How to Adjust a Rogue Guitar Truss Rod

Look up the length of the neck to observe its straightness.

The truss rod is a long metal rod located inside a guitar's neck. When tightened or loosened, the rod controls the straightness of the neck. A neck that bends toward the strings is said to have too much "relief," while a neck that bends away from the strings is said to have too much "back bow." You can make small adjustments to the truss rod of your Rogue guitar yourself, but if the neck is bent drastically, take it to a repair shop.

Things You'll Need

• Truss rod wrench
• Small screwdriver

Instructions

1. Locate the truss rod nut on your guitar. For most Rogue acoustic guitars, the truss rod nut is inside the top of the sound hole. For other models, the truss rod is behind the plastic cover plate at the top of the neck. Remove screws and the plastic cover first.

2. Hold the bottom of the guitar up near your face with the neck pointing away from you. Look down the top surface of the guitar and inspect the neck to see whether it bows toward the strings -- relief -- or away from the strings -- back bow.

3. Pull one of the center strings slightly to the side and insert the truss rod wrench into the nut. If the truss rod is at the top of the neck, gently lift the two center strings out of their slots and move them to the next slot to move them out of the way, then insert the wrench.

4. Turn the wrench a quarter-turn clockwise if your neck has too much relief and curves toward the strings. Turn the wrench a quarter-run counter-clockwise if your neck has too much back bow and curves away from the strings.

5. Lift the guitar to your face and inspect the neck to see whether it still needs adjustment. Play the guitar to test the action of the strings. If the neck has too much relief, the strings will be too far away from the neck and hard to play. If the neck has too much back bow, the strings will be too close to the neck and may buzz against the frets.

6. Make another small adjustment to the neck if necessary, then check the neck again. Continue making small adjustments until satisfied.

7. Replace the cover plate at the top of the neck if you removed it, and place the center strings back in place if you moved them.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't adjust the truss rod too drastically in either direction. This could damage the neck. If small adjustments don't repair the problem, take the guitar to a repair shop.

References

• Chicago Luthiers: The Truss Rod
• Powernet.co.uk: Trussrod Adjustment