Which truss rod to use for access at the nut

[Dave Olds]

Does anybody have recommendations for what truss rod to use for access at the nut rather than through the sound hole. I am building my first "solo" guitar, and I am making a dreadnaught with standard 25.4 scale length, joining at the 14th fret.

I have seen a number of truss rods recommended on the forum, including the Gotoh 2-way, and the Allied truss rods - but these seem as if they may be too long for accessing at the nut end.

I have made one guitar previously (on a guitar making course) and on that guitar the truss rod was also accessed at the nut. The rod did not extend past the point where the neck joins the body - meaning that it was just the length of the neck plus the length of the access point on the headstock - ie. approx 375-380 mm.

Any recommendations greatly appreciated ....

Dave.

[Allen]

Allied's rod is by far the best one to use in my opinion, especially when you want to access it at the nut, as it's very narrow, so you won't loose too much meat in the thin part of the neck to headstock area. If you think that the regular truss rod is going to be too long for your application, then get the short one for Classicals.

I've been making my truss rod adjustable at the nut, an have had no issues at all with the appropriate sized rod from Allied.

[kiwigeo]

Welcome to the forum David,

My choice of truss rods is the Allied two way rod. Trust me...Im a kiwi

Which guitar making course did you attend? It wasnt the one run in wellington by Paddy Burgin and Dave Freeman was it?

Cheers Martin

[Dave Olds]

Hey guys thanks for your advice - sounds like the Allied one may be the best way to go.

Martin - I was lucky enough to do a 5 week course with Sergei DeJonge in Canada. I would thoroughly recommend it not only for a beginner like me, but also to anyone who has made a few instruments. I looked into a couple of courses in Australia, but they were two week courses - and somehow two weeks to make a guitar didn't seem to be enough to me.

I think I made a good choice. Sergei is not only a great luthier, but he is also a fantastic teacher, and a genuinely nice guy. He has been making guitars for about 40 years, so no surprise that he has seen many different ways of skinning the same cat. He seemed to be able to make the most complicated jobs simple, and was incredibly generous with his wealth of knowledge. I came home with a great guitar as well.

And .... like most on the forum, it seems, I have certainly caught the bug.

But I gotta say .... making the first one on your own is a whole lot more daunting than having a teacher there with you. So far so good though ..... I hope to be able to proudly post some pics here sometime later this year.

Thanks again for your advice

Cheers

Dave