Steel strings yes, always.
Do a few compression frets then you can answer your own question
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| Do you always install a TR http://mowrystrings.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=53285 |
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| Author: | SnowManSnow [ Sun Jun 14, 2020 8:43 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Do you always install a TR |
Do you always install truss rods on your instruments? I understand the potential need for one, but so you guys do them on all guitars? What makes me pause is I’m building up a 20s L1 style. Shorter scar modern gib 12 fret. I’m not building an “replica” but I dig the shape:) the bracing and other aspects will be different. This is a small guitar. So, even on little guys, older style, do you always do a TR? Maybe a CF reinforcement instead? I suppose the potential need for one out weighs the novelty of a lighter feel Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk |
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| Author: | meddlingfool [ Sun Jun 14, 2020 10:44 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Do you always install a TR |
Yes. Not every player, not every string set, not every set up requires the same relief. To have that be adjustable is imperative IMO. We have the technology. 2 way rods are where it’s at. |
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| Author: | joshnothing [ Mon Jun 15, 2020 1:49 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Do you always install a TR |
For me, yes. The small investment of time and money to add a 2-way rod pays itself back very quickly when you consider what is required to finesse the relief on a guitar with no rod. Of course, methods of adjusting relief on guitars with no truss rod exist. But if you have installed a rod all it takes is a few seconds with an allen wrench. This time saving adds up over the service life of a quality instrument, which should be 50+ years for something well built and which will include many set-ups and tweaks as the years roll by. Yes, there is a weight consideration; this is an ergonomic thing that is a bigger deal for some players than others. There are lightweight options on the market that still allow 2-way adjustment. |
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| Author: | Colin North [ Mon Jun 15, 2020 3:50 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Do you always install a TR |
Yes. |
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| Author: | Victor Seal [ Mon Jun 15, 2020 5:32 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Do you always install a TR |
Steel strings= always. Nylon strings = no. |
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| Author: | Clay S. [ Mon Jun 15, 2020 5:41 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Do you always install a TR |
Many of the older non-truss rod guitar necks that were built for steel strings had thick baseball bat like cross sections. Some weight was still there in the additional wood. After the single action rod was invented thinner necks could be safely used and weight gain was probably minimal. Double acting rods have become popular, but in most cases they do add weight to the neck. Now some companies are making double acting rods of lighter materials (at somewhat greater expense). If you want a lighter neck, my suggestion would be to use a single action rod, pretension the rod to induce - some - "back bow" in the neck, re-level the fingerboard so releasing the tension then allows the neck to bow forward. This will give some of the advantages of the double acting rod without the weight penalty. You don't want to pre-tension the rod so much that it no longer has enough movement to act as it normally should, so it is somewhat of a balancing act. I make my own single action rods but Stew Mac also sells them. |
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| Author: | doncaparker [ Mon Jun 15, 2020 6:21 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Do you always install a TR |
meddlingfool wrote: Yes. Not every player, not every string set, not every set up requires the same relief. To have that be adjustable is imperative IMO. We have the technology. 2 way rods are where it’s at. My thoughts exactly. If it is a new build (not a repair of a very old instrument), I just have no reason to leave a truss rod out, and every reason to put it in. Weight savings are not really important enough to me to sacrifice the ability to adjust the neck's relief, and thereby optimize the guitar’s action. As a player, I want the guitar to have what I subjectively feel is the perfect action, which depends on being able to dial in the right relief. I would put up with a guitar being a little heavier if it is otherwise a great guitar, but it can’t be a great guitar unless it has (or can have, with tweaking) the right relief, making ideal action possible. |
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| Author: | doncaparker [ Mon Jun 15, 2020 6:57 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Do you always install a TR |
A bit more: don’t confuse stiffness with adjustability. A truss rod gives the neck adjustability more than it gives the neck stiffness. Adjustability is more of what you need from a truss rod, in my opinion. You can have a straight and very stiff neck, relatively unaffected by string tension, and the relief (and therefore the action) might not be ideal. Without a truss rod, getting to ideal would be a lot of work. |
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| Author: | DanKirkland [ Mon Jun 15, 2020 8:17 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Do you always install a TR |
Having worked on many over the years I definitely prefer a 2 way rod over a single compression rod. Being able to adjust either direction is a huge advantage. That being said. Lots of guitars have been made with compression style rods and do just fine. But given that we have the technology now the 2 way is king in my opinion. |
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| Author: | SteveSmith [ Mon Jun 15, 2020 8:48 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Do you always install a TR |
Steel strings yes, always. Do a few compression frets then you can answer your own question
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| Author: | jfmckenna [ Mon Jun 15, 2020 9:22 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Do you always install a TR |
I've built a few with non-adjustable truss rods. I don't use them on Spanish guitars either. But in general I use TR's and I like the double action ones. |
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| Author: | johnparchem [ Mon Jun 15, 2020 10:29 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Do you always install a TR |
Yes double action always on SS sometimes on nylon. |
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| Author: | DennisK [ Mon Jun 15, 2020 1:30 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Do you always install a TR |
My steel string harp ukulele (15" scale, 12 fret walnut neck with 4 strings on it about 15lbs each) has no reinforcement, and playability remains excellent after being exposed to the extreme seasonal humidity swings here for 5 years. But for anything over 20" scale I'd include a rod for adjustability. For absolute lightest weight, use Spanish cedar with an Allied ultralight rod. Second lightest and about $25-30 cheaper is a cherry or walnut neck with steel compression rod. Stainless would be better for corrosion resistance, but I haven't had any trouble with mild steel from the local hardware store. |
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| Author: | SnowManSnow [ Tue Jun 16, 2020 2:23 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Do you always install a TR |
DennisK wrote: My steel string harp ukulele (15" scale, 12 fret walnut neck with 4 strings on it about 15lbs each) has no reinforcement, and playability remains excellent after being exposed to the extreme seasonal humidity swings here for 5 years. But for anything over 20" scale I'd include a rod for adjustability. For absolute lightest weight, use Spanish cedar with an Allied ultralight rod. Second lightest and about $25-30 cheaper is a cherry or walnut neck with steel compression rod. Stainless would be better for corrosion resistance, but I haven't had any trouble with mild steel from the local hardware store. The allied rods are interesting. I’m not completely certain how they are installed and such but cool Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk |
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