Can my Neck Take The Strain?
A little while back, I had an email with a question. I’ll summarise below.
I have a 12-string guitar and have heard that some players tune the guitar down so that the neck doesn’t bow under the strain of all 12 strings. Is this something I should do?
So, the short answer is, ‘no’.
As with so many things in life, though, the longer answer is more nuanced. 😉
Most of the time, if you have a 12-string guitar, you can assume that it’s been designed by someone who’s not an idiot and has planned for the extra tension the guitar will experience. So, feel free to tune to concert pitch and jingle-jangle all day.
However…
Most of the time ain’t all of the time.
Occasionally, builders will seem to slightly re-jig a 6-string without much thought other than making a longer headstock. Sometimes, a 12-string will be under-built for an additional half-dozen strings. And sometimes, the design may be fine but the wood used might just be a naturally weaker piece (wood’s a fickle mistress).
So, sometimes the tension of twelve strings will be too much for an instrument.
Now… Are you ready for even more nuance?
Sometimes the tension of six strings will be too much too. String tension can do all sorts of stuff to a guitar. Necks can bow, tops can belly and deform, braces can loosen, bridges can lift and even let go. The added tension of six additional strings might make this happen more quickly but it can happen anyway.
What’s to be done? Is there no peace of mind to be found with these confounding instruments of torment?
Well, the best advice is to get to really know your instrument. Check the relief and action regularly (do write it down somewhere — we’re rubbish at remembering stuff like this over a longer period). Assess every now and then and compare to previous measurements. Look for any trends that might indicate a problem.
For instance, if the relief is gradually increasing over time and you find yourself tightening the truss rod every few months, that might be an indication that your neck is struggling a little. Of course there are many reasons that you might need a truss rod adjustment so keeping those notes and looking for trends is useful. Some guitars will need a seasonal adjustment — one way in spring and the other way in autumn — and that’s not necessarily an indication of a problem.
If you spot something that might be attributed to string-tension issues, you’ll be better able to make a call as to whether you need to start tuning down a little. Or you’ll be able to better inform your repairer if some work might be required.
Instruments on the more vintage end of the spectrum sometimes fall into the ‘struggling’ category. This is partly due to advancing years (tell me about it) and sometimes due to insufficient consideration on the part of their builders. Many of these instruments’ struggles are ‘known quantities’ and a little research online can indicate whether you should be extra vigilant in your measuring and assessments.
The bottom line is, treat your guitar like a guitar and string/tune it the way it’s supposed to be strung/tuned. Just keep an eye on it.
This article written by Gerry Hayes and first published at hazeguitars.com
