Truss Rod question... don't wanna put it upside down.

T2W · #1 03-13-2007, 11:54 AM

Hello dudes,
A while ago, I showed progress on a six string, you all told me not to use Spalted Maple for my neck, so I didn't, I got healthy Maple instead, then the damn blank went crooked. So I chucked the blank and got some Purpleheart, Ipe, and Maple (quartersawn) so Ill be cutting these up tonight, and i'll be putting in 3/4 Maple, 1/4 Purple, 1/8 Maple, 3/4 Ipe, repeat. Now that you know how this neck will be built, keep in mind it's a six string, the question is: with all these stable woods laminated (7 pieces) do i need to put in 2 rods? or would 1 suffice? and also, which way do I put these in, I keep hearing people say they put the rod upside down.. I've got two Hot Rods from Stewart Macdonald.. which way is right? Thank you all very much ! peace.

The Craw · #2 03-13-2007, 03:56 PM

The correct way to install them is with the adjusting nut on the bottom. Here are the instructions.

If you install them upside down, they'll work, but they'll adjust the opposite way from 99.999% of all other truss rods. That could cause problems for somebody somewhere down the line.

T2W · #3 03-13-2007, 08:07 PM

Oh sweet, Thanks! Should have looked on their site first... my main question ( leads to confusion due to the name of the thread ), should I install the two of them? Im kinda wondering how two truss rods work.. you adjust each one a little bit at a time?...

Thanks in advance !

tribal3140 · #4 03-13-2007, 08:50 PM

all of the basses I own have a truss access cover on the headstock!

warwick
ritter
benavente
aries, stambaugh,
divinity

I have a jerzy drozd that had it on the bottom and that FU'd
ken bebensee too

either way works just fine
Ive had 40+ basses worth 100s of thousands
with different orientations they all work fine.
if you are making a 7 string them maybe 2 rods
the wider the board the more its useful
less than 6 really isnt necc but I have seen them on 5ers
its not how many lams its how wide the neck! IMO
too.

pilotjones · #5 03-13-2007, 10:43 PM

Todd, he's referring to putting the rotating rod or the fixed rod towards or away from the fretboard, not which end to put the nut at.

tribal3140 · #6 03-13-2007, 11:15 PM

nevermind then..

BassicJohn · #7 03-14-2007, 08:17 AM

I am not an expert but it would seem that you should be careful if you mix maple and ipe in the neck. Most of my basses have maple necks and they will bend under the tension of the strings. Ipe is much stiffer than maple and I remember a thread where someone built a neck out of ipe and found that it was so stiff that the truss rod would not bend it. I would make sure that the laminations were symetrical about the center of the neck. If one side was more ipe while that other side was more maple, I would think that the neck would tend to twist since the maple side would bend more than the ipe side. Just a thought.

erikbojerik · #8 03-14-2007, 09:00 AM

I've used ebony lams in several 5 (and one 6) string neck blanks, and I like to use a pair of them positioned part-way between the centerline and the edge. About where you'd put carbon fiber rods (if that's what you're into). Then a single truss rod in the center. If I went to 7 strings or more, I'd go with two truss rods.

It is true, if you make a neck very stiff then a single rod may not help you. But when I adjust a rod, I take off all the string tension, and then actually push the neck in the direction I want it to go while tweeking the rod in the proper direction, then tune back up.

Really, IMO after you've done a proper setup and the neck has relaxed to its new high-tension environment (which can take a month or two in my experience), the main function of a rod is to be able to make changes to the neck over the long term (years).

T2W · #9 03-14-2007, 03:51 PM

The lams are gonna be symmetrical, that's for sure, because it looks way better, and cuz they work together. I also place the grain patterns symmetrical, just like laminate panels you would use for furniture building (that way it doesnt warp, it works one against the other). After speaking with a luthier yesterday, I will be using both rods, since, yes, Ipe and Purple is stiff as hell.

For whoever didnt quite get the 'repeat' mentioned in my description of my neck blank, here it goes again, simplified: 3/4'' Maple, 1/4'' Purple, 1/8'' Maple, 3/4'' Ipe, 1/8 Maple, 1/4'' Purple, and 3/4'' Maple.