Official Luthiers Forum!

how necessary is it to include a filler strip over an under fingerboard truss rod? ive never bothered as i struggle to get a thin neck with enough wood on the back of the neck as it is without adding another 1/8 on top. and why when you have a 1/4" of ebony would you need any more?

I use the stew mac truss rods and have never put anything over them other than the fingerboard. No issues so far.

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John Thiessen
http://www.iszacguitars.com

coolio. me too. just wasn't too sure if i was doin the right ting. cheers!

I'm a big advocate of filler strips and they don't have to be very thick to do the job. A filler strip is all about packing the rod in tightly so that the rod can't move around in the neck. This eliminates rattles and backlash and makes the rod work more precisely.

I use the Allied style rod (with the flat bar on the back). it is 3/8 thick at the ends. I cut my slot .400 deep. That makes the filler strip .025 at the ends. The added depth of the slot is trivial.

Since I started using filler strips, I have never had a truss rod problem in one of my guitars.

Mark

thanks mark. i can see the sense in that. maybe i'll give it a go. i also use flat bottomed truss rods that are only 10mm deep. however, i find that the allen nut has to go all the way under the fb, otherwise it protrudes above the headstock cap. therefore i tend to stick em in upside down. can you see a problem with that? i do worry about these things! not had any probs so far (touch wood) and the current neck im working on (7 string) is only 22mm at the heel and 19mm at the nut.

I'm using a cnc to route the truss rod cavity so I create a pocket at each end that allows the truss rod end blocks to press fit into the cavity. I haven't done this before so I hope that the bars, which are free moving, are not the reason for a rattle.

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I read Emerson on the can. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds...true...but a consistent reading of Emerson has its uses nevertheless.

StuMusic

Mark-
It probably doesn't make much difference as these rods are 2-way, but....
Do you mean that you put the flat side 'down' in the slot?
I've been installing them like the pics at the Allied site, with the flat side up and the filler against the flat side.

Since you designed 'em (Thanks!) , you are definitely the guy to answer my question!

Cheers
John

i think it is ends that do the funky rattle, so you should be good. specifically the heel end coz anchoring this end is a safe anti-rattle, but i like to be able to remove rods easily when a neck goes titsup, which is why i dont do it. not good, one day i'll be confident enough to imprison them FOREVER!!!

Flat side goes "up" facing the underside of the fingerboard. I glue the filler strip to the flat side of the truss rod.

A double acting truss rod will work just fine if installed "up side down". However, It may confuse a someone who adjusts the rod later because it will need to be turned opposite to the conventional direction.


Mark

sound as!

Thanks, Mark - that's exactly what I do.
Those are good truss rods.

Cheers
John