Hello, i have a yamaha TRBX304 and my bass neck is a little bent in a concave manner. It looks a bit ugly. I want to straighten it out just slightly. Do i keep tightening the truss rod? Because i have tightened it multiple times and it just looks very bent. I want to know if i should just keep tightening gradually . I new on basses, some people telling me its a double action truss rod or whatever and if i keep loosening it, it will start to tighten again and go straight. I need some solid info on which direction to rotate the truss rod and if i should keep going until its more straighter
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Turning to the right (clockwise) when facing the truss rod nut tightens it, to the left loosens it.
It is a double action rod. This means that there is kind of a neutral area between where it starts applying pressure, as in addition to just loosening it can keep applying pressure in that direction too.
Are you sure you have been tightening it in the correct direction? It sounds like you might be cranking it more concave, which a double action rod can do.
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Be very careful, as you can destroy the truss rod function easily. If it starts becomig hard to tighten - STOP!
Better take it to a luthier if you have to ask this question…
While I agree with this statement in general. It’s pretty much the same as saying don’t make too many change on a computer you’ll break it.
One of the most scary task to do on a bass for many is neck relief adjustment, it’s not very difficult and for many it’s something we do on regularly.
@DaedBass yes just adjust and straighten the neck but not dead straight you’ll get a buzz. Hence the name neck relief, you’ll need a bit of curve to relief the strings from touching the frets when playing.
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Well the truss rod adjustment is at the body and i have been turning it clockwise. I can tell it’s tightening but it is not going as straight as i want it. So im not sure if i need to keep going slowly or if i need to stop.
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If it becomes very difficult to tighten then stop. If you can turn it relatively freely then you’re ok to keep tightening and checking it
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Yeah the resistance is kind of the key. When it’s in the neutral zone in the middle there is almost no resistance, and then the resistance picks up when it starts to tighten (in either direction). Don’t be afraid to turn it at all (despite prior warnings in this thread it is actually extremely difficult to break a truss rod). However, if it becomes tight or difficult to turn then there’s an issue and you should have it looked at.
What I would actually recommend - take the strings off and see how flat the neck is without them, and if you can get it adjusted flat with no tension. then go from there, and yeah, if you feel like it is hard to turn, then stop and take it to someone for evaluation.
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Perhaps I am stating the obvious, but this “bent” is perfectly normal on a bass depending on how you want the action set (low/high).
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Hi there!
Maybe you can go step by step with Yamaha’s guide: Link
I don’t often adjust my bass. Usually, a few quarter turns either way are enough, if the initial setup was right. So, my recommendation is: follow the guide step by step, or get a setup at a shop and then take it from there.
You may run in circles if you just start in the middle of the process. I know this from adjusting bike shifters - you can twiddle endlessly if you don’t start at the bottom. On the plus side, if you do it right it’s a piece of cake.
Cheers,
Antonio
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