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I was wondering if I had a laminated neck as pictured, is it nessesary to install a Truss rod in a 20 inch scale, 14 fret to body, 8 steel stringed instrument?

Thanks,
Wade

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Wade
Nashua, NH
http://www.wadefx.com

stricktly necessary...probably not. I've got one instrument that's 19 or 20" scale (25.5 cut off at the 5th fret, tuned to A) that's laminated with a strip of pau ferro down the middle, and that works a charm, stable, no problems. Then again, it's a 'scrap woods' project I built and just about no budget at all, and it's only a 6 string.

Truss rods are cheap insruance.

I would say it depends on the instrument. For ukes people do not use
truss rods cause they really weigh don the neck (a light uke weighs on 12
oz or less.). Plus the string tension of nylon strings doesn't necessitate it.   
If your talking about a steel string instrument I'd say yeah. But remember
Martin did not even use truss rods until the last 20 years or so (can't
remember when they started but I refretted one the other day with no
truss rod and it was a pain in the butt).

_________________
John Mayes
http://www.mayesluthier.com

I guess the other issue is you lose any potential for adjustment, so you have to decide if this is an issue.

[QUOTE=RussellR] I guess the other issue is you lose any potential for
adjustment, so you have to decide if this is an issue.[/QUOTE]

Another thing with ukes is that you don't need to adjust them like that.
AS long as the fretboard is flat when you fret it then your pretty much
good to go....

_________________
John Mayes
http://www.mayesluthier.com

On my current guitar, one of my goals is to see how light I can make the guitar so I'm not going to put in a truss rod. It's a 12 fetter and I'm just going to install two 1/8"x3/8" carbon fiber rods and be very carefull in getting the fretboard leveled.

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Tickle your guitar daily, and it'll tickle you back.

I'm sure you know this, but be sure to add some relief in the fretboard
before fretting!

_________________
John Mayes
http://www.mayesluthier.com

Thanks Guys,
I have made one of these already and left the neck a little hefty. It seems to have kept straight after 6 months. But I would like the instrument to last.

Anyone ever made a truss rod out of smaller rod stock than the usual?

John,
When you say "add some relief before fretting" that's to compensate for the tendency for the frets to impart "wedge" forces that pull the neck backward, Right?


Wade

_________________
Wade
Nashua, NH
http://www.wadefx.com

[QUOTE=Wade S.]
John,
When you say "add some relief before fretting" that's to compensate for
the tendency for the frets to impart "wedge" forces that pull the neck
backward, Right?

Wade[/QUOTE]

No that's not what I was talking about. As long as you get the right sized
fretwire you should not have a problem with compression. What I mean (I
was talking about a guitar) is that normally you add a slight amount of
relief with the truss rod after the guitar is strung up to decrease the
chance of buzzing in the 3-9th fret area. When fretting a guitar with no
truss rod (like the steel tube martins) I find it helps you save your sanity if
you actually sand that relief into the board so when it is fretted you get
the effect of having the truss rod adjusted slightly. On ukes I find that it
is not nessicary, and a flat fretboard works great.

_________________
John Mayes
http://www.mayesluthier.com

Thanks for taking the time to point that out John.
Just let me see if I have this right, if you don’t mind?

I always thought a truss rod was there to just counter the “pull” of the strings, keeping the neck straight under string tension. I recently learned that it is beneficial to have a slight inward bow to the fret board especially for the thicker strings to provide more room for them to vibrate without buzz.
I was taught that (before fretting) with a single action truss rod, I should tighten the rod to cause a slight back bow or hump in the fret board. Then sand that hump to flat (with the radius). So when you loosen the truss rod, you will now have a slight inward arch built in the fret board. Adding the strings, pulls the neck farther but, you have the truss rod to bring the frets back (close to straight). Is this correct?
So in a neck without a truss rod, you should have a slight arch or hump in the fret board to counter string tension? The idea being that with string tension, the neck comes back to flat? How am I doing?

Sorry if I seem slow on this one. I just want to be sure I have this right. Like us all, I want to make a great sounding instrument with the best possible action and playability. Achieving this with a variety of stringed instruments is a tough one.

John,
I guess the simpler question is do you mean a hill or a valley?

Wade

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Wade
Nashua, NH
http://www.wadefx.com

valley

_________________
John Mayes
http://www.mayesluthier.com