Hi,
How do I alter my Trusrod on my Guitar?
Would be very grateful.
Thanks,
Giles

Many are under the little cover plate at the head of the guitar(by the tuning keys, some are at the base of the neck, Next time string are off, I would place tape on each side of a fret and polish with 0000 bronze or brass wool. Easier bending, less wear on the strings.
When back together, I would adjust Intonation, or have someone do. This is so Open note and 12th fret is the same note(One octave higher), If it is off, a good guitar may sound like crap.

Is your neck up-bowed or back-bowed?

Tighten the truss rod adjusting nut to straighten a neck that has an up-bow. Loosen the nut if the neck is back-bowed. The trick is knowing when you've got the neck the way you want it. Here's how to evaluate and adjust your electric or acoustic neck with a minimum of tools.

Sight the neck to see what condition it's in. With the guitar on its side, look down the fingerboard to check it for straightness. Also look for humps, low spots, uneven frets or other problems. This'll give you a good idea of the neck's current state.

Mark the adjusting nut to indicate your starting point, and to show how far the nut gets turned. At this point, I like to loosen and remove the truss rod nut to clean and lubricate the threads before making any adjustments. This might not apply in your case: not all truss rod nuts are removable. Some are soldered on.

Even when you don't have a removable adjusting nut, always start by loosening it first. This way, you'll know how smoothly the nut will turn, and you'll have a better feel for it when you do your adjustments. This also means you're less likely to overtighten the nut by cranking away on it if it's already used up all the available threads. (Using muscle without first getting the feel of it is how some people manage to shear off their adjusting nut!)

With the nut removed, use a sharp scribe or small brush to remove any built-up debris from the threads and parts. When everything's clean, add a little bit of lubricant like Guitar Grease or petroleum jelly. Keep the grease off the exposed wood. Now you're ready to reinstall the nut and return it to its original position using your alignment marks

“Relief” refers to a very slight, intentional up-bow that lifts the strings a little higher than they'd be on a perfectly straight neck. Some players prefer a perfectly straight neck, but a dead-straight neck may not work for someone who really plays hard but still wants to have very low string action. For those players, a bit of relief is a good idea.

Whichever setup you prefer, a straight neck is a good starting point. With a properly functioning truss rod, you probably won't need more than 1/8-turn in either direction to get what you're after. A little truss rod adjustment goes a long way, as you can see by measuring your string height before and after with a string action gauge.
Too much relief lifts the strings too high, and a backbow will cause the strings to rattle on the frets.

If the frets are too uneven to read with a straightedge, a notched straightedge sits over the frets, letting you read the wood of the fingerboard.

Tune the guitar to pitch and hold the guitar in the playing position (not laying on its back), then use an 18" precision straightedge to see if the neck's straight. If it rises with some relief, tighten the nut until the straightedge lays as flat as possible on the frets.

If it's in a back-bow, loosen the nut until the straightedge lays flat on the frets. Doing this sometimes also reveals loose or uneven frets that need attention.

After adjusting the rod I'll usually let the instrument “settle” into the adjustment for a few hours and then I'll evaluate it again and tweak it if necessary.

Go to:
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For truss rod tools see:
Truss rods at Stewart-MacDonald

By the way, if you have a 57 Stratocaster or a 52 Telecaster, please let a pro work on it!

Magprob,
30 years ago in Vegas, I had a '54 Strat, Serial Number 0337, someone broke in got that body, and a Tele Neck I had Bolted on , They both had 4 Bolt necks, and liked to Customize and Modify Stratocasters and Gibson SG's. I had the Owned both most of my life, Routered out and installed electronics in Guitar(Pre amp, Compressor, Lo, Band, and High filter(High and low would be a notch filter), Dual Humbucker. I used OP Amps, Super Clean and Powerful. I am 50 now, Father was part of Strategic Air Command, I like to think my Systems are Strategic. Hence Stratmando. Do you Play or repair mostly? I don't play much, love the sound of Pink Floyd and the power of their Strat.

I have a 57 Strat, tobacco sunburst, and a Highway One Telecaster and assorted others and bits and pieces of one thing and another. I refrett,and do set up. I have, as of late, been getting into winding my own pickups. I have built a way cool pick up winder from junk parts of everything I can find at yard sales and where ever.
If you haven't tried a Highway One Tele, you should. I absolutely love mine with the Grease Bucket setup. I have, like you, owned guitars that I let get away and today, if I still had them, I would be rich. I am 51 so I saw the good days of Fender and Gibson.
Today, I play and sing and my Chihuahua howls while dancing about. We are thinking about taking our show out on the road. :}

I also used to have a "Thinline" Tele(semi Hollow Body) I had wanted to light up the cavity,
I will be looking for your Roadshow. Don't know where you got your name. I used to have a tool called a "Mag Probe" a self contained sensor that when place around a magnetic field, an LED would Light. I would use them on relays or contactors to see if they were energized(Just place tip near coil). Take Care

The truth is that the truss rod is a simple device that basically has one purpose: to counter the pull of the strings. That's it. It isn't meant to adjust the height of your strings; you can't set your intonation with it; and with a little foresight, you aren't going to render your guitar useless by attempting to adjust it.

There are a few golden rules to obey when adjusting a truss rod. First, only use the rod to keep your neck as straight as it needs to be…do not use it to adjust your action! Second, only use the proper adjustment tool. If you do not know what this is, check with the manufacturer or visit a good repairman. Finally, do not force anything; an eighth of a turn can make a drastic change. The first step is to know when or in what way the neck needs to be adjusted.

Start by sitting with the guitar in the playing position. Make sure it is in tune, and capo at the first fret. If you do not own a capo, you can simply fret the strings, but this may make things a little more difficult. Next, fret the bass string at the 12th fret. You are using the string as a straight edge to read the curve (referred to as relief) of the neck. Check the height of the string over the 6th fret. Gently taping the string to the fret makes the size of this gap clearer.

The bigger this gap the more relief in the neck. It's a good idea to check the center strings and treble strings as well to give you an idea of the neck overall. It is possible to have a neck that is straighter on one side than the other. If there is no gap at the 6th fret, you are either dead straight or back bowed away from the pull of the strings. A buzzing of the strings open and within the first two frets is a definite indication of back bow. If you are touching at the 6th, let the string go and see if there is a gap at the first fret. The greater this gap, the greater the amount of back bow. Having a straight neck makes for a better playing instrument, but not all guitars and playing styles allow for a completely straight neck. Therefore, some relief is acceptable, and often necessary.

Due to the elliptical vibration of a string, a little relief may prevent buzzing in the first and second positions. If you have a strong picking hand and tend to be an aggressive player, you can exaggerate the movement of the string and may need some relief, and higher action. Players with a lighter touch often have straighter necks with lower action. Electric guitars usually have straighter necks than acoustics, and basses typically have more relief than guitars.

Be aware that straightening the neck may seem to make your guitar play worse. Tightening the truss rod straightens the neck and consequently lowers the strings, which can create string buzz. However, string height is controlled at the nut and saddle, not in the neck. Likewise, a straight neck may also make a poor fret condition more noticeable. Ultimately though, a good straight neck is the first step in a proper set-up and should help to make your guitar play better. If a straight neck makes the guitar play worse, the neck is either too straight for your playing style or it is a sign that more work is needed.

Once you have a picture of the neck as it is, you need to decide what way to turn the truss rod nut and how much to turn it. Remember in a single action truss rod: tightening the rod straightens the neck, loosening permits it to bow. Before you adjust the nut, make a mark on it that corresponds to a fixed point below it on the access channel to the nut. This will help you gauge how much you have turned and may help you get back to "0" if for some reason you get too far off.

Once you are prepared to make the adjustment, keep in mind the gap you read at the 6th fret. The greater the gap, the more you will tighten the rod. If you had no gap you will be loosening the rod. Keep in mind that most good necks require no more than half of a turn in either direction. Using the mark you made to note the original position of the rod, start with an eighth of a turn, and check the gap again. Keep tightening or loosening until you can just barely see light through the gap at the 6th fret, but remember not to force anything. Stop if you are applying a lot of torque, and the neck still isn't going straight. The adjustment should be smooth and easy.

Once you have the neck straight, play the instrument and see what effect the adjustment had. If buzzing is apparent in the first few frets, try loosening the nut slightly and see if it helps. If you have buzzing consistently up the neck, you are most likely in need of a good set-up and/or fretwork.

The procedure outlined here is very basic. It is intended for the typical player, and could easily be much more in depth than this. A good repairman would be a lot more precise, while still following a similar procedure. However, from a maintenance standpoint, this is as technical as it needs to be. This same process holds true for any stringed instrument with a single action adjustable truss rod. As long as you follow the basic rules, and never force anything, adjusting a truss rod should be as simple and routine as changing your strings.

To see a pic, follow this link on how to adjust your truss rod - http://www.guitarbitz.com/trussrod.asp