Members Sheraton Posted March 1, 2010 Members Share Posted March 1, 2010 I picked up an early 80's Ibanez Musician Series CN200 in parts. Georgeous guitar. In putting it together I've discoverd that the neck is seriously back bowed. The truss rod seems to be functional but tightening it makes the neck more back bowed, not straighter. I know this sounds a little stupid and simplistic, but, could the truss rod be in backwards? Seriously, any tips on how to fix this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members poolshark Posted March 1, 2010 Members Share Posted March 1, 2010 No, that's how a truss rod works. Loosen to correct. Tighten for less relief (or more back-bow). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members csm Posted March 1, 2010 Members Share Posted March 1, 2010 And I thought this was a posture'n health thread in which some neck experts could give me physio tips on how I could deal with my (very painful) back bow ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wagdog Posted March 1, 2010 Members Share Posted March 1, 2010 Loosen it to add relief, tighten to add back bow. If loosening doesn't add enough relief, try a heavier gauge of strings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Sheraton Posted March 1, 2010 Author Members Share Posted March 1, 2010 Doesn't sound very hopeful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members EADGBE Posted March 1, 2010 Members Share Posted March 1, 2010 What gauge strings do you have on there now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members A_Gitarman Posted March 1, 2010 Members Share Posted March 1, 2010 Loosen the truss rod some & let the strings pull the neck back into place.http://fretmd.com/how-to-fix-back-bow/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members lowbrow Posted March 1, 2010 Members Share Posted March 1, 2010 I'm dealing with that now on a cheap tele copy (a Indiana Tell City). I loosened the truss rod so it didn;t apply any pressure to the neck, then tuned it to pitch and let it sit for 24hours. Little change. So I've got it tuned to G standard right now and have seen some improvement in the last 12 hours. It's currently in the back of my car in the parking lot sitting in 30 degree temps. If it's not better by this evening (or tomorrow), I'm going to remove the neck, clamp it up with some wood blocks so it has a bit of relief and heat with a hair dryer. If that doesn;t work, I'll probably just replace the neck...but you may want to investigate what meandi is doing in the Les Paul restoration thread, as he's dealing with it in a more profound way. My tele was $50, so I'm only really willing to go so far... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members EADGBE Posted March 1, 2010 Members Share Posted March 1, 2010 I'm dealing with that now on a cheap tele copy (a Indiana Tell City). I loosened the truss rod so it didn;t apply any pressure to the neck, then tuned it to pitch and let it sit for 24hours. Little change.Sometimes it takes weeks for a neck to go back to where it should be. After all it probably took years for it to back-bow. Like you said loosen the truss rod. And then put on some heavier gauge strings. Then tune up to pitch and play it that way for a month or longer. These things take time sometimes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Sheraton Posted March 1, 2010 Author Members Share Posted March 1, 2010 What gauge strings do you have on there now? It has 10's now but maybe 12's are in order. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DaleH Posted March 1, 2010 Members Share Posted March 1, 2010 Has it got a double action truss rod? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jtr654 Posted March 1, 2010 Members Share Posted March 1, 2010 What tuning are you in Standard? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Sheraton Posted March 2, 2010 Author Members Share Posted March 2, 2010 Has it got a double action truss rod? No, I don't think so. What tuning are you in Standard? Yep Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Doctor49 Posted March 2, 2010 Members Share Posted March 2, 2010 Sometimes it takes weeks for a neck to go back to where it should be. After all it probably took years for it to back-bow. Like you said loosen the truss rod. And then put on some heavier gauge strings. Then tune up to pitch and play it that way for a month or longer. These things take time sometimes. and this. Then just be patient. Don't use force or hairdryers or give up easily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Sheraton Posted March 4, 2010 Author Members Share Posted March 4, 2010 Update, it's getting gradually better over time. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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