New guitarist or students of music always find themselves asking questions about the parts of their instruments, what it does and why it is important. One of the most likely questions is, “what is a truss rod?” the truss rod is one part of the guitar that even some expert guitarists are not familiar with. They try as much as possible to avoid making any adjustments to it.
This article will talk about what a truss rod is, why it is important and what it does for your instrument. Added to this is every other thing you need to know about truss rods.
What is a truss rod?
A truss rod is a strong, flexible metal bar that runs down through the center of the guitar’s neck. The essential function of a truss rod is to keep the neck straight and resist any bending or twisting forces on it while still allowing some flexibility for adjusting string height above or below fingerboard level.
The truss rod is installed inside the guitar’s neck and assists in supporting or strengthening the tension in its neck. A specialized wrench can adjust the truss rod to increase or decrease pressure on this metal bar, which will either loosen or tighten it. The truss rod also helps counter-act changes in humidity and temperature that could otherwise affect how wide an angle there is between your strings and fingerboard.
A guitar’s neck bends relatively easily because it only hangs from its headstock and bridges attachment points. In order to keep this delicate part of your instrument stable, there needs to be something supporting it.
Why is a truss rod important?
A truss rod affects three key details in a guitar: relief, action and intonation. It not only compensate for the tension in the guitar strings, the weather fluctuations, fret wear and different playing styles, it also helps the player with optimal playability and comfort when used properly.
How does it work?
You may have wondered what happens if my guitar does not have a truss rod? How does it even work? Well, a truss rod works by countering the pull from the guitar strings. If your guitar does not have a truss rod, the neck gradually bows over, and in time the height of the strings over the frets makes the guitar unplayable.
The truss rod compensates for this tension. When you tighten a truss rod, it gradually moves the neck away from a forward bow to a back-bow. When you loosen the truss rod, the tension on the neck is gradually released, and it moves the neck in a forward bow.
Types of truss rods
There are two types of truss rods: the single action and dual-action truss rod.
A single-action truss rod is threaded on one side, and the other side is fixed. It is commonly found in vintage electric guitars. They are limited as they are designed to create a back-bow only.
A dual-action truss rod is threaded on both sides, and they have a fixed bar running along the entire length.