Installing new truss rod

Can you please write to me what degree of Dual Truss Rod should I install? Hi George, I suppose you can, but I would worry that when hardened, the silicon may affect the proper functioning of the truss rod.

Not sure… Araz. I like to get 2 necks but it need to be formed as my guitarneck that I have and prefer. Made by a computersteered CNC -machine. This is a sympathic neck of a german factory. Now I trie to build a doubleneck — SG — other guitartypes are not so symetric , possibly Firebird is good. Araz, I am currently as I write this making a copy of your jig to route the truss rod channel. Approximately how far in from each end did you drill for the adjustment bolts? Appears about 90 mm or so?

Brilliant, using teflon tape around the truss rod. I got the wrong size shrink tubing and found that I have a lot of teflon tape lying around. Installed two truss rods in an 8-string touchstyle guitar neck I am building. Thanks a million for this post. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Step 1: Create The Truss Rod Channel Place the truss rod on the centerline of the neck and position it according to the guitar plans you have designed or using.

When the truss rod is in the correct position, make two pencil marks on the neck, representing the front and back of the truss rod. These will be the ends of the channel. Place the neck in the truss rod channel carving jig and tighten the screws to hold the neck firmly in place. If you wish to build this jig, I have a Youtube video of an older prototype. Leave the router turned off and lower the bit to just above the neck. Move the router over the neck a few times to check that the router bit stays over the centerline throughout its travel.

To prevent from routing too long, place a block along the neck to create a hard stop for the router. The block should be aligned so that the router does not go further than the pencil mark. Place another block at the other end of the neck.

Once you have triple-checked that everything is correctly aligned and everything is firmly in place, go ahead and start routing. Do not route the channel in one pass, instead, take multiple shallows passes. Measure the depth of your truss rod and route to that depth. Verify with a ruler as you get close to the final depth and also test fit the truss rod. Test fit the truss rod in the newly routed channel. It should fit snuggly and have minimal empty space at the front and back. The truss rod channel should be deep enough to fit the truss rod but no deeper.

Step 2: Install The Truss Rod Before installing the truss rod, wrap it with Teflon tape to eliminate rattling noises that may occur when the truss rod is in the neutral position in the neck. The Teflon tape is flexible enough to expand with the truss rod when the tightened. Before inserting the truss rod into the channel, place a drop of silicon under the head and tail ONLY, not along the whole length of the truss rod.

Only at the ends and only a small drop. The silicon will prevent the truss rod from rattling in the channel. Clean the extra silicon that may squeeze out.

Step 3: Install The Fretboard Before spreading glue, verify that both fretboard and neck surfaces are clean. Wipe the surfaces with mineral spirit, acetone or other solvents. Do not use water. Allow the solvent to evaporate completely before moving to the next step. Place two locator pins on the neck a few millimeters away from the truss rod channel, one on each side and at each end. The locator pin will help minimize movement of the fretboard while gluing.

The text in the next photo will describe how to use it. I create my locator pins using a staple gun you can also use a small finishing nail and cut the head off. Loosely hold the staple gun over the neck and then staple it. If you slip, you could get a nasty cut. Work down the neck with the knife and iron to pry the fretboard up. Leave the iron on the next spot below the section you just pried up to loosen the glue. Then insert the putty knife and pry up this spot.

Continue working your way down the neck to loosen the entire fretboard. This could take a little while, so be patient and keep working. If the glue in spots you already lift starts hardening again, insert some thin wood strips between the fretboard and neck to keep them separate. If the fretboard won't come up, do not force it! You could crack the wood and need to get a whole new fretboard.

Keep applying heat and working the putty knife carefully to work the fretboard up easily. Pull the fretboard off when it comes loose. Pull it up to take it off. Part 2. Scrape away any glue holding the old truss rod in. Different manufacturers secure their truss rods differently. Some just rest it in the neck channel, and some actually glue it in. If the rod is glued in, use a razor blade or utility knife and scrape it off. This should free the rod.

Remove the old truss rod. Grab the rod at either side and pull it up. It should come out easily as long as you removed all the glue. Clean any glue out of the truss rod channel. If there is leftover glue in the channel, scrape it off with a razor or knife.

Then sand the channel with medium-grit sandpaper to smooth it down. Still give it a sanding to get rid of any rough spots. Medium sandpaper is between and grit. Sand the old glue off of the neck. Use medium-grit sandpaper again and sand in a back-and-forth motion along the neck. Continue until the whole neck is smooth. Vacuum the neck to remove any sawdust. The sanding and scraping will make a lot of sawdust. Use a shop vac and get rid of any dust, dirt, glue, or wood particles on the guitar neck.

If there is any dust leftover, wipe the neck and channel with a tack cloth or slightly damp rag. Part 3. Get a truss rod designed for your instrument. There are all kinds of truss rods available, and different instruments use particular kinds.

The best thing to do is check your instrument manual or contact the manufacturer to ask about the right truss rod. You could also ask an employee at a repair shop.

Fit the new truss rod into the channel with the nut facing the neck. Hold the new truss rod so the nut on the end, or the thicker part, is closest to the neck. Press the rod into the neck channel and slide it so it takes up all the space in the channel.

This is more common in acoustic guitars. Double-check the kind that your instrument uses. Cover the rod with a strip of masking tape to protect it from the glue. Use a thin strip of masking tape and cover up the whole channel. This keeps the truss rod in place and protects if from the glue. Run a strip of wood glue around the perimeter of the guitar neck. Start on either side of the neck and squeeze out a thin line of wood glue.

If you squeeze out too much in any spots, wipe it off. Globs of glue will leak out onto the neck. Spread the glue out into a thin layer. A plastic card works best for this. This helps the fretboard stick better. None will get on the truss rod if you covered it. Press the fretboard onto the neck. Angle the fretboard so the wider frets are closest to the instrument neck and the thinner ones are closest to the body. Then press the fretboard down and arrange it so the edges are flush with the neck.

Hold it down for a few seconds to let the glue get a hold. If some glue leaks out when you press the fretboard down, leave it for now. It's easier to scrape off after it's dry. Clamp the fretboard down to let the glue set.

Place a wood clamp every 3—6 in 7. Close the clamps with firm pressure. This keeps the fretboard and neck together while the glue dries. Too much force could damage the neck. Just enough to keep the fretboard in place is fine. Leave the clamps on for 1 hour so the glue dries. Wood glue usually dries pretty fast. After that time, the glue should be all dry and you can remove the clamps. Follow the instructions provided.