Adjusting Neck Relief When There's No Truss Rod?

[Mr Fixit eh]

How do you adjust the neck relief when there's no truss rod in a guitar? I'm interested in getting a Rainsong and the older models don't have the truss rod.

Steve

[jgillard]

The simple answer is that you don't. You are stuck with the properties of how the particular guitar was designed. The stiffness of the neck will determine what relief you get based on a particular string gauge.

[flatpickle]

There are ways to adjust neck relief with no truss rod, but they are mostly much more involved.

The easiest way is to change the gauge of strings you use--heavier strings will pull the headstock more and cause more neck relief, light strings will do the opposite.

The harder way is to use compression fretting, or fretboard planing. If you have too much relief, you can use compression fretting (frets with a fret tang a bit wider than the fret slot, the cumulative effect will straighten or back-bow the neck). If you have too little relief, you can have the fretboard planed (removing wood from the fretboard removes stiffness, allowing the strings to pull the headstock forward more and introduce more relief).

Edit: the effectiveness of fretboard planing will depend on the fretboard material. I was assuming ebony when I wrote this, but it could be a carbon fiber fretboard on a Rainsong, which would make fretboard planing unfeasible. I'm not sure what fretboard material they use.

[Aaron Smith]

With regard to the Rainsong guitars- those carbon fiber necks are so stiff that they flex very little under string tension. The relief should be very little with light or medium strings- which is how most players prefer it.
If you want to get really fussy about it, you can have a really good tech or luthier do a setup. They can either use a neck jig to simulate string tension while leveling the frets, or they can use a special tool to level the frets with the strings on. Really shouldn't be necessary though.

[mc1]

i suppose you could get it plek'd as well.

www.plek.com

[MojoFelix]

Another work-around to lessen the existing relief is to use the guitar tuned down a 1/2 step or whole step or for slack tunings. I often do that anyway for vocal range or, of course, for Open D, Open G flat, Open C, etc.

[AZLiberty]

You don't.

I mean, you can, but it usually involves compression fretting.

I keep my WS-3000 Rainsong tuned down a full step because otherwise it has excessive relief.

Really wish it had an adjustable truss-rod.

[zoopeda]

Is your relief really that bad?

I agree with others, compression fretting is the only way to dramatically reduce it. Although humidity and string gauge will do it to lesser extent.

[AZLiberty]

Originally Posted by zoopeda

Is your relief really that bad?

I agree with others, compression fretting is the only way to dramatically reduce it. Although humidity and string gauge will do it to lesser extent.

He is looking at a Rainsong Carbon Fiber guitar. So, string gauge yes, humidity No.

[Dbone]

Originally Posted by Mr Fixit eh

How do you adjust the neck relief when there's no truss rod in a guitar? I'm interested in getting a Rainsong and the older models don't have the truss rod.

Steve

That’s exactly why the newer ones have it now...to give that flexibility...

[Dbone]

Originally Posted by Aaron Smith

With regard to the Rainsong guitars- those carbon fiber necks are so stiff that they flex very little under string tension. The relief should be very little with light or medium strings- which is how most players prefer it.
If you want to get really fussy about it, you can have a really good tech or luthier do a setup. They can either use a neck jig to simulate string tension while leveling the frets, or they can use a special tool to level the frets with the strings on. Really shouldn't be necessary though.

These things don’t move at all. With mine it was bizarre at first never having to tune it every time. You just pick it up and it’s in tune. Kinda cool. Took a bit of getting used to. My Aria wood guitar wood go out of tune if you just looked at it the wrong way. This is one really neat aspect to these CF guitars for sure. That and the fact that you can alternate tune all over the place any time you want without worrying about strength. They are that strong.

[Bruce Sexauer]

It is not really all that hard to make careful measure,ents, remove the frets, recon tour the fingerboard, and refret. Assuming the relief issue is within a mm or so.

[Peter Wilcox]

Originally Posted by Bruce Sexauer

...and regret..

That's usually what happens when I try to fix anything.

[JLS]

Originally Posted by Mr Fixit eh

How do you adjust the neck relief when there's no truss rod in a guitar? I'm interested in getting a Rainsong and the older models don't have the truss rod.

Steve

it
I've had my OM1000 for 19 years, no neck problems whatsoever, NTM lightweight! Recorded the song below with it, 13-56, BEADF#B.

[mirwa]

Originally Posted by Mr Fixit eh

How do you adjust the neck relief when there's no truss rod in a guitar? I'm interested in getting a Rainsong and the older models don't have the truss rod.

Steve

You dont, a good luthier can introduce relief in many ways on a neck should it need it.