The earlier wrap around "flatwire" truss rods act against themselves and do not create compression along the length of the neck. And will only try to directly bend the neck backwards (or to be exact, hold a neck back once you have bent it)heinpete wrote:...it was due to not equally tightened TRs. The real problem is that if you tighten them equally strong the neck gets either twisted or banana-shaped the one or the other direction. So it is a very difficult adjustment to avoid the side bow of the neck and on the other hand adjust the front-to-back bow of the neck. It took me some time to get all the parameters right. As a curiosity I realized that my '74 4001 did not have this problem, allthough the 4001 is supposed to have a "weaker" neck!?
The new rods, although stronger can create some funny wobbles in a piece of wood that is variable in density and also seem to need more seasonal adjusting.
They also sound different (not better or worse, just different) to the older style.
In a perfect world either system works, In the real world both have their pros and cons.
If you could fit them in that slim neck a beefed up version of a wraparound rod may be the best of both worlds.
I have a custom made bass (8 string) that has two 5mm wraparound rods (you need a 5x10mm cavity for these ones) and the neck is thinner than my 70s rick (but fatter than my 60s one) The rods work perfectly, there is no seasonal adjustment and the only times that the neck seems to come foward is when I tune up to somthing higher than concert pitch. (eg working in a band that has bagpipes!)
Rickenbacker are almost doing it right, but using a beefed up wraparound truss rod (if it fits....) would reduce the amount of iffy necks that sneak out (they do exist) and would give them the most bomb proof truss rod system out there...
Please bare in mind that this is only my opinion!
Eden.
I won't post my nickname for her, but it has to do with her facial appearance.....
