Bass Truss Rods

[Jeff Gandy]

I am starting a couple of necks for a 4 string bass, bolt on, hard maple. I am making a fairly thin neck, similar to what I have on my old Washburn B-35. I like the StewMac truss rods, but the channel is a little deep. Are there any good alternatives out there that might take a little shallower rout?

Also, do you think I should carbon fiber reinforce it, or just go with the maple? They are 3 piece laminated, one with a strip of cherry in the middle, and the other with 3 pieces of hard maple separated by paduak.

Thanks!

Jeff G.

[Mark Swanson]

Have you looked at the truss rods by Allied?

[Jeff Gandy]

Thanks, I had not heard of them before but just ordered two each of their bass and electric guitar rods.

[Mark Swanson]

You are welcome, they make great trussrods.
Also, I think it is a great idea to put the CF in bass necks. I think it actually makes a difference in the tone as well as a more stable neck.

[Andrew Porter]

What are good sources for carbon fiber?

Thanks

[Mark Swanson]

My take on CF in necks is a bit different from others. I use 1/4" round tubing from "Into The Wind" kite supplies. It's the .254 pultruded tubing. Use a round router bit to make the channel. I like to put the tubing in the neck but standing above the neck by 1/3 of its thickness, and then I route a matching channel in the bottom of the fingerboard, so the CF actually sits between the neck and the fingerboard. This has the added benefit of locking the fingerboard in place when gluing up.
Since it is tubing and not solid, it provides a channel down the neck....I have taken advantage of that before by running fiber-optic cable up the neck and out the fingerboard side dots, add an LED at the end of the neck and you have dots that light up!

[Mark Swanson]

This photo might explain- you can see the CF tubes because I ran them all the way through the peghead. They are visible behind the nut.

[Brian Moffet]

Mark, how do you ensure that the channels in the bottom of the fingerboard line up accurately with the channels in the neck? Jig?

[Mark Swanson]

I have the fingerboard and neck all profiled, the fingerboard and neck all matched up. Then I run them against a fence on my router table, this cuts a groove in exactly the same place on each part.

[Dave Higham]

If you want rectangular section CF this place is good.

http://www.dragonplate.com/ecart/categories.asp?cID=20

Edit. They also do pultruded tube.

http://www.dragonplate.com/ecart/categories.asp?cID=102

[David King]

For pultruded solid section rectangular spars you can go here:
http://www.acpsales.com/Carbon-Fiber-Re ... -Rods.html

[Mario Proulx]

I can vouch for ACP, as I've been a long-term client of their goods. Always happy with their service and products. Dragonplate has some unique and interesting items, too.

Mark, I've done similar to what you're doing, but with square tube, rotated 45 degrees into the neck. Cut the channel in both the neck and fretboard with a 90° V bit(common sign-cutting router bit). I used a simple taper jig to keep everything lined-up, the advantage being that I could cut both the necks and fretboards separately and ahead of time. I want to re-visit this form of reinforcement some day, but with a single, larger square tube(but again laid-into the neck at 45°) running down the center(non-adjustable).

[Andrew Porter]

A belated thanks to Dave, Dave and Mario for the CF sources.