Really tight truss rod

[neilli]

Does anybody have any advice for lubricating a really tight trussrod? I just received an old PC1 and the rod is super super tight - I had to get my wife to hold the body of the guitar still and I really had to lean into the lever I put on the wrench to get it to budge even a fraction...

[DrDestruction]

Uhh... dude... you need to be careful with that. There are some potential problems if the truss rod is THAT tight. I'd take it to a guitar shop and have it checked out ASAP. Tighten it up any further and you will either massively screw up the truss rod or separate the fretboard (if rosewood or ebony) from the neck. You should never have to adjust the neck action more than a 1/4-turn, and that's under extreme conditions.

[jdr94]

Wd40

[Dave Rocks]

Uhh... dude... you need to be careful with that. There are some potential problems if the truss rod is THAT tight. I'd take it to a guitar shop and have it checked out ASAP. Tighten it up any further and you will either massively screw up the truss rod or separate the fretboard (if rosewood or ebony) from the neck. You should never have to adjust the neck action more than a 1/4-turn, and that's under extreme conditions.

I totally disagree with the 1/4 turn statement - totally false. I'm the one that setup this for Ian but since it traveled 3000 miles in a cold truck, he needs to make adjustments. I had told him that the truss rod was really tight - never seen one this tight before...

[JACKSONFREAK]

Turn the truss rod nut towards the 1st string and see if it loosens up. If it's loose that way. Then the rod is maxed. If it's that tight and the neck still has too much relief tben the neck is probably too dry and needs to be humidified or heat pressed or something.
Gil

[1337storm]

I usually apply a little WD-40 or similar and let it sit for a while.
Then loosen all the strings and apply pressure on the neck to push it as
far as possible (or as far as I dare) "to a backbow" position, this will release
some of the pressure on the truss rod nut and it usually comes out.
Then you can examine the situation.

[Newc]

I always let a new arrival sit for a few days before adjusting the rod, to give the neck time to acclimate. Most of the time, if it comes in with too much in either direction (usually relief), letting it sit will do the trick and I don't have to move the rod at all.

However, you might want to be careful with oil products, as they don't always get along with wood.

[j2379]

does it loosen easily? back it out use graphite and try again

[Frfurter]

Can't tell from the original post if the nut is seized on the rod OR if it is maxed out (tightened to the max).

If it's seized on there, you can use PB Blaster to try and get it to release.

If you can get the truss rod nut off, lube the threads, put a couple of washers on the rod and put the nut back on. This will give you a bit more adjustment if it's maxed out now.