Do I need to adjust my truss rod?

[Kornflake]

Hey guys.  Sorry for asking so many questions here but I figured the DT fan base would likely know more about this sort of thing than any of my friends as I would consider myself the most musically inclined.  If I don't know it, neither do my friends....
Anyways...I've been playing guitar for about 15 years or so, but don't really know too much about maintenance other than things like how to change strings and adjust intonation.
I know that the truss rod adjusts the amount of bow to the neck of a guitar, but how often should I be adjusting this?  Should I even bother to adjust it?  How do I know how tight/loose to make it?  I know I use heavier strings than the ones that came on my guitars when I got them so I assume that I should probably consider an adjustment....
Thanks in advance for the help.

[Sir GuitarCozmo]

Generally messing with the truss rod is something you should not do yourself.  If you aren't noticing any discernible difference in the neck's feel over time, then I'd probably not worry with it.  If you have any doubts or concerns, take it to your local guitar shop and have them check it out.  Most people assume you can turn it a bunch and have an instantly better neck feel and that can mess it up big time.  Truss rods require VERY slight adjustments (when they DO need them) and time for that adjustment to "sit" for a while, before re-checking it.

[ClairvoyantCat]

Um.... only adjust it if something seems wrong with it.  Many guitars have more sensitive truss rods than others.  If nothing feels wrong, nothing is wrong, most likely...

[Kornflake]

Thanks for the input guys.  I'm glad I didn't touch it now.  I never noticed anything wrong, I just was kind of wondering if it was something that I should be doing after years and years of owning the guitars.
Thanks again.

[MykeHavoc]

If you look down the neck line and it's straight, there's no need to adjust the truss rod. If you get fret buzz or any of that stuff, make sure everything is properly intonated.

[SnakeEyes]

Generally messing with the truss rod is something you should not do yourself.

I don't mean to be rude, but this is just not true.  Making adjustments to your truss rod will NOT hurt your guitar UNLESS you drastically change it.... like, if you make five really huge turns or if you tighten it way, way, way, way too much and snap it or something.  But, usually, unless your guitar is a First Act (LOL), you won't have to do anymore more than a quarter turn, anyway.  It's actually something all guitar players should be able to do.  It's part of being a musician, to be able to maintain your instrument and we shouldn't be intimidated by it.   

I would agree that you shouldn't do it unless someone goes over it with you, though, and shows you how to look at a guitar neck and describes WHAT to look for.  But, assuming that has been done, it's not a big deal. 

If you aren't noticing any discernible difference in the neck's feel over time, then I'd probably not worry with it.

I agree with this. 

[Fuzzboy]

I don't mean to be rude, but this is just not true.  Making adjustments to your truss rod will NOT hurt your guitar UNLESS you drastically change it....

A thousand times this. Seriously, people baby their guitars waaaaay too much. I mean it's cool to treat your guitars well and with respect but some people heavily over do it. You can go on certain forums *cough*petrucciforum*cough* and see people refusing to take all the strings off at once, or immediately taking their guitar to a tech for a setup just because they went from 10's to 10.5's or something.

[Sir GuitarCozmo]

I think the point was that since he did indicate that he didn't really know what he was doing with the truss rod, then no, don't do it yourself.  Take it to someone who knows what they're doing.

I will always err on the side of caution.  I know what to do with a truss rod, but I would feel better about having someone else tinker with it, who has MORE experience with it than I do.  I don't think that there's anything at all wrong with that.  Fortunately, I've been lucky that the need to even consider truss rod adjustments hasn't really arisen.  The Ibanez I got 20 years ago still plays like a dream and I (knock on wood) feel absolutely no problems in the neck at all.

I do baby my guitars, to a degree.  I never take all the strings off at once.  Some people believe it makes no difference in the neck, others do.  Now changing gauges, no I don't bother having someone do it, I just have to adjust the spring tension in the back of the guitar, that's usually not so bad.  I play hard, but after that's all done, I'll wipe all the strings down, wipe the neck down, etc.  I usually wear a wristband on my pick hand, to keep sweat from running down all over my guitar, etc.

[SnakeEyes]

GuitarCozmo,

I must apologize because I really didn't mean to get on your case about your post.  If someone doesn't know how to adjust a truss rod, you are right to advise them not to do it themself without being "taught" to do so.  I think that it seemed as if you were saying that you should never make adjustments yourself, but I see where you were coming from. 

I was just saying that making truss rod adjustments is a pretty routine thing to do to a guitar.  It's not like refretting the guitar or something.  The only time I'll have someone look at my guitar neck is if I suspect something is wrong with it and I need a second opinion.... like if I think it has a twist or a hump.  Those things are easy to see,  but it's good to know that your diagnosis is right.  If something like that happens, THEN I'll have a luthier or someone work on it because they know all the little tricks to get around the major problems.  I do, too, but the pros can simply do it better. 

[Sir GuitarCozmo]

No problem, and I probably did come across erring on the side of NOBODY TOUCH YOUR TRUSS RODS!    I think, for me, that if I were to take adjustments like that into my own hands, and even knowing what to do and being careful about it, somehow managed to really fuck it up, I would kick myself in the ass forever, saying "You should've taken it to a professional, you dumbass".  But then again, my guitars are all very sentimental to me, so maybe that has something to do with it.

Also, I am pretty impatient.  Trying to work on slightly more delicate (if you will) maintenance items like that will see me losing my patience and giving up on it.  Better to get it completely out of my hands and to someone who's going to be as patient as possible with it, because it doesn't belong to them.