by Brian Calvert

As you can see from the above photo the dimensions are as tight as can be when it comes to a factory truss rod for the wizard neck. Starting with the portion which is most commonly visible the length of the nut pocket is 1 1/8" long and 1/2" wide and extends under the fret board by around 1/8".

From there the actual truss rod cavity extends at a width of 1/4" for about 3/4" then continues on at a width of 15/64" for 17 1/4".

The truss rod cavity itself is 3/8" deep as it extends down the length of the neck and is rounded on the corners with a radius of about 1/16". For those of you that have never seen an actual truss rod the view above on the right shows the nut and washer pressing against the floating barrel which has a flat steel rod welded to it. At the other end the Flat Bar is attached to another barrel which hold the end of the rod inside giving it resistance. You may also notice that right out of the factory the entire length of the rod itself is cushioned with a soft thin layer of foam.

Other interesting points of reference are the fact that the center hole you commonly see on the back of the neck heal is located 11/16" before the end of the truss rod cavity as pictured below.

Another little known noticed fact is that the actual truss rod cavity breaks through the side of the anchor screws cavity's for the lock down nut. Usually it isn't visible because of the tiny rubber washers which are used in this area before screwing on the locking nut. Above left you can actually see through the tiny hole which is less visible above on the right because it is filled with a tiny amount of filler. This is why the most common breaks on necks happen here (simply put it is the weakest part of the wood on a neck).