The Collings Forum

Hey all,

I talked to Mark Althans about putting medium-gauge strings on an OM1T and he said it should be totally fine but I might need to give the truss rod a quarter of a turn to accommodate the increased tension. I put on some Pearse New Mediums (so not quite medium gauge) and the action did creep up a bit. Now the question is which way do I turn the truss rod? Counter-clockwise? And a full quarter turn or maybe an eighth of a turn? Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Dan

Half of the people would probably say take it to your guitar tech to be sure the setup is done properly. The other half would say give it an eighth of a turn clockwise to tighten the truss rod and lower the action.

If the string tension is enough to make more than a very small change in the string height that an eighth (or maybe a quarter) of a turn of the truss rod would not take up, it might not be such a good idea long term for a particular guitar.

You need to measure the relief. If the relief is correct, you should not be adjusting the truss rod to change the action. The change in action you described is more likely due to the additional torque on the top than it is the relief changing. Long story short, many (most I suspect) truss rods adjustments are undertaken for the wrong reasons.

Conversely, there would be no harm in trying the adjustment to see how it hurts or benefits the action. Just remember how far it was turned so that you can go back if needed.

Thanks you guys! I am decided to actually put this guitar up for sale so I won;t mess with it for the time being. Love that the forum is back up!
Dan

Curious what truss rod tool is being used to adjust the Collings acoustic neck by readers here. I have adjusted Fender and Gibson electrics (truss rod, bridge saddles and Fender neck shims as needed) for decades and feel quite competent. I have never adjusted a Collings acoustic neck and feel that the info regarding the correct tool (on their web site):

https://www.collingsguitars.com/img/faq ... adj-lg.gif

is not the only tool available.

Buck

These seem to work
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01F6 ... UTF8&psc=1

Ball end sockets are what Collings says to use but it is nearly impossible to make an adjustment with a straight version of one of them. It is due to the angle needed to get it and the inability to exert enough pressure to tighten or loosen a tight truss rod. Not tight as in over torqued but one that is not adjusted often. I do not fiddle with mine once they are adjusted so when it is time, they are hard to get moving. Trying to use the short end of the ball Allen is a lost cause. I am convinced it is impossible to get your hand in the right position through the sound hole to do the adjustment.

The most effective tool that I have used on Collings as well as others with an offset truss rod adjustment, is the offset wrench that came with my first Larrivee back in the day.
It has served me well over the years. Any similar offset tool will work. https://www.larrivee.com/shop/truss-rod ... d-old-size

That’s good to know Frank. I’ve not had problems tweaking my Collings TRs yet, but none have been “set in their ways.”

Haasome wrote: Mon Dec 30, 2019 1:36 pm These seem to work
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01F6 ... UTF8&psc=1

I like the angle improvement on this one...I might try it.