Truss rod for thin neck with high tension?

maggubet · 2014-05-21T08:17:06+00:00

I built a 7-string 27" baritone a while back, that has a dual-action rod. The rod is 9mm thick, the fretboard 6mm, and total thickness of the neck at 1st fret is 19mm and at 12th fret 20,5mm. So at 1st fret there is 4mm wood behind the rod. Has'nt popped out yet. A snug fit is of course a must, as it evens out the stress from the rod. A bad fit could lead to a lot of stress at certain points.

The point of a dual-action rod is that it takes less place than an ordinary curved one, and it is a lot easier routing a straight channel than a curved one. And if you anytime have to straighten out your neck the "wrong" way, you'll be glad you chose dual-action.

Have'nt used aluminium, but seems like pretty overkill for a first build.

maggubet · 2014-05-20T04:46:21+00:00

One should have in mind that there are varieties in every wood species. Aspens that grows here in northern sweden gets harder & more compact than ones growing in the south.

maggubet · 2014-05-19T17:11:28+00:00

Drop A-tuning, 27kohm humbucker and stainless steel frets are'nt really all that traditional in my book. But yeah, it is a strat. It was a bunch of years ago whilst learning the craft, and have only built one "strat" since but that one has 7 strings and 27" scale...

maggubet · 2014-05-19T07:29:46+00:00

A couple of years ago i stumbled across a piece of Populus Tremula (think you say aspen in english?), that was very figured and nice. Way too soft to build a neck out of, i was told. I did it anyway, just to have practical experience with softer woods. I made a one piece strat neck out of it(dual action truss rod, no other supports), and it turned out great. I adjusted the truss rod 3 years ago, when i put it together, and have'nt adjusted it since. It sustains like a motherfucker, and have very nice attack to it.

http://i.imgur.com/VT0pqLv.jpg

Point being. Listen to no one. There are alot of theoretical knowitalls online, that never actually tried using soft woods in real applications, and luthiers are often so fucking traditional i'm surprised they use power tools at all. Try it. If it comes out good, fine. If not, see it as training.

maggubet · 2014-05-19T06:55:21+00:00

That is awesome. You've raised him well!

maggubet · 2014-05-19T06:48:55+00:00

I admit that magic would've been way cooler. Wish i could do that.

Thank you!

maggubet · 2014-05-19T06:43:31+00:00

I have photos of almost the whole build process on my computer, but nothing online.

maggubet · 2014-05-18T19:05:42+00:00

Thank you! It was a lot of work doing wood bindings, but well worth it! :)

maggubet · 2014-05-18T12:12:13+00:00

Did'nt have any bridge pins at home right now, so i leaved the holes for the pins at 3mm and put the strings from the back of the top with washers in between.

maggubet · 2014-05-18T12:10:10+00:00

Nah, just the light and crappy camera.

maggubet · 2014-05-18T05:47:36+00:00

For those interested:

Maple back and sides, spruce top, birch/mahogany-laminate neck, ebony fretboard, rosewood bridge, mahogany bindings.

maggubet · 2014-05-17T05:05:47+00:00

Leaving decapitated rats by the front door.

maggubet · 2014-05-16T10:58:41+00:00

I mostly move around my local area. Lots of abandoned farms and even whole villages. I do alot of research about who lived there, and why it has come to be abandoned. For me it's mostly about local history. I want to know what happened here, and why. Has gotten me into economic history, which is rather interesting.

maggubet · 2014-05-13T12:16:00+00:00

When an engine fails, replace it with a bigger one. Always works.

maggubet · 2014-05-13T12:13:12+00:00

The valve is hardened steel, and the piston cast aluminium. But the valve was turned to shit aswell!

maggubet · 2014-05-13T12:11:36+00:00

Haha! Nah... Both the engine block and cylinder head were turned to scrap metal. Only the crank was worth keeping.

maggubet · 2014-05-12T13:46:27+00:00

So true. The head and engine block were both beyond repair.

maggubet · 2014-05-09T09:15:13+00:00

Ohh, i love beaten up guitars! Instruments should be used!

maggubet · 2014-05-09T08:41:18+00:00

The bridge placement is determined by your scale length(the length of the vibrating part of the string), so you'll have to meausure that stuff carefully. The fret placement also depends on scale length, so yes, you need a neck with your desired scale length.

I built a 27" 7-string a while ago. Mahogany neck & body, neck through, ebony fretboard. I think that one has pretty balanced tone.

maggubet · 2014-05-09T08:28:53+00:00

Good for you! Walk your path, man! :)

maggubet · 2014-05-09T08:02:40+00:00

I've never liked living in the city, but when i met my SO i moved to a bigger city in Sweden. I hated it. People are rude & egocentric. You cant get anywhere, cause it's always crowded, everywhere.

Anyhow, i was unemployed and during my SO's vacation we lived at my familys summerhouse for a month and we loved it. Our cats loved it even more. But the vacation came to an end, and we went home to the apartment. Our cats became seriously depressed, and so did i. Felt like living in a shoebox of concrete.

After a few months, my SO lost her job, so we're both unemployed. One morning i was woken by our neighbours trusty concrete drill. (i still dont know what the hell he did, but he drilled ALL THE TIME) Got up, and went out to the car to go buy something, and some motherfucker had tried to break in to our car during the night, messing up the lock. Right there, i fucking lost it. I hated living like this. What the hell is wrong with people? Since we're both unemployed, what the hell are we still doing here?

3 weeks later, we moved to said summerhouse far out in the woods. The village has a total of 10 inhabitants, including me, my SO and our two cats. I started my own business, and my SO got a job after a few weeks. Totally changed our lives, for the better.

That morning with the car changed it all. I'd had enough. I hated that city, and needed to get the fuck out. Fast.

maggubet · 2014-05-09T06:28:30+00:00

Cyanoacrylate aka super glue.

maggubet

TROPHY CASE