Official Luthiers Forum!

Has anyone out there in OLF land used one of the new Allied Truss rods? I need to order some rods and have always used the LMI rod but am considering the Allied one this time. I don't need many as I'm cutting back on my steel string building in favour of more classical, lute and historic stuff, so the relative cost of rods is really immaterial.

Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

I have use them 12 times. I have had one break at a weld and eleven are doing fine. I am assuming these are the ones you are speaking of.

I haven't used one of these rods yet but I played with one at the recent ASIA meeting. They are pretty cool. They use two different thread pitches to give the effect of being geared. They are very easy to turn. The guy who designed them, Mark Blanchard, was showing them around. Mark sometimes posts here. Maybe he'll chime in.

Yes Mike, they are the ones the new Mark Blanchard designed ones. It's the 'gearing' effect that particularly appeals to me, that and the use of stainless steel. They've not be up there on the site for long so they may be a different rod to the ones you've used Michael, not sure.

Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

Must be. I did not read the page through Dhhhaaaaa Sorry Colin since the redesign I have not tried them but I use the older model double action.

I have used both .. the new ones are far superior to the old - like MP, I had a couple brake, one the hex nut end split - rod was OK, but you couldnt turn it !!! Had to make a whole new neck ..bummer

Anyway, the new ones are great ... they are all I use.

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Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

Yes, They are great rods, Very smooth turning
and easy to install. I just got an order of 6 more
from Allied.

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Anderson Guitars
Clearwater,Fl. 33755

Those are the ones I use. great stuff.

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Peter M.
Cornerstone Guitars
http://www.cornerstoneukes.com

I've used them on ever guitar I've built except for 4 hot rods. I had a BUNCH of them break. A few in finished guitars which really sucked and several of them as I tested them. Todd said they had problems and replaced all of mine with new ones which are a lot better.
Great product that I like a lot.

I used them once and it broke. Don't want another. The weak point is the heat applied to fuse the nut changed the temper.
   I had ordered 6 and of the 6 , 5 broke. I can't trust that design. I switched to CF Martins design. It is beefier and none failed.
john hall
blues creek guitars

These rods are a new design. They do look a lot like the old ones but they are made of different metal and they use a different threading technique. I wouldn't draw any conclusion about these rods bases on Allied's previous rods.

The old ones used a normal thread on one end and a reversed thread on the other end. The worked like a turnbuckle. Turn it one way and the rod bent in. Turn it the other way and the rod bent out.

The new rods use two normal threads but one is a fine pitch and the other is more course. As you turn the rod one way, the rod moves through one nut a little bit and through the other nut a lot. The causes the two nuts to move either closer or farther apart depending on the direction you turn the rod and this causes the rod to bend. The effect is as if there is a gear reduction. Your turn the nuts on these rods more to get a given amount of bend but it is easier to turn.

I have not heard of breakage problems with these rods. They are worth given them a try.

Thanks again Mike, as I, and you, have said before in this thread, this is the NEW Allied rod, not the older design ones. This is the new design by Mark Blanchard. I'm not intersted in the old ones and their failings but only in the new design.

Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.