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I don't use silicone but I do use a latex type of caulk. I use a few dabs along the slot to help prevent any possible rattle of the rod after glue up.

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Thanks Freeman, I would appreciate a pointer!
Dan

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I am never gonna live this down...

Warning, very long thread.

http://www.harmonycentral.com/t5/Electr ... p/31808721

I'm just curious about this rattle thing, as I've never had the issue, with either any of the guitars I own or any that I have made. My experience is that turning the truss rod just enough so it is loaded keeps anything from rattling, at least when the truss rod is installed in a reasonably fitting slot. Is your experience different? What would be rattling and why, I guess I'm wondering ...

Thanks,

Filippo[/quote]

I am never gonna live this down...[/quote]

No I'm asking seriously. Lots of folks do this. I assume there is a reason, and I've not encountered. Hence why I'm asking Mike. I'm just trying to understand. Not implying anything except my own ignorance!

Filippo[/quote]

oh, I thought I already said it was called out in the installation instructions by stew mac, not silicone per se but caulk, and being that I had an open tube of silicone at hand...

I just did it because I don't have much experience and the company I bought it from said to do it if you were worried about rattles. I don't know if I'm worried about rattles so I erred on the side of caution.

ok, my name was in that thead too, didn't make the distinction...

I do it because the instruction for stew Mac rods called for it. Have I expierenced this rattle on dual action truss rods? Yes! Its more of a buzz then an outright rattle. In have in my possession a Garrison guitar that has a removable dual action rod. The rod slides right out when totally relaxed. This guitar has a persistent buzz. I left the rod out and strung her up and the buzz disappeared. Put it back in and it reappears. The rod has a shrink tubing cover on it so its not that its a bare rod. So when I do them I use the caulk as per stew macs instructions....mike

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No even under tension there is that buzz. I actually tried putting an additional covering of some electrical shrink tubing I have but couldn't get the rod back in with it on. It was a little to thick since it's the black type made for electrical connections.

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Double acting truss rods will rattle (buzz). Getting a tight fit up is a good idea. Is that enough? Think of it this way: would you install barbless frets with a two-part tang, no glue, and expect to get good tone and sustain?

Silicone caulk in truss rod channels is not a finishing issue. I do a lot of finishing. I've seen a lot of issues. That's not one of them. I also do a lot of repairs. I fix a lot of buzzing double-action truss rods. To fix them, I inject silicone caulk in the truss rod cavity.

I never use "bathroom" caulk. Most silicone caulks are corrosive--they'll rust your truss rod as they cure (and rust the threads, and make a mess). Any decent industrial supply catalog has non-corrosive silicone caulks. The product I use for injecting into truss rod cavities is a non-corrosive, non-adhesive, low viscosity, catalysed silicone. It will flow in through a 16 gauge needle, set up without air, and not stick to truss rod threads.

I'm not impressed with most of the available double-acting rods. I've had to pull a few fingerboards to fix frozen rods. Looking at the welds on what's available, I'm surprised I haven't had to do that more often.

I like old school, Gibson style rods. (I also like the old Martin T-section reinforcements.) If you opt for a two element rod, get a good fit up, and bed the rod in a non-corrosive silicone caulk.

i just have a hard time thinking about what adding vibration dampening sound insulation(silicone, ie "rubber")does to the end product: good sounding music....no thanks!

Well I glued it back up last wknd, no silicone or caulk this time so I guess I'll see what happens. I left it clamped up for 24 hours, and didn't make any adjustment for 48. Everything seems to be holding fine.

Nyazzip, it was never flooded with silicone, it was just a couple dabs at the end blocks and a tiny bead down the length. It isn't meant to encase the truss rod, just act as a little cushion.

I don't have any problem with the tone or sustain on my first guitar, so I'm not worried about that.

I think from now on though I'll do what worked the first time and just adjust my clamping time. Thanks everyone.

Eric, I appreciate the comment.

I don't think anybody has mentioned the fact that vibration alone (during shipping) can cause
the rods to turn and leave little if any adjustment range.

Easy to set if need be to assure plenty adjustment range by turning both rods.