An ultrasonic surgical instrument for use in a surgical procedure, comprising: a drive shaft, comprising: a distal end portion; and a proximal end portion; an ultrasonic transducer assembly comprising an ultrasonic transducer; an ultrasonic blade, wherein the ultrasonic blade is acoustically coupled to the ultrasonic transducer; an reciprocating actuation member operably coupled to the proximal end portion of the drive shaft, wherein the reciprocating actuation member is actuatable between a first position and a second position; a clamp member pivotably coupled to the distal end portion of the drive shaft, wherein the clamp member is pivotably movable between an open configuration and an approximated configuration relative to the ultrasonic blade in response to movement of the reciprocating actuation member between the first position and the second position; and a load adjustment assembly that is coupled to the drive shaft and is configured to set an initial load applied against the reciprocating actuation member, wherein the initial load is maintained by the load adjustment assembly at the predetermined value during the surgical procedure, characterized in that the load adjustment assembly comprises: a stop coupled to the drive shaft at the proximal end portion; a load adjustment member attachable to the drive shaft at a proximal location to the stop; and a biasing member extending between the stop and the load adjustment member, wherein the biasing member is configured to apply the initial load against the reciprocating actuation member, wherein the initial load is adjustable to the predetermined value by adjusting a distance between the stop and the load adjustment member. a drive shaft, comprising: a distal end portion; and a proximal end portion; a distal end portion; and a proximal end portion; an ultrasonic transducer assembly comprising an ultrasonic transducer; an ultrasonic blade, wherein the ultrasonic blade is acoustically coupled to the ultrasonic transducer; an reciprocating actuation member operably coupled to the proximal end portion of the drive shaft, wherein the reciprocating actuation member is actuatable between a first position and a second position; a clamp member pivotably coupled to the distal end portion of the drive shaft, wherein the clamp member is pivotably movable between an open configuration and an approximated configuration relative to the ultrasonic blade in response to movement of the reciprocating actuation member between the first position and the second position; and a load adjustment assembly that is coupled to the drive shaft and is configured to set an initial load applied against the reciprocating actuation member, wherein the initial load is maintained by the load adjustment assembly at the predetermined value during the surgical procedure, a stop coupled to the drive shaft at the proximal end portion; a load adjustment member attachable to the drive shaft at a proximal location to the stop; and a biasing member extending between the stop and the load adjustment member, wherein the biasing member is configured to apply the initial load against the reciprocating actuation member, wherein the initial load is adjustable to the predetermined value by adjusting a distance between the stop and the load adjustment member.