Helldunkel

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Thanks man Its an elaborated blend of natural stains, to give the impression of the charcoal and fire. Thanks Just to clarify: I am not a custom shop and I take pride building one piece necks since the very first day. Adding an angle to the headstock on a one piece neck would be a huge waist of mother nature but also would not be strong enough because of grain runout. I am also using an exclusive material for the string retainers and nuts which I am the only to be using + a new neck reinforcement system which I invented so its not JUST a regular non angled headstock. I also cant stand the looks of a scarf joint (which I have built in the past) I also dont approve that building method - and that is also my opinion and the opinion of many other guitar builders who dont like angled headstocks haha Like you say each their own style

Thanks:) Its not wood (nuff said), I dont use wood for the control covers of my instruments which is not stable enough for my taste, the recess is only 3mm deep

I've built those by myself a couple years ago, a pain in the ***

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Swiss luthier Lukas Brunner, invented a new attachement system for his "outdoor line" but you still must tighten it... The luthier website with pics of the outdoor guitars: Brunner Guitars HA! lucky bastard, I just noticed that Don Alder, my favourite acoustic player is one of his customer! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nomxc5Cb7hA

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Have you seen the new "first ever" Jackson 8 string which was presented at the NAMM show? The guy placed the truss rod diagonally... I cant stand that headstock...

The fear of string tension is unfounded, myself and blackmachine have proved this many many many times already by exclusively using one single truss rod

Oh the marketing guys... They forget that a twist can not be corrected vertially, a twist is horizontal... Dual truss rods sound more commercial you know? I've invented a new reinforcement system using an exclusive material which I am currently using for building nuts and string retainers, the neck cant twist anymore, more to come....

Since I primarily build 8 string baritone guitars I can reply to your question: I only use one 18'' truss rod and it works great up to 30'' scales so no worries

It certainley is strong enough to hold screws... I've built a pine guitar just for fun a couple years ago using two bords of some construction grade pine for the body which I bought for less then 10$ and which I laminated together. The neck (sapelli mahogany + west african ebony) was in my workshop for months, I could not use it because of an imperfection so it was perfect really to use for this experiment. I also fit some Benedetto B-series Humbuckers on the guitar... The body was very acoustic sounding! I stained the pine, then oil finished it. Here is a picture:

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I have experience with bloodwood (refering to Brosimum rubescens ) and padauk (refering to Pterocarpus soyauxii) since both species come in a multitude of varieties. I've built an acoustic using padauk and I've been using bloodwood extensively for fingerboards in the past years. There are two major differences between both tonewoods to consider: - padauk has big pores as oposed to bloodwood which is very similar to west african ebony when it comes to pores. - unlike padauk which changes colour to braun, bloodwood does not oxidize overtime, stays red and beautiful forever as long as you take care of it, reason why its been used extensively for inlay work. Bloodwood is a remarkably dense wood (about as dense as the harder Honduran/Brazilian Rosewoods) = it will give you a very bright tap tone. Also both woods are not easy to bend but both species are pretty much the most stable woods for building guitars, reason why they have been used extensively to reinforce necks... bloodwood padauk

As usual thank you for you wonderfull constructive and provocative comments, I'm glad that you enjoy making fun anytime I post something... Laugh as much as you wish, the fact is that at this point you still dont know how to open a wood encyclopedia and read, because at this point you still think that "mahogany" is a specific wood and not a generic term... and your speaking about experience Funny that you then have to confirm what I write in my article.... The more harder the wood the brighter it seems to be, I'm actually confirming this in the article, again learn how to read... I've written an informative article on the subject a couple weeks ago, maybe you will find this to be interesting.. Usually this means that an intelligent person may be interested and may go and check this out, maybe he wont agree since its an informative article. Somebody like you who has sooo much experience will naturally feel completely offended, I understand your frustration mate, dont worry Your trolling mate damn now watch mister einstein avatar start a flame war as he always does.......

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I use a binding bit to cut the recess I use the smallest ball bearing: Binding Router Bit Set This way I'm hitting the cavity and the result will be a nice and even recess all arround that cavity

I've written an informative article on the subject a couple weeks ago, maybe you will find this to be interesting... Sound and Species

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Again its all about money... Those bits are probably casted and not machined to high standards... However I've never had that happen to me and believe me I use those bits like crazy every day. Over here if you want to buy a very high quality bit you are going to at least pay 150$ for one of them.... 20$ for a router bit is a joke, a very cheap price, that should already be a good hint... Always ask yourself the basic questions, which material are they made out from because steel is made from various quality grades which are all used in the manufacturing of routing bits. Just compare to a router bit from freud you will see what I'm talking about (and their prices are also pretty cheap): Freud State-of-the-Art Router Bit Technology Router Bit Material There are 3 different materials from which Router Bits are made: High Speed Steel, Carbide Tipped, and Solid Carbide. Choosing a carbide Router Bit over a high steel router bit is usually your best bet to get the most for your money. Carbide bits are less likely to crack than those that do not utilize carbide, and they are less likely to wear down and need to be replaced. The leading manufacturers of bits make use of carbide in the production of their products specifically because their customers demand a high-quality bit. While some bits do not use carbide or include carbide caps, the more expensive, high-end examples of this product nearly always do. One example is the industry leader in router bits, Amana.

What's expensive about that price? I would be interested to hear some constructive arguments

You can also find this tutorial directly at stewmac Hot Rod Adjustable Truss Rods Our Hot Rod® truss rod is an anchorless neck adjusting system that can correct a neck having either upbow or backbow. It does so uniformly throughout the length of the rod. Installation is simple, and compared to other truss rods, relatively fewer turns of the adjusting nut are required for neck correction. Follow these steps to install the rod: 1. Saw or rout a slot down the centerline of the neck, 7/32" (0.218") wide and 7/16" (0.437") deep. Provide an access for the adjusting nut: For the Fender style nut, you’ll need a 3/8"-diameter recess, about an inch deep on line with the active rod, to accommodate the adjusting nut; for the 4mm allen nut, use a 1/4" recess, about 1/2" deep; for the 1/4" hex nut, use a 7/16" recess, about 1/2" deep. The recess can be made with a piloted drill bit, or by clamping a hardwood filler strip into the slot, and drilling as though there is no slot. The acoustic guitar version can be installed for adjustment at the peghead or the neck heel. For heel-adjustable installation, the neck block must be notched or drilled to access the adjustment nut. The truss rod is not designed to extend into the neck block or beyond the neck. This allows neck removal as per a normal dovetail neck reset. To install the “spoke nut” truss rod, counterbore a -3/8"-diameter hole 3/4" deep to accept the shank of the adjustment nut. Allow at least 1/16" clearance between both flat sides of the spoke nut and the guitar’s neck heel and neck/body cutout. This will prevent the nut from binding on these surfaces as it is adjusted. A 1/4" x 5/8" access rout in the instrument’s pickguard/top and the neck/body cutout is required. 2. Set the truss rod into the slot. Although the rods are cushioned with PVC tubing, we recommend extra cushioning at the nuts to eliminate the possibility of rod rattle. Apply a small amount of silicone bathtub sealer in the slot at the double nuts, then press the rod as deeply into the slot as possible. Use only enough silicone for minimal squeeze-out. A spot or two along the double rods can also be cushioned by a little sealer. 3. The absence of glue in the neck slot will ensure that the truss rod can be removed without “hanging up.” Therefore, it’s essential to avoid excess glue while installing the fingerboard. We suggest placing 3/4"-wide masking tape down the centerline of the neck, over the installed truss rod. Spread the glue over the neck with a notched glue spreader. Remove the tape and clamp the fingerboard in place. You’ll notice a small area on each side of the truss rod that has no glue, but if done properly, the glue will spread just to the edges of the slot and not beyond. Adjustment After the glue has dried thoroughly, the rod can be tested and used with care. Turn the nut clockwise to correct an upbow, and counterclockwise to correct backbow. As with any truss rod, if you encounter excessive resistance, the neck should first be eased into a corrective bend with clamps. The rod can then be adjusted.

1) Never spread silicone or glue on the lenght of the rod you are going to totally mess up the way it works and make it become mighty stiff (dont forget that the passive rod on the bottom IS functional since its there to counter backbow so if you add silicone there you will mess it all up) 2) These rods do not rattle they are also designed to be removed (try removing them when you spread silicone everywhere.... 3) A dip of silicone at the very end of the rod (not the adjustement end) 4) Place some tape above the rod to prevent the glue from entering the channel, spread the glue, then remove the tape! (otherwise you will get a high spot) but if you enjoy sanding down high spots then I wont argue, simply leave the tape... 5) stewmac also sells the perfect bit for the job Router Bit For Hot Rod Truss Rods 6) route several passes until you reach precisely the right depth... These are the rods I've been extensively using for the past 15 years, I also like the LMI rods, they are thinner but you must custom order if you wish a spoke nut (which is the adjustement system I'm using)