How to do a top-adjust truss rod on a Fender style neck..

[LtDave32]

This is very interesting to me because I have a massive chunk of rosewood that I want to make into a TRUE single piece neck for one of my guitars. And by true single piece, I mean that the fretboard will be carved into the neck blank and there woin't be a single piece cut off the blank and glued back on. This requires me to do a skunk stripe Fender style truss rod, but I want to do it with a Gibson, rather than Fender, style top adjustment nut and recess. And with a Gibson style back angled headstock as well.

The only piece I want glued into the neck is the skunk stripe, and I want that to be made from extra material off the neck blank, which is more than adquate in size to provide that.

Since the blank is rectangular and uncut, the truss rod access cavity can be drilled while the blank is in its current shape, and then slice the headstock angle off after the fact.

But this is one shot. I can't screw it up. I may hire someone else who has experience installing F style truss rods to do the truss rod installation work.

LtDave32, would you be interested in taking this on?

On this.. I've built many a one-piece, skunk stripe neck. The rod goes in curved, with the apex of the curved rod channel having a depth of .555 . A three degree hole is drilled on both ends to match the curvature of the rod. The skunk stripe is curved as well on the side which rests on the TR itself. This is to ensure there is no movement.

The rod itself is pure simplicity. There is an adjustment barrel nut on the bottom end, and a "bottlecap" crown with teeth on the headstock end. One normally pushes the threaded end though the angled headstock hole, threads it along the curve of the truss rod channel, then inserts the threaded end into the bottom hole on at the heel.

There is a block between the truss rod channel and the ends of the neck on both ends. The bottlecap end gets tapped firmly into that block (to keep it from turning) through the access hole, then a walnut plug gets tapped in, glued and cut off. This is so the bottecap end can't lose grip or back out.

The barrel nut and washer rest on the block in the heel end. Tightening the nut, since the rod is curved and has nowhere to go but straight, pulls back on the neck, taking out the relief.

I see no reason whatsoever that this procedure cannot be reversed with the adjusting "barrel" nut swapped out with a bullet type adjust nut and poking through the access hole, or just leaving the barrel nut in the access hole and adjusting it with a screwdriver. However, a plug with a hole drilled is probably not the way to go, it's not big enough. You'd have to use a larger hole to get the adjustment tool in.

But as I suggested, show me some pics and descriptions, or point me to the thread if it has all that, and I'd be happy to check it out.

 

[valvetoneman]

On this.. I've built many a one-piece, skunk stripe neck. The rod goes in curved, with the apex of the curved rod channel having a depth of .555 . A three degree hole is drilled on both ends to match the curvature of the rod. The skunk stripe is curved as well on the side which rests on the TR itself. This is to ensure there is no movement.

The rod itself is pure simplicity. There is an adjustment barrel nut on the bottom end, and a "bottlecap" crown with teeth on the headstock end. One normally pushes the threaded end though the angled headstock hole, threads it along the curve of the truss rod channel, then inserts the threaded end into the bottom hole on at the heel.

There is a block between the truss rod channel and the ends of the neck on both ends. The bottlecap end gets tapped firmly into that block (to keep it from turning) through the access hole, then a walnut plug gets tapped in, glued and cut off. This is so the bottecap end can't lose grip or back out.

The barrel nut and washer rest on the block in the heel end. Tightening the nut, since the rod is curved and has nowhere to go but straight, pulls back on the neck, taking out the relief.

I see no reason whatsoever that this procedure cannot be reversed with the adjusting "barrel" nut swapped out with a bullet type adjust nut and poking through the access hole, or just leaving the barrel nut in the access hole and adjusting it with a screwdriver. However, a plug with a hole drilled is probably not the way to go, it's not big enough. You'd have to use a larger hole to get the adjustment tool in.

But as I suggested, show me some pics and descriptions, or point me to the thread if it has all that, and I'd be happy to check it out.

I have a strat neck that's part built, the truss rod channel is done like the old ones and I did a bullet adjuster at the headstock because i had a thought about doing a set neck but scrapped that idea, I know this way works but I had a separate rosewood fretboard

 

[cmjohnson]

I'll see if I can radius, slot, and inlay the neck blank FIRST. Because I believe that it's going to be a lot easier to do that now than it would be to wait until after the neck has been rough shaped to do the same operations.

The neck blank is rectangular and large enough in every dimension to do, as a point of reference, any Gibson or PRS type neck in its entirety without even having to splice ears onto the headstock at its widest points. I'd have to dig it out to measure it but let's say it's 4 and 1/2 inches wide, 2 and 1/2 inches thick, and long enough. 28 inches or thereabouts.

Being that big it's pretty heavy and when tapped it sounds like someone stole it off a Marimba. But it'll lighten up a lot when cut down to size.

 

[LtDave32]

I'll see if I can radius, slot, and inlay the neck blank FIRST. Because I believe that it's going to be a lot easier to do that now than it would be to wait until after the neck has been rough shaped to do the same operations.

The neck blank is rectangular and large enough in every dimension to do, as a point of reference, any Gibson or PRS type neck in its entirety without even having to splice ears onto the headstock at its widest points. I'd have to dig it out to measure it but let's say it's 4 and 1/2 inches wide, 2 and 1/2 inches thick, and long enough. 28 inches or thereabouts.

Being that big it's pretty heavy and when tapped it sounds like someone stole it off a Marimba. But it'll lighten up a lot when cut down to size.

I do all those operations on the rectangular blank first, with the exception of sanding in the radius. Tapering, radius sanding and shaping are last.

 

[CB91710]

I saw a really cool trick for sawing a curved truss rod channel into the face of the neck using a dado stack on a table saw and I can't remember how it was done.
It involved blocking the ends up but I can't remember how it was done producing a smooth radius.

 

[LtDave32]

I saw a really cool trick for sawing a curved truss rod channel into the face of the neck using a dado stack on a table saw and I can't remember how it was done.
It involved blocking the ends up but I can't remember how it was done producing a smooth radius.

I've got a jig for it, a curved rail on each side that the router sits on.

 

[cmjohnson]

My usual method is to send my fingerboard stock off to CustomInlay.com and have them slot, inlay, and radius the boards for me. In any event I'd have them slot and inlay the neck if you can radius it to an accurate 12 inch radius.

That may require a different order of operations, though. Not sure you want to use your system on a board that already has inlays in it.

I am not good at inlay work, don't like doing inlay work, and contract that out to a company that does fine work and if they make a mistake, I don't have to eat it.

 

[DaveR]

I'm glad I found this thread! I'm fixing to have a whack at a fender style neck with a top adjust two way rod myself and hadn't actually worked out all the details yet. I'm assuming the reason for mounting the rod upside down is to get the adjustment nut to sit a little closer to the fretboard and thus work with the geometry of a fender headstock? Otherwise your hole for the adjustment would have to be recessed into the face of the headstock a little? I'm also assuming the 1° angle is for the same reason?

I'll have to play around with this....I just bought a heap of 2 way rods that are the style with a fixed barrel that you insert an allen wrench into and turn a hex nut inside that barrel. I think those will be a little less forgiving than the one in your photos of any kind of angled allen wrench approach.

 

[LtDave32]

. I'm assuming the reason for mounting the rod upside down is to get the adjustment nut to sit a little closer to the fretboard and thus work with the geometry of a fender headstock?

@DaveR ,

Sorry I missed this, Dave.

Yes, the reason it's installed upside-down is for closer to the FB for that vintage appearance.

But there is the small annoyance of having to adjust it backwards because of that.

-but it does work well, all around.

 

[the great waldo]

Hey guys,

MLP member @Pappy58 asked me to put together a "kit" for him that he could finish himself. He wanted a Tele, but had custom neck specifications.

I figured I could squeeze this in between my regular workload and take a few stabs at it here and there to get this kit worked up for him.

He sent me a chunk of tree; a part of a trunk of an American Black Walnut tree. Beautiful wood. So I planed it to a neck blank and we got started.

He wanted a "reverse" effect; a black walnut neck, with a maple skunk stripe and plug at the headstock transition. He also wanted to have it adjust from the top. Fretboard is undyed Katalox, or "Mexican Ebony". It matches well with the walnut.

Now, nobody I know of sells top-adjust truss rods for Fender style necks. Fender has their own Bi-Flex rod, but you can't buy it.

So we're gonna do a trick or two and make a top-adjust truss rod out of a two-way rod. Rod is from allparts, and has a 3/8 depth.

One catch here; you have to flip the rod upside-down and it will adjust in the opposite direction; lefty-tighty, righty-loosey. You have to turn the adjustment the opposite way. No big deal, right?

BTW, the skunk stripe is cosmetic. He wanted that look of a white stripe on a walnut neck. so we went ahead and inlayed a piece of maple into the back.

Now on to the neck.

Here's what we're working with, a long 3/8 brad point bit from Fisch (Acme tools, $10 or so, nice bit) a block of mahogany drilled through with the 3/8 at a 1 degree angle, some maple dowel stock, two way rod from Allparts:


View attachment 465797

You've got to clamp this jig up well, especially at the top of where you are going to drill the hole, right on top of the fret board. It was for this reason I did this operation before I sanded the radius into the board. I need that flat clamping surface. Clamp it down tight, we don't want to blow out the top of the fret board behind the nut slot.

Draw a line from the center of your TR slot through the third tuner from the tip. That's your centerline. Make a centerline on the drilled block and line those up when you clamp the block, the 1 degree angle pointing down towards the frets:

View attachment 465799


Insert your long 3/8 drill bit and give it a good few taps. You want to start this bit right and fight the tendency for it to "climb" up the headstock transition, so pick up a bit on the drill motor end to force the other end down.


View attachment 465800

Okay, we drilled through to the TR channel and checked the depth with a slim screwdriver, and it went right on through. Let's see what she looks like:

View attachment 465802


Well alright! No blow-out of the top. Yep, gotta clamp that top of the FB real tight.

Now, let's see about drilling out that maple dowel. First a small bit, then finish it with a 3/16 bit. That will be big enough for the allen wrench to get in and lock in with the truss rod adjustment end:

View attachment 465804

Be sure to take extra care in lining up that dowel with the bit. We want as straight a hole as possible.

Now let's see how it comes together:

View attachment 465806

Okay, that's going to work out fine.

So, I cut the dowel to length, leaving it a good 3/4 inch sticking out. It will all come together well when we spindle-sand that headstock scoop.

we clamped the FB on the neck, oriented the hole to the hex on the TR end, and made a practice run with the allen wrench. Worked out perfectly.

I did have to do a bit of dremel hogging around the adjuster end under the fret board. it will never be seen, and it was minimal anyway. You need to make sure everything fits and works well before gluing.

So with it all good, we glued it up, dowel and all. then after it dried, we sanded in the transition scoop and the "teardrop":

View attachment 465807

We still have just a bit of spindle-sanding to do, but it turned out fine. Now you can adjust the TR from the top instead of taking the damn neck off or messing around with those "spoke" adjuster rods.

Here's a shot of the back of the neck before I set to carving it:

View attachment 465812

Note* the hole for the plug seems very close to the top of the board. Because it was drilled at a 1 degree angle, the more material I remove from behind the nut slot, the more distance I will have between that hole and the face of the fret board. I've already gained a few thousandths. By the time I get to about 1/8 behind the nut slot, it will be perfect.

Any questions, let me know..

Hi Dave
I've used the same kind off drill jig as you but put a metal tube into the wood block which pokes out at the headstock end and you can get it lined up right at where the drill makes first contact with the headstock cutaway. Beilng metal there's no chance of drill deflection and you can also use long twist drills. I'll see if I can find it and post a photo.
Cheers
Andrew

 

[LtDave32]

Hi Dave
I've used the same kind off drill jig as you but put a metal tube into the wood block which pokes out at the headstock end and you can get it lined up right at where the drill makes first contact with the headstock cutaway. Beilng metal there's no chance of drill deflection and you can also use long twist drills. I'll see if I can find it and post a photo.
Cheers
Andrew

I'd love that. Please do!

 

[cmjohnson]

Sounds like a Kreg pocket hole jig....

 

[cmjohnson]

One thing about that pocket hole jig: It's set to an angle of 15 degrees. BUT...you can still use it no matter what your headstock angle is, if you simply rough cut your headstock to 15 degrees, use the jig, and then recut the headstock to your target angle. Simple!!!!