Hi,everyone! =)

I have a problem with my guitar Epiphone Special II

I bought it about 3 years ago,sold about $200.

I think there is trouble with the truss rod.It make the 'action' of my

guitar is bad,about 5mm.

It's unconfortable for me.

What i have to do?

If I go to the lutherian, i think it just wasting money and time

because my guitar is made in china.China product..you know?

So, what i have to do?

<<<Posted by: "sainz_Hugo" sainz_hugo@...   sainz_Hugo

Sun Jan 11, 2009 12:01 am (PST)

Hi,everyone! =)

I have a problem with my guitar Epiphone Special II

I bought it about 3 years ago,sold about $200.

I think there is trouble with the truss rod.It make the 'action' of my

Guitar is bad,about 5mm.

It's unconfortable for me.

What I have to do?

If I go to the Lutheran, I think it just wasting money and time

Because my guitar is made in China.China product..you know?

So, what I have to do?>>



Good Morning,

I am sorry that you are having problems. I think having a specialist/Luther

look at it is what you need to do. There are a lot of reasons your action

can be high and you could cause a real problem if you try to fix the wrong

thing. No real Luther will hold it against you that your guitar is made in

China. (A lot of nice instruments are made there, some very expensive)



The only problem you could run into is if fixing the instrument would cost

more then the instrument is worth. This happened to us with my husbands

violin. He took it in to get the action adjusted and the Luther refused. He

showed David all of the reasons the violin was messed up and advised him to

take the price of fixing it and get a different instrument. There was no

charge for the advice and I got David a better instrument for Christmas.

(This same Luther adjusted his friend's violin, praised it and was fully

aware that it had also come from China.)





(I am not suggesting that your guitar is not a nice instrument,I know

nothing about  this particular brand, only sharing experiences with China

made instruments and Luther s.)



Good luck to you.



Betty Morgan



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Nonsense....... If you're going to play cheap guitars, or live in a

climate like I do? learn to do the truss adjustment....

I'm guessing your action is way too high.... Like 1/4"or more at the

12th fret? Loosen all your strings...... take the truss rod cover off.

  There will be an allen wrench socket or a nut there.. Run down to

Menards, Home depot, whatever.... get a wrench that fits it.

Now...... turn that nut clockwise, Tighten it.. maybe 1/2 turn....

let it sit overnight..... tune it up...... does it need more? or did

you go too far? when your action is super low, but your top frets are

dead, or buzz.... you went too far. You can correct some of this by

shimming your nut up..... Its a fine balance, but you get a guitar

that plays like you want... Its called a "Setup" learn to do it.....

You need to,  You can't afford to run to the shop with a $200 guitar,

You can do it..... Learn it.... trial and error.. you need to know

this, all guitar players do.

do NOT turn the truss rod a half a turn at a time.  1/4 turn most, then

let the neck/guitar settle for a day or 2.  unless you strip the truss

rod bolt/nut or OVER tighten it.  its not hard to do, correctly.  if

you tighten it more than 1 full turn over time & the neck doesnt move

or it seems like the nut/bolt doesnt want to spin, i would bring it to

a tech.

I have found that by the time a guitar becomes "Unplayable" it takes

about 1/2 a turn...... but you're right.... do it a 1/4 at a time just

to make sure... Back to the question..... a $200 guitar? no...... you

dont ever bring them to a tech, you learn to do it yourself or buy a

new guitar. The "Tech" will cost you more than the guitar is worth.....

I am a tech....... I'm a CNC machine tool tech....... Guitars are easy

compared.. Ive built an arsenal from parts....... Crank that truss nut

down 1/4 turn, let it sit..... tune it up? needs more? do another 1/4

turn....... Now you know why cheap guitars are cheap.. You have to

adjust them constantly.......  My '73 Les Paul custom? never touched

it, never had to......

This board should be a place where people get accurate information, and

not opinion, or not advice from experiments that have "worked so far"

(no insult or arrogance intended). In the real world, people do give

their opinion sometimes about something that has worked for them, but

in reality it may not be the best practice.  As a practicing luthier

working in a shop that has for 20+ years had a great reputation, we

take a lot of precaution when working on others' instruments, and

advise our customers sparingly and with a degree of caution. You should

NEVER turn a truss rod 1/4 turn at any one time. I would advise against

a beginner adjusting their own truss rod without, a) observing a

luthier doing several of them over a period of time and seeing how it

is done, and  b) getting a 'feel' for how it is done without risking

damage (broken truss rod) leading to a more expensive repair. Important

rule: if the neck is concave in the center (bowed up--which is normally

the case) turn the truss rod clockwise (tighten) a MAXIMUM of 1/16

turn, wait a few minutes and look down the neck from the headstock.

Some degree of change should be seen within a few minutes (wood

is 'flexible' and will move after a minute or so).  If the bow

is "almost gone" after this first turn, don't try to turn it some more

to "finish the job". The wood will normally continue moving--even over

the next 24 hours.  And from one guitar to another, every neck--even

the same brand and model--is different because of density, moisture

content, etc of the wood in the neck and fretboard. If the neck is

bowed backward (convex at the center group of frets) then the truss rod

may have been tightened too tight, or may have "settled in" to the

climate it is kept in, and should be loosened (counterclockwise). To a

luthier the amount of total adjustment is a judgement call, but at our

shop we have a 100% track record of never having broken a truss rod. If

you adjust (tighten) 1/4 turn at a time, you run a HUGE (emphasis HUGE)

risk of breaking your truss rod--particularly on an import guitar.  And

1/2 turn on a factory-adjusted guitar is a recipe for disaster.  Please

understand that I am not trying to get into a dispute over this or am

not trying to step on anyone's toes. I was simply concerned about the

information being provided and felt it important to caution against a

practice that is all too common among players--self-adjusting their

truss rods without the proper expertise/training.  Understand that many

musicians do this themselves, but they exercise caution and may have

done it several times...and are probably "qualified" to do so. Also, I

believe EVERYONE on this board has the best intentions to help those in

need, and I appreciate all that I have learned from many of you so far

(I can work on them, but don't play that well).  Again, please don't

perceive this as stepping on toes if you disagree...I am simply trying

to pass on a best practice, and insure the user who reads it doesn't

regret taking action on something because someone advised with good

intent, and was passing on information that only "worked for them" but

that was not necessarily a good practice.  To the individual inquiring

about the truss rod, I would advise taking it to an expert. They may

not even charge you to do it. We usually do not at our shop. We have

walk-ins all the time, and do this as a service to musicians. It only

takes 2-5 minutes to know if the adjustment is going to solve the

problem.

Hi Everyone,



Check the file section of the group for a file

called care and feeding of your stratocaster.  Even if your guitar is

not a strat, the tips and info apply to a lot of guitars.



If you read these messages at the group, look in the column at the

left side of the page and click the word "files".  Then scroll through the files

til you see CareAndFeedingStratocaster 01 and CareAndFeedingStratocaster 02.



If you read these messages in your email, try the links below.  You

will have to be signed into Yahoo, I think.



http://f1.grp.yahoofs.com/v1/4NBuSXBFXffvGK_SBjIjgX5ka4d8uu0MNJWchPGQO7OtAvRIMfw\

DVBwcKs8cqeDpOS_CapaRsDFxjomHHg1I/CareAndFeedingStratocaster01.jpg



http://f1.grp.yahoofs.com/v1/4NBuSXIJbvLvGK_SefIz--xQhqoged3XNQcL4GMdlPIcJcyuLrt\

IaAYPqbtWlT0VfryPxXKyzjcqDFUore6a/CareAndFeedingStratocaster02.jpg



I hope that helps!



Keep Playing!  Remember, only YOU can make YOU a better guitarist.



Randy

1guitarjunkie

http://www.geocities.com/1guitarjunkie/



MySpace URL:



   http://www.myspace.com/randysadewater





I will play my guitar everyday . . . .



I will play my guitar everyday . . . .



I will play my guitar everyday . . . .

I'd like to know where your shop is...... I'll bring mine there.....

get my setups for free. Doesn't happen.... Ive been doing my own

setups for years now. I admit... its too much for some people....

Probably the same people who can't afford a new guitar,

>

I have a guitar I built that has a 24&3/4 body....... With a 25&1/2

neck...... Its my favorite, (yeah i re-drilled it) 2 dimebags in

it.... bridge PU upside down.

My '73 Les Paul custom gathers dust..

If you're serious about Guitars... Become a luthier

Or..... make enough $$ that you can hire one.... Personally?

I like doing it myself......

We don't offer free setup. Adjustment of a truss rod is not a setup.

Setup involves much more.  I would provide the shop info to you, but

the demeanor of your post, makes me apprehensive about doing so.  If

you came in and said "I hear you do free setups", you'd be turned

away.  We prefer to make that offer to people who come in who we know

are already willing to pay for it to be done. I realize my post was

long, and maybe you got bored with reading and didn't read all the way

to the end, where I spoke of experienced players like yourself who are

qualified to do their own truss rod adustments. That part was addressed

to experienced players such as yourself. My post was intended to advise

beginners against attempting this adjustment themselves based on advice

from a Yahoo group's board...it's something that needs to be considered

seriously. It takes more knowledge and skill than just turning a nut

(or set screw), and if you adjust your own truss rod and have done it

several times, you surely do not dispute this main point of my post do

you?



--- In randysguitarclinic@yahoogroups.com, "Dennis" <aeromecca@...>

wrote:

>

> I'd like to know where your shop is...... I'll bring mine there.....

> get my setups for free. Doesn't happen....

The guitar store I shop at does free _adjustments_ for their

_customers_; setups are more complex and are done for a fee. I will use

the free service for minor things that I don't know how to do, or don't

trust myself to do. For example, I had a change in moisture conditions

for one of my guitars, and the neck needed a tweak. But I couldn't

figure out how to make the adjustment - the head was very recessed, very

hard to get at. The tech removed the bolt-on neck, adjusted the truss

rod, put it all back together, and it was spot on. I would never trust

myself to do that level/type of adjustment!!! But he nailed it. And that

was free.



When I need a full setup, I pay for it. I'm getting better at setups,

but my guitars have different levels of complexity on setup and some of

them are still quite challenging.



FWIW, I thought your post was thoughtful, and if it erred in any way, it

was on the side of caution - which is never an error in my book. <G>



Ron Wodaski

> seriously. It takes more knowledge and skill than just turning a nut

> (or set screw), and if you adjust your own truss rod and have done it

> several times, you surely do not dispute this main point of my post do

> you?

>



> No Sir, I do not....  But I firmly believe this.... Cheap guitars

with really bad action, IE.... Beginners guitars.. bought by parents

who wanted to "wait and see"...... Or bought by people just because

they were cheap, Have probably caused more people to give up guitar

than any other single reason....

My younger brother also plays guitar..... I remember all the guitars we

owned in the early days that we  threw in the trash or parted out  just

because we listend to the "dont touch the truss rod B.S.

One of them was a Les Paul Jr..... They call them SG's today......

  You talked about real info... and not just what worked for somebody?

I stress what you need to learn to play that guitar, and how to keep it

playable, no matter what trailer court you live in, or if you bought

that guitar for $79 in a pawn shop... and can't afford to walk to work

at walmart next week.....  Thats what music is about to me.

FWIW, the manufacturer of at least one of my guitars recommends no

more than 1/4 turn at a time. That's not an opinion, that's their

recommendation.



I've also taken guitars to so-called experts at shops and got them

back in worse condition than when I brought them in. I got tired of

paying for crappy set ups and now do my own.





Steven

I do some of my own work and I have some work done. None of my three guitars

cost more than $275 but I have spent money to have two of them setup. A good

setup here costs $65 which includes a new set of strings. The guy that I

take it to checks and adjust the nut, adjusts the truss rod, the intonation,

the pickup height, the string height and the action. He took a guitar that I

was going to get rid of and really made it play nicely. An excellent

investment into a cheap guitar because it made it playable.







It may be worth it to spend $50 to $60 to get your guitar properly setup for

two reasons. First, even though it's an inexpensive guitar it should play as

well as it can. Second, you can use a correctly setup guitar as a model of

how your guitar should be setup.







Just my thoughts.

Have you tried to adjust the truss rod yourself? Have you found a problem

with it? If so can you describe the problem?

Here is a helpful video clip that demonstrates how to adjust your

truss rod.  The guy doing the demo is Jack Schwartz.  He was the

guitar tech for Fender at the time that he made this video.



http://media.putfile.com/adjust-truss-rod



I hope that helps!



Keep Playing!  Remember, only YOU can make YOU a better guitarist.



Randy

1guitarjunkie

http://www.geocities.com/1guitarjunkie/



MySpace URL:



   http://www.myspace.com/randysadewater





I will play my guitar everyday . . . .



I will play my guitar everyday . . . .



I will play my guitar everyday . . . .

I have had to do this to a several guitars( Washburn 36 fret, Aria Pro) and yes

it may take several days or longer to let it set and work. Personally I will rap

the back of the neck with my knuckles or make a tighht fist and go up and down

the neck striking the neck with shock 'blows' to free up the truss and loosen it

up. This seems to work. I can always eyeball the neck by looking it over very

carefully and inspecting for straightness. I do this by holding it up and with

my left eye look up the right side of the neck and right eye look up the left

side of neck. This is just the way I have self taught my self to get it right.

Finding people that understand the player's needs, and what he needs done and

achieving it is extremely important. I'm always inclined to let qualified repair

techs do my neck work and intonations. Unfortunately, good luthiers are hard to

find. Alot of the"Big Music" chains do not have a "Pro Shop" so to speak

(ProSound often being the exception to this fact). Some shops only do what I

call 'advanced tuning' set ups that are not really worth the fee. However,

paying someone to do intonation and truss rod work was never an issue with me;

when they CAN do a great job. Another mark of a good shop is that you get a

CLEANED guitar back, this is mark of pride and respect that is often overlooked.

So look around. Sometimes you have to ask alot of questions to find a good

technician that can do it all. Wiring is something that I just mess with, that

and neck adjustments and Floyd Rose tremelo work; don't get me started on that

pain in the ass. I love them when

  they are all set-up correctly, but that I just haven't figured out. So ask

around, ask every experienced guitarist (and other musicians) where do they go

to get thier instruments fixed, etc. It will be worth your time when you finally

hook up with someone that is also passionate about the equipment and making it

friggin' scream. Oh Sorry, that would be what I want it to do.









[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I agree with Marshall B there on what he says about finding qualified luthiers.

Now in my line of work there is certification and I am a craftsman, but what

standard is there for Luthiers? Is there a Certified Inspection or Inspectors of

standards that they are held to? Does anyone know. They should have a real

License to practice this profession, right? If not, I believe they should. But

for now, I trust my experience and knowledge to fix and repair and maintain my

guitars. Thank you.

There is a luthier's Guild, and all the luthiers I have been to were

school trained and had certificates.



I have been to music stores that had a "guitar tech".  Which meant

he "fixed" guitars but had no certificate.



You want to go to a real Luthier if you have one nearby.



I hope that helps!



Keep Playing!  Remember, only YOU can make YOU a better guitarist.



Randy

1guitarjunkie

http://www.geocities.com/1guitarjunkie/



MySpace URL:



   http://www.myspace.com/randysadewater





I will play my guitar everyday . . . .



I will play my guitar everyday . . . .



I will play my guitar everyday . . . .







--- In randysguitarclinic@yahoogroups.com, donald baird

<b_a_i_r_d_us@...> wrote:

>

> I agree with Marshall B there on what he says about finding

qualified luthiers. Now in my line of work there is certification and

I am a craftsman, but what standard is there for Luthiers? Is there a

Certified Inspection or Inspectors of standards that they are held

to? Does anyone know. They should have a real License to practice

this profession, right? If not, I believe they should. But for now, I

trust my experience and knowledge to fix and repair and maintain my

guitars. Thank you.

>