I wouldn't trade my banjo for any other one. Tighten the truss rod adjusting nut to straighten a neck that has an up-bow. 7. Jmmy Cox's truss rod turns cw to straighten the neck. Carefully heat the back of the neck with a household steam cleaner. This rod serves to counteract the pull of the strings. 5. Edited by - steve davis on 03/18/2009 12:38:12 . Ccw to increase bow. I have a super old electric guitar that I am trying to fix up with super high action on it once I put strings on it. It's worth little but has sentimental value to me, and I would like it to be more playable, so I hope to try to straighten the neck a bit using one of the techniques noted here. Tighten the clamp slightly. Loosen the nut if the neck is back-bowed. I've done some searching, but can't find anythign on how this is done. Repeat steps 4&5 until the level is flush with the fret board. Feel along the length of the neck with your hands. Run the iron over the neck of the guitar slowly and evenly for approximately 10 minutes. Only when there is an even distribution of warmth along the entire neck is it ready to be corrected. If it's fixable, he can fix it! Turn off the iron when you’re happy that the neck is ready. In order to have a proper action on your banjo, you must adjust the neck to the correct tension for your strings. The trick is knowing when you’ve got the neck the way you want it. 3. Sight the neck to see what condition it’s in. Here’s how to evaluate and adjust your electric or acoustic neck with a minimum of tools. Leave it clamped a … The action is so high up the neck that it is unplayable. People who adjust their own truss rods have been known to cause horrible damage to necks. Thanks for your query! I have an old Kay banjo that has a dished neck. Does anyone know how I should approach this? If there are any cold spots, continue to run the iron over the neck. A friend from work brought me a 140 year old George Dobson banj… It is now almost unplayable, the action is so high. HOW TO ADJUST THE NECK OF YOUR BANJO Banjo Setup File #5 DISCLAIMER Adjusting the truss rod should only be done by people who know what they are doing, particularly on instruments that are under warranty. Don’t use steam or water. 4. Antique Banjo Restoration. Most modern banjos have a truss rod in the neck. Erik has worked on all my instruments for years, and he always gives you an honest appraisal of your instrument's condition. For some reason the neck has become warped over the last year or so. 6. guitdawg - Posted - 03/18/2009: 14:24:55. I need to adjust the neck angle on my old Slingerland mandolin banjo. Is the post a permanent part of the neck? I have seen an article on straightening a banjo neck that involved a clamping jig that puts pressure on the midpoint of the warp. The heat treatment was done on my banjo's neck two years ago and it still has perfect action, low but no buzzing, just the way i like it. : I'll apologize up front for not documenting all the processes in this project to my normal level of detail but I think you'll get the idea of how I did things from what I did document. 2. I know this is not a banjo but I figured this could apply with any instrument just about. PortClyde. If you break your truss rod, the factory will not honor the warranty on the instrument. Clamp the level and neck together with light to medium pressure. Place a clamp at the apex of the bow on the neck. I bought it used in 1962, but it's probably from the 40s or early 50s. I thought this might be cause by the guitar possibly having a bowed neck which I cant tell by looking at it. Apparently it is no big deal if it has a threaded rod, but this one has a wooden post. The problem that occurs with the banjo mentioned, is that you cannot adjust it under tension.