Truss Rod Channel

Talk about musical instrument construction, setup and repair.

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Lillian
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Truss Rod Channel

Post by Lillian » Thu May 23, 2019 10:18 am

I've watched hours of Youtube videos of guys making electric guitar necks. Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't understand why they don't cover the channel before they put the fret board on. I've watched a few of 'em cover the channel with tape, smear glue all over the neck and the fretboard, take the tape off and put the fretboard on. Yeah, the tape kept the glue out of the channel during the initial smearing process, but when the fretboard was put on and wiggled into position, glue had to have gone into the channel. Why not put a wood fillet into the top of the channel to keep the glue off the truss rod? Or for that matter, trim the tape close to the edge of the channel and just leave it. Is it a case of not enough glue is going to drip into the channel to actually cause an issue?

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56nortondomy
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Re: Truss Rod Channel

Post by 56nortondomy » Thu May 23, 2019 7:11 pm

Gluing in a fillet will probably get glue in the channel too. I used to always use a fillet but now I just install the truss rod, I don't think the amount of glue seeping in will cause any dramas, I just keep the glue a bit thinner at the edges of the channel.
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lamanoditrento
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Re: Truss Rod Channel

Post by lamanoditrento » Fri May 24, 2019 8:02 am

Yep, I do just as you describe. Tape over the channel, spread glue over, peel tape off, fretboard down and clamp. The only addition is I usually have registration pins in the nut ledge and to locate the fretboard so it doesn't slip around.
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Re: Truss Rod Channel

Post by kiwigeo » Fri May 24, 2019 9:49 am

I've done necks both with an without a channel fillet. If you go for a fillet on top of the truss rod then you have to allow for the fillet thickness with rod channel depth. If you dont have much meat on your neck then this can be an issue. AR glue is probably not a huge issue if a few drops get on the rod but epoxy glue is a different story. I had to pull out a rod once after the epoxy ceased the thing up.
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demonx
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Re: Truss Rod Channel

Post by demonx » Fri May 24, 2019 11:08 am

https://youtu.be/trSIZqlzkBA

Scroll to 7:50 and you’ll see exactly how I’ve been doing it for years. Never had a problem with rods binding up. In fact having a bit of glue deep in is a good thing as it’ll help close up any space!

Key to this though, in the clip you’ll see me use silicone at each end to create a seal around the thread to prevent glue touching on the truss rod tread, then it doesn’t matter where the glue seeps into as those two thread points are sealed.

As Kiwigeo pointed out, if you add a strip on the top then you are creating a deeper a slot. With the recent posts about people profile carving through to their truss rod slots I’d like to think those people will want less depth in their truss slot. A good reason to use allied or LMI style truss rods and not those huge chunky hotrod things that need an oversized slot. Less route, more wood.

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Lillian
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Re: Truss Rod Channel

Post by Lillian » Fri May 24, 2019 12:09 pm

Thanks everyone. I appreciate the insight. I thought I might be overthinking things, but just wanted to double check. The radiused sanding beam has arrived, so I should be able to get started making sawdust and shavings this weekend.

Allan, thanks for the video link. It was fascinating to watch the CNC carve out a guitar. I will watch it again, really looking at your build process. I have to ask, what is the fretboard? I don't think I have seen anything like it. I've seen some black limba that kinda look like that, but not really. But whatever it is, the guitar is awesome. I really like it.

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demonx
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Re: Truss Rod Channel

Post by demonx » Fri May 24, 2019 12:43 pm

Board is “Pale Moon”, it’s not the most ideal fingerboard timber and so many customers insist on it against my advice, however at the same time it’s not so bad that I’ll refuse to use it. As long as the customer knows it’s not as stiff/stable as rosewood or ebony and their neck will move around a little more.

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