Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I'm having difficulty visualizing how the truss rod affects neck bow based on the descriptions from this forum. Is there some sort of graphic that details exactly how tightening the truss rod straightens the neck?

I have never looked for one .It is not in any book to my knowledge .

But Mark, what with you being an artist as well, could you draw up some diagrams showing how this works?And post them here, too, of course...

Hi Juston,

Let me give it a try. The rod is channeled inside the neck. (Space is reamed out to provide a snug fit, if you will). The whole assembly is encased in a metal shaft that fits snugly in this cavity. Thus, you can think of the neck as being hollowed out inside.

Although we call it THE rod, it actually is in two parts. One is a metal tube that is theaded and the other is thinner tube (opposite threads) that is fitted into the outer tube. When tightening the rod, you're screwing one tube into the other, thus shortening its length. This action pulls the neck back because the wood of the the neck is more malleable than the metal.

Turning the rod counterclockwise releases tension lengthening the rod, thus allowing the neck to relax and "bow" some.

Most Ricks have two of these, one for the bass side and one for the treble side.

You must be thinking of some other brand of guitar. The truss rod is a simple metal rod threaded at both ends. The rod is arced away from the strings and the nut at the body end is designed to not move. The nut at the head end adjust to shorten or lengthen the rod. It's more like a bow and arrow- as you shorten the string, the more the bow bends, etc.

So tightening the truss rod is, in effect, an attempt to straighten a curved rod . . . and since the rod is curved away from the fretboard, any attempt to straighten it will result in the straightening of an underbow? Is this correct?

Just so. The slot that the truss rod resides in is curved opposite to the way the neck would naturally be bowed by the strings if it had nothing to resist it.

I think it would be a great idea to do some drawings or a photo cutaway to show this better. It certainly would be much easier to visualize. I'll see if that's something we can get done and put up on our website any time soon.

John; If you might be putting diagrams of the new Rick rods, why not do the old ones as well?Pictures might drive home the point better.

I would love to see the diagrams and cutaways!

That would definitely be helpful. Thanks for taking the time.

I was asking myself the same question!!
Thanks for the course

from reading these posts it is obvious to me that quite a number of players who need neck adjustments, or who feel they know the basics of truss rods, actually dont---myself included. different brands use different designs, and one adjustment method for a particular brand might not be the way to adjust another brand. occasionally i read a post in this forum where some one has broken a rod, when trying to do an adjustment. there is no reason that this should occur. when someone spends the kind of money it costs for one of these basses,and want to do this type of neck adjustment, they should know what they are doing, before they start trying. maybe a diagram, and/or quite explicit information should be included with the bass, so that anyone with good intentions doesnt end up with a tragic mistake.

That's true. I tend to think your understanding of how to properly make an adjustment becomes intuitive with a good diagram. That's why I asked.

There are really three versions of truss rods that are being used today .

The version that was designed by Gibson is the most common .This is a single rod with one end anchored and a slight curve in it .Rickenbacker ,Fender ,CF Martin ,Guild all use this type .

The next version is the original Rick style .That is a double rod system with a threaded rod on the bottom and a bar /unthreaded rod on the top .As the nut on the bottom rod is tightened,it pulls the top rod into a bar and causes an arch in the upper rod.Alembic,Charvel,Jackson,Warmoth and many others use this style .

The last is the non adjustable rods .

CF Martin used a 'T' shaped bar for years with great success ,but changed to a Gibson style with a channel over the rod .Graphite and steel re-enforcement rods have also been used for a variety of reasons and success.