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What do you do? (double action truss rod)
http://mowrystrings.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10102&t=15065		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  Michael Dale Payne [ Thu Dec 20, 2007 7:31 am ]
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I use either LMI's or Allied's Double action rods. I set my adjustment socket at the peghead. My peghead angle is 15 degrees. When I cut my channel for the truss rod I extend the channel till it passes through the peghead. I set the non-adjustable end of the truss rod flush with the end of my tenon. On 14 fret/25.4 scale necks this leaves about .06 to .09" of the adjustment socket proud of the peghead surface.

I have dealt with this three ways. One I have ground a 15 degree chamfer around outer surface of the adjustment socket's outer wall. Two I have actually ground the socket back a little over a 1/32 but being sure that there was still enough socket for the allen wrench to work. Third I have made my truss rod cover from 1/8" thick stock and shaped a cavity in the back side to allow the socket to be unaltered.

I could take my channel deeper but that would require that I use a .06 or thicker backer strip on top of the truss rod and I really don't want to do that.

I can't believe I am the only one that has run into this problem and was curious as to everyone's remedies.
Author:  Steve Saville [ Thu Dec 20, 2007 7:44 am ]
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I mount mine the other way, but I would think that moving the TR .090" towards the sound hole would be a good option.
Going deeper on the channel does not sound like a good idea as the material under the truss rod would get too thin and you might blow out the back of the neck.
Author:  Hesh [ Thu Dec 20, 2007 8:03 am ]
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I use Allied's or LMI with the preference being Allied and I mount the truss rod so that it adjusts from inside the box.  The part of the channel that extends into the peg head is filled with mahogany and sanded flush so the non-adjustable end of the truss rod terminates right under where the fret board terminates.  My nuts........ get to sit on solid wood this way........
Author:  Colin S [ Thu Dec 20, 2007 9:36 am ]
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Michael I use the LMI type rod, but I always use the size shorter than normal. When I had it adjusting at the head end the blind end of the rod finished at the heel, but didn't go as far as the tenon. The rod isn't going to have any effect at the heel anyway. Now that I adjust from the soundhole I still use a shorter rod and don't take it right to the end of the neck. So for a 14 fret neck I used the 14.25" rod instead of the 15.5" one and for 12 fret necks I use the 13" rather than the 14.25". They are plenty long enough but leave more meat at the neck juction.

So if I were you I'd use the size shorter rod and mount it so that it sits perfectly at the adjustment end.

Colin
Author:  Rod True [ Thu Dec 20, 2007 9:49 am ]
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I take it you place the nut on the peg-head angle and not the fretboard surface. If you place the nut on the fretboard plane, you don't have this problem as the neck is roughly 3/16" longer due to the nut. I'm cutting two necks right now and have been through this as I use the Allied rods.

I've also elected to install a spline over top of the rod, it's only 3/32" but it puts the rod just a little bit lower in the neck which will not help much but every little bit counts. The Allied rods are plenty low profile enough to put them lower in the neck, just lay it all out (I'm sure you have a couple times already ) because paper and wood work so much alike (Ya Right!)
Author:  Michael Dale Payne [ Thu Dec 20, 2007 10:02 am ]
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Great tip Rod. of course that will have to wait till the next neck so that I can account for the nut width on my neck beam. Plus this means I can have my nut with a flat bottom instead of a 15 degree bottom. that makes things a bit quicker as well.
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