Don t attempt to loosen the screws at the back of the bass that hold the neck in place without first loosening the tension of the strings. If your bass has a truss rod cover use your screwdriver to screw it back into place.

A Truss Rod Is Not For Adjusting Action Acoustic Guitar Guitar

Otherwise the neck will snap off stripping away the wood that holds the screws.

How to adjust the truss rod on a bass. Adjust the truss rod on a bass guitar by looking down the neck at the frets and using an allan wrench. Use an appropriately sized allen wrench to adjust the truss rod. Don t overtighten the screw on the truss rod cover or you could potentially crack the wood.

Learn how from our expert bass guitar repair specialis. How to adjust the truss rod on a bass guitar. Skip navigation sign in.

Press the e string down at the first fret with your left hand and hold it. This measurement is your amount of relief. You can check the straightness with a straight edge of some sort.

For a bass guitar fret the top string low e at the first and at the 15th fret. If the neck needs more relief you will turn the truss rod nut counterclockwise. If the neck needs less relief you will tighten the truss rod by turning the truss rod nut clockwise.

Tune the string s back to pitch to check the straightness of the neck. When you re finished adjusting the truss rod take out the allen wrench and remove the capo from the neck. On some basses you have to remove the neck from the body in order to reach the truss rod screw.

At the 7th or 8th fret measure the distance between the bottom of the string and the top of the 7th fret. Or you can use your bass strings as a straight edge. If they are detune loosen them and move them out of the way while you turn the truss rod.

You may want to capo the first string. Press the e string down at the last fret with your right hand. Affix the capo to the first fret and depress the high e string at the last fret g string on a bass guitar or where the neck joins the body often the 17th fret on stratocaster and telecaster guitars.