Official Luthiers Forum!

My hats off to the fine folks at Stew-Mac!

If you recall some of us have been critical of the Stew-Mac "Hot-Rod" truss rod having seen first hand what can happen when a rod requires a deep channel which can result in too little wood backing the rod. Worst case and the rod can blow out the back of the neck splitting the neck...

I've personally seen this happen at least several times including delivery day for a $5K - $6K custom Les Paul built by a Luthier who used to frequent this very forum.

For a couple of years in discussions here and on other Lutherie forums some of us have been critical of the hot-rod and now it looks like Stew-Mac not only listens but actually "heard" us with this new, much shallower rod.

So who is going to be the first to try it, use it for a decade and then report back? Can you tell that I'm risk adverse....

Anyway good on ya Stew-Mac - great company, great stuff, great sponsor!!!

PS: Disclaimer: No affiliation what so ever with Stew-Mac here.

http://www.stewmac.com/Materials_and_Supplies/Truss_Rods/Adjustable_truss_rods/Low-profile_2-way_Truss_Rod.html

I'm glad they have come up with an alternative...

What's with the weld? Looks kinda rough for a glammer shot.

M

I'm (slowly) working on two that will stay with me so I might take the risk and try this out. The price is right. The only problem is one is a 12 fretter so I'm out of luck there. . . Maybe I'll do that one with a hot rod and see how they compare. Though a 14 fret and 12 fret probably won't make an accurate comparison and to further confound the comparison, one will have center lams in the neck. . .

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

Bryan,

I would recommend you don't bother with the hotrod unless you're a baseball neck kind of guy. The Martin 2-way for 12 frets is a nice one. On the other hand if you're determined to do a A/B comparison by all means

Here's a HotRod - the guitar now has an Allied rod and a new fret board

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Thanks for lookin' out for me Steve! I said "maybe" I was gong to try to figure out where the 12 fret hot-rod would end up in relation to the volute I plan with a sound-hole adjustment. If I can get that big hunk of brass in the volute section I'll consider it.

Which 2 way 12 fret TR were you referring to?

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

The Martin 2-way is what I am using now. They seem to be pretty bullet proof, don't need a filler strip, and use a shallower channel than the Allied 2-ways.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

This new rod sure looks like the new Martin rods that I have been using, and a good price!

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Other than the fact that you need a ball end router bit (I presume) for the install that you will never use for anything else, the way it sets into the neck looks good. Most likely doesn't need any covering spline. Cutting the slot with the ball end bit would leave some wood over the rod. And..... the ball end bit should remain sharp for a long time since I could think of few other uses for it. I hope it's well made. Good on you SM!

Would one need a round bottom slot for this rod? I was thinking I would make some table saw kerfs of the neede depth/width.

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

http://www.stewmac.com/Materials_and_Su ... s_Rod.html

It would appear you need a round hole Brian. I've never used one but it looks like a ball end router bit would do the trick and slide the rod in I guess. I would try it. I think coming from SM it would be well made. The price is pretty attractive also.

Take a look at the installation guide. http://www.stewmac.com/How-To/Online_Re ... s_Rod.html
It is only the first 1.5" of the channel that is round, formed with a reamer in a hand drill. The rest of the slot is flat bottomed. It looks like a pretty slick setup.

Alex

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"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker

I use a table saw for the Martin 2-way which appears to be the same rod. I have not experienced any problems. The Martin rod is installed using Titebond and I figure that "beds" it to some degree. The round slot bottom is a better solution if for no other reason then it is a better fit but I don't think it is an absolute necessity. That said I might get their tool set since I think these are going to be my go-to truss rod going forward; hard to beat bullet-proof and low cost.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Hesh, I've been using a version of the Hot Rod for 15 years with out incident. In observing the photo that Steve posted, what I notice here is how the rod was installed. I install it with the block under the fingerboard and the last bit under the nut. That rod appears to have been installed with the block under the first fret (presumably for body access; I use a peghead access) where it is most weak. The other consideration is how folks are installing these. I do not put a cover strip over the rod, I install it with the blocks flush. The truss rod access is relieved a little for the nut to spin more easily (1/8" allen). I mask off the neck and put a good bead of GE silicone bathroom caulk down the channel, press the rod into place and clamp it there until it sets up a bit so the rod doesn't drift up. I then put a bead over the rod, block to block which protects the threads and keeps the epoxy out of the channel. I don't get neck rattles and I haven't had a failure, even on a 12 string baritone gauged 18/18 - 36/80.

I should add that my standard neck is .825" under the 1st.

Hey David! I've installed a couple Hot Rods in my early stuff with no issues either.

Where we have seen the issues and others have too is when a neck profile gets pretty shallow which is easy for newer builders to do and certain models of guitars such as Lew Pauls where the builder tries to be true to the production specs. The rods can blow out the back when the level of neck material is not all that.

I have no doubt that in a neck that is designed for this rod and with an installation regimen as comprehensive as yours that the rods likely will work fine.

Don't let the snow storm get ya my friend!

I concur. This isn't the best choice for an electric. But if they're building electrics that don't need quite as robust a rod, why are they choosing the Hot Rod?

As for the storm, I'm going to be spared. They're only expecting 1-3". Our friends in New York and New England are in for the long haul. I hope they have plenty of wood, blankets, wine and holy water, er, Irish Whiskey.

David - you're correct on all counts. Body access, no filler strip per SM instructions. Also, this was the second neck I'd carved and I made it too thin. You've made a good point and I will qualify my statements about the hot-rod in the future to be fair. After all the other hot rod that I installed is doing fine after 12 years.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"