Alembic Guitars Club
Connecting => Miscellaneous => Topic started by: jazzyvee on May 22, 2022, 12:40:31 AM
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Why did alembic decide to put the truss rod adjustment at the body end and not the headstock?
I know that the experience the team got from repairing and modifying guitars and basses influenced their later instrument designs. So i am assuming there is a solid engineering reason for it being where it is as well as being convenient.
After i spent some time adjusting the neck of my elan on friday i was so glad it was so easy compared to the headstock end, or having to take the neck off to adjust the rod.
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I wouldn’t be surprised if one factor considered is that a headstock TR adjustment requires removal of some wood and might even weaken the neck joint. It made more sense, simpler and effective, to put adjustment at the heel, like a Fender. But, unlike a Fender, Alembic made the TR adjustment easily accessible. OTOH I could be completely off-base, it’s just my guess.
I find most headstock TRs also easy to adjust, so long as one has the right tool. I have sets of TR wrenchs.
Bill, tgo
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I wouldn’t be surprised if one factor considered is that a headstock TR adjustment requires removal of some wood and might even weaken the neck joint.
That has always been my assumption; I mean, look at the percentage of vintage Gibsons with the headstock glued back on.
I find most headstock TRs also easy to adjust, so long as one has the right tool. I have sets of TR wrenchs.
Bill, tgo
Agreed. And even acoustics with the TR accessible through the soundhole are easier than a Fender with the TRN at the south end of the neck!
Peter
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There's a school of thought that the truss rod works better from the high end of the fingerboard to have better hold to head off the 'ski jump' that can occur. If it adjusts at the head, it won't reach all the way to the end of the fingerboard, and since ski jumps don't happen at the nut, this probably works better.
While we're at it with DUAL truss rods, I saw an instructional vid for adjusting double-rod Ric basses, and the tech adjusted the bass side to his desired relief (under the E or B), then did the same thing on the high side to get the same relief. For me, THAT's the answer for the sometimes confounding question about how to work with two truss rods.
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. adjusted the bass side to his desired relief (under the E or B), then did the same thing on the high side to get the same relief
funny. this weekend i had to do the exact same thing to an SII neck that had gone slightly wonky on me after a string change
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You're right, we don't like taking material off the peghead end! The truss rods are made here, and the brass block is too thick to install on the peghead even if one wanted to.
But the aversion goes even deeper-- that's why when you see a vintage California Special withe Floyd Rose tremolo, it will have a Kahler finger-lock nut, and not the Floyd Rose supplied one that requires an allen key to adjust and two holes in the peghead. Just say no to weakening the weakest part of the build.
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Thanks for clearing that up, i thought there would be a well thought out reason.