Tension questions.

[DeepEnd]

I think I'll do that and quit being lazy about tuning it up when I do occasionally play.

 

i dont want to tune it down too far though. I'd worry about the truss rod warping the neck and I'm not wanting to release the truss rod since I do play every once in a while.

AFAIK it's not possible for the truss rod to warp the neck. You have a balance of forces, with string tension pulling the neck one way and the truss rod pulling it the other. Loosening the strings will add relief but that's all. Retuning and allowing the guitar to settle will return things to normal. Warping is caused by the wood changing shape.

[EdBega]

AFAIK it's not possible for the truss rod to warp the neck. You have a balance of forces, with string tension pulling the neck one way and the truss rod pulling it the other. Loosening the strings will add relief but that's all. Retuning and allowing the guitar to settle will return things to normal. Warping is caused by the wood changing shape.

 

Makes sense.. its not like the truss rod is pull in the same way that a set of string do being a metal rod with little stretch to it..

[Freeman Keller]

There are two basic kinds of truss rods - the so called "single acting" and "double acting" rods. Single acting are usually a round rod, anchored at one end (usually the neck heel) and threaded on the other with a flat thrust plate. Usually the channel is curved with the deepest part in the middle of the neck. It works in exactly the same way the strings are working on the neck - tightening the nut pulls the rod straighter which pulls the nut back. I only used this kind of rod once and unfortunately don't have a picture.

 

The second kind of rod has a piece of flat stock with two little threaded pieces welding on the ends. They are threaded forward and reverse of each other, just like a turn buckle. A rod is fit into the threaded pieces and has an adjuster nut welded to it (often an allen key socket). When you turn the adjuster one direction the ends move towards each other and the bar bends one way. When you turn the opposite direction they move apart and it bends the other way. Here are two rods, each was set to its neutral position, then turned one full revolution. The rod above the straightedge is actually upside down - the flat bar is against the fretboard in a normal neck. You can see how it would move the center of the neck up or down

 

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Here is the rod in a typical acoustic neck with the adjuster inside the body

 

 

Most of the time the rod and strings are in equilibrium - I suppose that left long enough the neck will take a permanent set (call it "warped") but frankly I wouldn't worry a bit. What I would worry about with a guitar under full string tension is the movement of the various parts of the body to change the neck angle - the top rotates around the bridge axis, the neck is pulled up at the joint, the upper bout is pushed down. In 20 or 30 or 40 year it will need a reset. So if you are going to store your guitar for 20 or 30 years it makes sense to take the tension of the string - but once again, if you are going to play it, don't worry about it.

 

My two old Martins which I probably haven't played in a year or more are tuned down, I have had them reset and I want to keep them as pristine as possible for the eventual day when I sell them. Everything else is strung up and tuned to pitch, ready to be taken out and played.

[EdBega]

That pretty much answers all the questions i had about storing it and lets say semi storing it as I am. Being tuned down a full step with the medium strings puts me about 13lbs less than standard with light strings so that seems like a happy medium. Not like I paid but a lot for this guitar its more of a fit than anything but still qualifies as a work of art as all guitars do I think... Cheers all