Can someone PLEASE help me out?? I want to make a neck adjustment on my '62 American Vintage Fender Stratocaster, BUT I have never done a neck adjustment before much less on a neck where the truss rod is at the body. If your not familiar with this guitar it is set-up like the vintage Fender Strats. ie... the truss rod is only accesable from the bottom of the neck.

I don't think I can get to the truss rod without taking off the neck, the pickguard doesn't have much of a cutout allowing much space to work with.

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR ANY AND ALL YOUR HELP!!!

P.S I'm a Newbie so if this is in the wrong section I'm sorry, It's my first post

You'll have to take the pickguard off first and either lower the front pickup or move it out of the way in order to get to the truss rod. Yes, it's kind of a hassle and if you've never done it before you might want to take it to a shop. Be careful and good luck.

its not going to be a total workout to take it off and adjsut it yourself man, just a couple of things ( if anyone tells you to knock out a little notch in the body so you can get to the nut without takeing off the neck dont listen to them)it helps if you use clamps and pieces of scrap wood to hold the neck in place when you put the neck back on(dont want to mash the frets) but also yeah its not usually terribly expensive have a neck adjustment done your guitar at all, if you dont feel comfident take it to your guitar shop im sure theyll do it for 40 or so bucks probally

I would really like to learn to do it myself though....

that is kinda why I posted the question here, i was kinda hope'n someone would walk me through what I have to do....

You don't have to remove the neck, completely. Just loosen the neck screws, and pop the neck up. (DON'T ever pull the neck towards the headstock direction! Always pull it towards the front of the guitar.)
You adjust the neck, by turning the screw/nut. If the strings are too far from the frets, then you need to tighten the screw. If the strings are too close to the frets, you need to loosen the screw. As you look at the screw from the butt end of the guitar, remember these technical terms: "Lefty Loosey, Righty Tighty".

Only turn the screw 1/4 to 1/2 turn at a time. Then, put the neck over your knee. Holding the neck by the ends, give it a gentle push to help the wood adjust. Bolt it back on the guitar. Tune it up, and check it out. If it's not enough, or too much, you have to repeat the whole process. It's a drag. But, you probably have to do it once every couple of years. You have to learn how to estimate how much adjustment a neck needs. After doing it a few times, you'll be able to get it right with a single adjustment. If you really want to get good, buy a "Test Monkey" guitar. That way, you don't have to worry about destroying a good guitar. Don't worry, though. People are afraid to adjust truss rods. But, you really have to have a screwed up guitar, or be totally brutal to hurt anything. Good luck, and have fun. If you want to know more about guitar maintainance/repair get the Dan Erlewine book "Complete Guitar Player Repair Guide". It's a killer.

quote:

Originally posted by Swain:
(snip) If you want to know more about guitar "Complete Guitar Player Repair Guide". It's a killer.

+100

Less than the money you would spend getting one truss-rod adjustment done - & worth every cent, actually well worth double or triple the price at least.

I've had mine (the original edition) for over 20 years, & it has saved me hundreds, if not thousands of dollars in that time.
( - just hope my luthier friend doesn't read this!)

Good luck with the adjustment 62strat. You'll soon find it's actually easier than changing strings once you get used to it.
...if not for the butt-end adjustment on most Strats, instead of at the headstock end.

Here's a couple of useful links, but please be sure to buy the book that Swain reccomended.
- & that goes for anyone/everyone else that hasn't already got it.

http://www.athensmusician.net/archive/2001-05-01_geneimbody1.shtml

http://www.guitarpicker.com/Library/trussrod.htm

I find I need to adjust my truss rod with the changing seasons (usually loosening in the winter.) I've read and found that fretting the 2nd and 17th, then tapping on the 7th fret is a quick and easy way to determine the proper bow of the neck. Granted this is a bit subjective, but if there is not much of a 'click,' then the neck is too straight and the truss rod needs loosening. If there is too much bow, there will be a loud 'click,' warranting a tightening. I wouldn't turn more than an eighth of a turn, a quarter at most. I think the ideal is for the truss rod to be loose as possible (single-way truss rods that is,) and you tighten them as necessary. I have a fifties style fatback neck on my strat that doesn't bow much at all, my truss rod is fairly loose. But on thinner necks, the truss rod has more of an effect. Let the guitar sit overnight after an adjustment. There should be an immediate difference, but the neck will settle into it some.