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PostPosted: Thu Sep 25, 2014 10:31 am 
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Koa
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Please don't think I am criticizing Dan's method!
This is posted to stimulate discussion about a very important part of guitar building.
I have my own strongly-held opinion and method, but I'll hold off for a bit.

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PostPosted: Thu Sep 25, 2014 12:28 pm 
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I add tension to the rod and then flatten the neck surface.
I glue the fretboard and level it.
It's not so easy to flatten the surface when there is a hump in the middle.
Maybe this a good method.

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PostPosted: Thu Sep 25, 2014 12:42 pm 
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Seems not unreasonable with a single action rod. But with a two way rod...


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PostPosted: Thu Sep 25, 2014 1:15 pm 
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I like Dan's thought process, especially if he is using a single-action rod, which many people like.
He did mention his experience from a repair perspective on factory guitars, but his method isn't really applicable to factory methods, maybe it is.

I make necks two ways, with and without a truss rod, but I'll leave the non-rodded neck out of the discussion for now.

I glue a flat, slotted fretboard on a stout, uncarved neck, dead flat on the gluing surface. I glue with hot-hide glue, and it imparts a very small amount of back bow when it is dry. The fretboard is then arched & leveled dead flat, fretted, and the neck profile carved.

The strings under tension may pull a little up-bow, but normally it doesn't. The "pre-stressed" glue joint helps maintain a flat board.
The double acting rod can take care of it either way, with very little turning of the screw.

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Last edited by David Newton on Thu Sep 25, 2014 1:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: Thu Sep 25, 2014 1:16 pm 
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meddlingfool wrote:
Seems not unreasonable with a single action rod. But with a two way rod...


Ditto. I don't see this being necessary if you use a double action rod. Tell me if I am wrong, though! If I'm wrong, I don't want to stay that way.


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PostPosted: Thu Sep 25, 2014 5:09 pm 
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Doing the neck like Dan shows, would you ever actually need a dual action rod?


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PostPosted: Thu Sep 25, 2014 5:29 pm 
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One thing that occurs to me is that if you used fish glue instead of hot hide glue, you could get a lot more control over the initial bow in the neck, and gain a lot of working time, by supporting it at the headstock and the heel, rigging up a clamp to depress the center of the fretboard/neck assembly, and then just clamp up as normal with lots of cauls and G clamps.


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PostPosted: Thu Sep 25, 2014 6:59 pm 
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I rally hate double action rods. They can rattle and the relief they add is more like a smiley face instead of gradual natural relief. As dan says, if you build the neck " right" you don't needma double action truss rod


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PostPosted: Thu Sep 25, 2014 9:17 pm 
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this is nothing new. Been doing that for years and I agree that a 2 way rod is overkill.

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PostPosted: Fri Sep 26, 2014 12:25 pm 
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bluescreek wrote:
this is nothing new. Been doing that for years



You do surprise me, John.

I don't recollect ever seeing this technique mentioned on any of your excellent videos.


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PostPosted: Fri Sep 26, 2014 12:59 pm 
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I have chosen to use a 2-part rod, either single or double acting, for my necks.
As a guitar repairman since 1975, the greatest number of neck issues that I have experienced are Gibson necks with single action compression rods with an "S" curve in the fretboard.

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PostPosted: Fri Sep 26, 2014 1:59 pm 
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David Newton wrote:
I have chosen to use a 2-part rod, either single or double acting, for my necks.
As a guitar repairman since 1975, the greatest number of neck issues that I have experienced are Gibson necks with single action compression rods with an "S" curve in the fretboard.


Maybe Gibson didn't install the fretboard the way Dan shows ...

John Greven, who also has a long experience of guitar repair and build, has just recently espoused the single action compression rod and abandoned the dual action rod.


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