Best Low Profile Truss Rod?

[verhoevenc]

I'm making a friend a replacement neck for his Ibanez Prestige... It's pretty thin. .68" at the first, .77" at the 12th. The necks this model comes with are 'titanium reinforced' I'm guessing due to the thinness. I'll be doing carbon fiber rods to counter this thinness. However, I DO want to put a double action rod... I really don't like single actions especially when using harder fretboards which can get some compression back bow from fretting.

What's your favorite low-profile double action rod?

I currently use the LMI ones. At 3/8" depth, if I go it's a thinner .22" FB I can sneak out .85" behind the rod. I'd LIKE a little more, so I'm open to recommendations.

Chris

[ScottR]

I like the LMI rod. I like the Allied rod even better, but it is the same size. I've often wondered how much of the bar could be shaved off without making it unuseable.

SR

[curtisa]

I've just bought a batch of the Allied rods. Up till now I'd been using the Allparts wrapped-in-blue-plastic generic double action rods, which have all been perfectly serviceable. As Scott mentioned there's no real difference in terms of size between LMI and Allied, and based on the Allparts ones I've been using they're all probably the same dimension-wise. The Allied ones certainly look prettier, and they have finer pitched threads which allow more turns for a given amount of "bend", which gives it a nice quality feel. The supplied allen key is certainly better quality too.

I still had a couple of rods in my batch where the threaded block had been welded slightly off-centre on the flat bar. Not enough for the rod to be unusable, but enough for me to think that although the rods are probably some of the better ones on the market, they're still prone to the same kind of assembly faults as the cheaper Allparts ones.

[YetzerHarah]

I've been using the WD rods w/o problem, I haven't tried too many others for comparison though. (They're better than the Warmoth rod I tried on a friend's recommendation, & waaaaay better than those damn StewMac hotrods)

From their website:
width of rod at ends = .235 inches
depth of rod at ends = .36 inches

Edited May 24, 2013 by YetzerHarah

[Prostheta]

Agreed on the LMI and Allied rods. Although I've bought any for about three years I can safely say they beat anything "this side" of the pond short of self-built. This reminds me that I need to contract my son to build me a crapload of them next term on his metalworking degree. That might also be of use to other people this side of the pond.

[verhoevenc]

I currently use the LMI rods. I think we've steered off course a little bit here. I'm looking for the best LOW PROFILE rods. Not just rods in general. I have to build a neck that's .68" at 1st, and .77" at 12th... that's a thin neck. I'd LIKE to put a double-action in... but it's looking like they may all be the same thickness- give or take.

Chris

[westhemann]

but it's looking like they may all be the same thickness- give or take.

Pretty much.I have looked around over time and they all seem to be modeled after the same concept

[Prostheta]

I currently use the LMI rods. I think we've steered off course a little bit here. I'm looking for the best LOW PROFILE rods. Not just rods in general. I have to build a neck that's .68" at 1st, and .77" at 12th... that's a thin neck. I'd LIKE to put a double-action in... but it's looking like they may all be the same thickness- give or take.

Chris

Single-acting rods are as low profile as I think you can get, bordering on the thin doubles. Compression rods (being a straight channel?) are probably the thinnest. I might be mixing up my ideas here which is more than likely due to the interchangeable and less-than-specific terming on some rods....

I understand that you need control from the "other side of the tipping point" because of the backbow so you have a choice between two things I guess. A single-acting rod that might require some Rick-style manhandling to get in the zone or a slightly thicker but still very slender double-acting rod.

This reinforcement you mention. I am wondering if they are installed in curved channels so they automagically introduce a forward bow. Worth thinking about.

[eddiewarlock]

Good topic. I have been requested the same thing, but on top of that, he also wants the neck to be made of mahogany, and an ebony fretboard.

I explained him that with the truss rods we have available it might not be a good idea to have an 18mm thick neck. I told him it only leaves 1.5mm of wood behind the truss rod. That it might work if we make it a little bit thicker, 19mm, only 1 mm more. Haven't heard from the guy since.

I guess it's better this way, i don't have the patience to deal with people who are so **** who just can't or don't want to understand this.

[Prostheta]

Oh, I know this guy. Is it the one who asks for mega fretwire, a vintage Fender radius yet still wants it to feel like an original Wizard?

[eddiewarlock]

No, lol. This guy wants me to build him an all mahogany rhoads, with an ebony board with a 15-20" compound radius.

He has now settled for 19mm...***???

[eddiewarlock]

it'd be great if manufacturers start selling PRS style compression dual action rods.

[Prostheta]

Hot potato!

[redb]

doesnt paulie in aeolian make his own rods like the prs double compressions ones ? maby try that. he gets some very thin necks onto his chromeboy clones for customers.