Official Luthiers Forum!

I like to use the LMI double action truss rod as I know many of you do.

The question is......

Do you set it up with adjustment thru the box or peghead?

I've been using the thru the box method and I'm not so sure I like it... Way to tight against the top with the truss rod set flush with the fingerboard. (no spline) How do the experienced folks do it?

As always I'm grateful for any and all help I can get... Joe Beaver38844.7213194444

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

I go from the peghead.

Al

How do you guys who go thru the peghead cut the relief pocket for the truss rod nut? I really wanna go that direction if it's not just a total pain...

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When I make a neck, first I square up the wood on my jointer then bandsaw the profile. Next I use a router table to cut the slot all the way through end to end. I glue a filler into whichever end that I don't use for access. No additional pocket is needed with the LMII/Allied /Hotrod type trussrods. I cut the headstock veneer with a small backsaw then round the bottom with a rattail file.

Al

Al, you mean I can just run the neck over the dado at 1/4" all the way out the headstock and there's enough side and depth clearance on the nut from that alone? Man, that's almost too good to be true...(but I'll take it! ).

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Larry,
I'm liking the sound of it to.
Al,
So you just rout, put the headplate on then cut and file an access hole in the plate? Sounds pretty good to me. I just might try it.

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

if you recess the nut below the bottom of the fretboard you need to slot the nut to accomodate but if you set the bottom of the nut flust with the bottom of fretboard all you need to do is run your TR channel though the peghead. and make a cover for it. The allen scocket on the bottom of course. MichaelP38845.6896759259

Michael, I'm gonna try it!

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Michael, and others, I would like to hear more about which direction you all go on Truss rod as well, peghead or box? I have always gone through the box, but it certainly seems easier to go through the peghead or appears so, although I have never done it. Is there any upside or downside to going one way or the other? Or is it just preference?

Mike
White Oak, Texas

Going through the headstock is going to be a bit weaker, but not to the point of being inferior. After all You are not
supposed to drop a guitar on it's headstock. Gibson, Taylor, Guild, and many others have been doing it that way for years. On the other hand you see more Gibsons with broken headstocks than Martins. I guess it's really your choice, I just like the look of a nice ebony, or ziricote trussrod cover.

Al

The other thing about Gibson headstock breaks is that they don't do anything to strength the area. Even Martin addes a valute (sp?).

So the valute is there to add strength to the area under the thinnest part of the headstock, the area routed out for the truss rod channel.

Some valute's for you all.

James Olson valute



Ok that's just toooo nice. Amazing what a CNC can do

Mario Proulx valute (I don't think builds with the adjustment at the headstock though)



Very nice indead.

Charlie Hoffman smiley valute (come on, who here stole this one from Charlie, I did)



Kevin Ryan didn't have a very good picture of his on his site.

Kathy Wingert, cool one here (oh, by the way, she also does killer inlay work as well)

Rod True38846.0707986111

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Oops, sorry for the big picture.

It's Mario's fault anyway.

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"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

I always go the other way and put mine with the adjustment at the box end, I use a bolt on extension and a small hole through the brace, that way I can just slide an allen key in and adjust the truss rod as neccasary.

Mike I go either way if the customer wants no truss rod cover on the peghead I will go through the body. If they want ease of access I go through the peghead. I like through the peghead for ease of access personalyMichaelP38846.3934027778

Good info, and great pictures. I was looking at Jim Olson's site and he uses one screw in the rod pocket cover. How is that done? A dovetail in the cover that you slide down locking it in place and then put the screw in?

Please excuse my lack of knowledge on the subject. I built classical for a few years and made the switch to SS. It is a different ball game.Joe Beaver38846.9197685185

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

Joe, I don't know about Olson specifically, but I've seen this on a number of solid-wood instruments. A piece of wood is stiffer than the plastic truss covers, so it doesn't flop around with only one screw. I haven't done this yet, but I plan to just butt the cover against the nut, and use a single screw at the other end.

Carlton

You probably are right on that. It just seems it would be a good source for a buzz...

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

When I did headstock access, I used the LMI and now allied two way rods. For the headstock access style, I would route a round bottom slot tot he depth of the bottom round rod, then take a chisel and cut out the required square recess to allow the threaded blocks to sit in. I also had a round end template for the end of hte slot on the headstock that would allow the truss rod key to be used vertically, ie the short end into the hex hole, then turn the key to adjust the rod), and it would produce a round end slot about 1/2 inch diameter.

As for truss rod covers, I used only one screw, and angled the end that butted against the nut. If the fit there is tight, then one screw holds the cover snug in place and they dont rattle at all - they cant really, the one whole face is tight against the nut, and the screw completes a triangle effect - nothing stronger. You can also slight relieve the face against the nut to produce a slight bow, thus creating two contact points at either end.

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