removed from the guitar and shaved to correct the angle). A neck reset by a pro is $250 to 500 typically for a "dovetail" joint, less for a bolt on - and is probably not something to try at home. Note that the truss rod is not designed to correct the action.

 

Most guitars will need a neck reset at some time in their life - the general feeling is after maybe 25 or 30 years (both my Martins did at this age). When it is done the luthier will probably make a new nut and saddle to set the action where you want it - on my 12 string there is 3/32 clearance between the low E strings and the 12th fret.

 

Unfortunately the other possibility is that your guitar has some structural issues - most likely the bridge is pulling up or a broken top brace. You can look around the edge of the bridge (try sliding a business card around the edges). If the top has any "belly", probably the lower bout, you may have a broken brace. Both are fixable and a pro can help you decide if it is worth it.

 

Altho most modern 12 strings can be tuned to concert, many players like tuning down 1/2 or 1 full step (D), or even lower. With the setup described about I keep my 25 year old D12-28 tuned to D with Elixer lights (note that string gauges vary between manufacturers) and can flat pick it, finger pick and play slide. The lowered tuning takes away a lot of the jangle and gives it more of a growl - and I can alway capo up if I want to play with someone else.

[guitarcapo]

Your trussrod might not be tight enough even if you turned it a whole turn. If there's still a lot of relief (fret the guitar at fret one and the top fret and look at the gap the string makes with the frets in the center). I would tighten it more. Unless The rod is broken the neck will straighten. If it is broken you won't have hurt anything by trying. Tighten the truss rod with the strings on and up to pitch. Wait a few hours for things to settle between turns. And once you get the neck straight with just a hint of relief, do no more. Address any further action adjustments by lowering the saddle. If that's been played out you either have to thin the bridge or neck reset.

[takeout]

I hate to bring up the obvious, but... which way were you turning the truss rod?

 

Remember: righty tighty (less relief), lefty loosy (more relief). You wanted to go clockwise, not counter.

 

Also: a full turn in one day is a lot for your guitar to handle. You might think about making many small adjustments and letting them settle in for a few hours rather than one big one.