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I'll try to make this quick because it is pretty late. I am still up because I have been working on uninstalling my truss rod. I tried to slip under the radar and PM'd j.Brown (btw thanks again!) and asked the orientation of LMI's U-Channel (Martin style) truss rod. I didn't let on that I had already glued the blasted thing in. I did a couple tests before installing it and when turned clockwise, it did what I though should happen and bowed back on the tape side. So that is the side I put down in the slot (no glue yet) and the put the strip (with polyurethane glue) down over it and clamped her down. After more research and even a call to LMI - I was informed the tape side should be up, and that it is in fact a double action rod.

I went back and forth but then decided to pull it out if possible. I did a little prying before I remembered heat was the antiglue and so I hit with an iron for just a bit and it ended up coming out pretty easy with a little upward prying from the adjustment end.

I am nervous now though that 1) I could have left it as-is and 2) now I should possibly replace it for fear that any of my prying screwed it up. I checked it both ways and it seems to be ok, does anyone have a good reason I should or should not use it?

Whatever the final outcome, now there is one more thing I will not end up doing again (hopefully)...

Thanks all!
Christian

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Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils - Louis Hector Berlioz

Chansen / C hansen / C. Hansen / Christian Hansen - not a handle.

Christian

SHOULD be ok if it looks ok, but then how much is a new one?

some will say better safe..........

opersonally?

I'd stick it back it!!

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My soundclick xx luthier blog xx luthier soundclick

Put it in a vise and test it by turning so that it bends in either direction. If it doesn't show any signs of problems I would use it. I always test my truss rods before installing them.

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David White, Toronto

"All my favourite singers can't sing."

What David said - I always test my rods too out of the guitar - some rods have had the weld at the adjustment nut fail which is something that you do NOT want to have happen on an installed rod. If it checks out OK out of the guitar it is probably good to go but there are never any guarantees.....

I thought the tape side WAS supposed to go down. You sure you talked to someone knowledgable.

put it in a vice

turn the nut clockwise.

if the other end drops it's fretboard up.

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My soundclick xx luthier blog xx luthier soundclick

I think you had it right to start with. If not, I'll be ungluing the one I just installed.

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Horton, MI

You have it correctly installed.

Thanks for the input guys. So I did test it and it seems to work fine... so my question is when I put it back in, which direction? "Guest" and Kirt both seem to think the way I had it is probably correct. The rod did flex both directions but the flex certainly seemed stronger on the open (tape) side when turned clockwise. The guy I asked at LMI didn't sound particularly sure, and then while holding the phone a little way away from his mouth shouted "hey! the tape goes up right?"... "yeah, the tape goes up".

_________________
Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils - Louis Hector Berlioz

Chansen / C hansen / C. Hansen / Christian Hansen - not a handle.

Christian

Grumpy beat me to it. Thanks! I guess I'll put it back the way I had it.

_________________
Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils - Louis Hector Berlioz

Chansen / C hansen / C. Hansen / Christian Hansen - not a handle.

Christian