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I bought a Epiphone SG special VE and there is fret buzz and the neck of the guitar seems pretty flat. I tried to adjust the truss rod, but it is really hard to move, and there are no guitar stores near me where I can take my guitar to get checked out by a professional.

Tim
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Terminator
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1 Answers1

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Before you tighten the truss rod, it is imperative that you clamp the neck into the position you would like the neck to be. The purpose of the truss rod is not to pull the neck into position, but simply hold it in position after it has been moved there by other means. It is possible to damage your truss rod by attempting to force it to do the positioning of the neck. I recommend that anyone wishing to make adjustments on their guitar, first read one of the books available on how to do this kind of work. Dan Erlewine has written a plain spoken and thorough step by step book, that I'm sure you can find a copy of by googling his name. Approaching from this direction will hopefully prevent harm to your instrument and allow you to learn how to care for it and keep it in great playability condition. It is a small investment that will pay off in big ways.

skinny peacock
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  • What's the book called? – Terminator Apr 20 '20 at 14:56
  • He has written more than one, but the one I have is called simply "Guitar Player Repair Guide" and I've had my copy for over ten years. Some libraries have it so you might want to check and see there also. – skinny peacock Apr 20 '20 at 15:06
  • That's interesting. I've been fettling guitars for 50-odd years, and never had a problem just adjusting the truss-rod when needed, often leaving the strings under tension. Perhaps i've just been lucky. – Tim Apr 20 '20 at 16:04
  • @Tim- I think we've all been lucky, I also just cranked the truss rod for years, but I feel the method I learned from the book makes good sense and avoids stressing the truss rod unnecessarily, so that's how I do it these days. – skinny peacock Apr 20 '20 at 16:24
  • One other thing could the truss rod be hard to turn because I had to put the long end of the Allen key in the neck and try to turn it with the short end the truss rod seemed pretty far in the neck – Terminator Apr 21 '20 at 07:49
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    I have to disagree that you need to clamp the neck into position. Luthiers have been adjusting the truss rods without clamping since their invention, and they do actually move the neck position, not just hold it there. While neck jigs are very useful for a working shop, even the company that Dan Erlewine sells his jigs through insists that guitar players can do truss rod adjustments themselves: https://www.stewmac.com/How-To/Online_Resources/Learn_About_Truss_Rod_Installation_and_Repair/Dont_be_nervous_about_adjusting_that_truss_rod.html – Alphonso Balvenie Apr 21 '20 at 19:22