Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Roosterman on August 11, 2011 at 10:17am

No need for a truss rod if you look after it Penfoot.

Even though the concept of truss rods is ancient (I think around the turn of the century), many guitars of the '60s had no truss.

Use suitable materials (hardwoods) and dont leave the guitar with everything tight for long periods of time and it will be fine

Good luck

Permalink Reply by Michael Fred Johnson on August 11, 2011 at 11:41pm

I've used steel reinforcement successfully on two six stringers.There is a photo of cbg11 on my page.

A length of steel flat bar is epoxy glued into a slot in the neck under the fingerboard,it's cheap, simple and effective.

The other guitar using this is No.15 .This has six strings in pairs 

Permalink Reply by GARAGE HERMIT on August 11, 2011 at 11:46pm

danelectro guitar's used two small steel " I - beam's" for truss rod's,

Permalink Reply by Hayden A Butler on August 12, 2011 at 2:25am

Thanks, will (hopefuly) put this advise into the next build.

 

Permalink Reply by ChickenboneJohn on August 14, 2011 at 7:37am

You can build with a fixed steel reinforcement (like a 1/4" square steel rod)..lots of quality builders do this...or buy a ready-made 2-way trussrod for £12 or so. They are easy to install in a channel, it's certianly not the most complicated thing in making a neck.

 

Having said that, I've got 70 year old guitars with no steel in the neck and they are perfectly straight and playable...just make sure the neck profile is nice and deep...that's where the old-timey "vee" neck shape works so well.

 

Just to clarify, a trussrod is adjustable, the idea is to be able to take the bend out of the neck with it and adjust the relief in the neck...everything else, such as a steel bar or carbon rod is just reinforcement. I think Gibson claim to have invented the idea of the trussrod, but doubtless someone will tell us otherwise...

Permalink Reply by Hayden A Butler on August 22, 2011 at 12:00am

Thanks

 

I think by using a reinforcement and doing as Rooster has suggested it will make it easier to build.

 

Thanks all.