Titanium neck rods, anyone use?

[ICTGoober]

One of my clients sent me this link. He's thinking about having me install a pair of these in the neck of one of his many P-basses. Anyone here used them, or know of anyone who has? They should add stiffness without adding much weight.

Titanium Neck Reinforcement Bar & Truss Rods | KTS - Titanium Bridges – KTS Musical Products Inc. (k-t-s.com)

[Mincer]

Interesting. I hadn't heard about this, so I'd be interested to hear more about them if you decide to work on them.

[Ashurbanipal]

No personal experience but one company that comes to mind as having used them a bit is Ibanez, in Prestige and sig level models. I think the current Premium floral Jem has them, the 20th RG550s did too, iirc.

[GuitarStv]

Would it be any better than the carbon fiber ones that have been available for a while now?

[ehdwuld]

I have graphite rods in some of my thin necks

Titanium is just more expensive to me

[GuitarDoc]

"Better" is a nebulous term when talking about reinforcement neck rods. In MOST cases of modern necks, nothing is required to keep them straight and stable. I put 2-way adjustable truss rods in all of my necks NOT because they need them for stability, but because they allow some adjustability to fit the playing needs of the individual guitarists. Additional carbon fiber, graphite, or titanium rods are superfluous and only add to the expense.

[uOpt]

I actively avoid everything mass inside the neck, including double truss rods.

Have played too many dead necks. Don't want more.

[SGDLutherie]

Carbon fiber is stiffer. Maximum Guitar Works did a comparison.

I am however using a titanium truss rod in an ultra lightweight guitar I’m building for a client. It has a balsa neck wrapped in carbon fiber. Also two CF rods and the titanium double action truss rod.


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[Mincer]

I will be the first one to say I don't understand the science of it..and I am not a traditionalist by any means- if a better idea comes by, I love to learn about it.

But there seems to be 2 camps about this..pro-rods (of any type), and anti-rods. Some necks work without even a truss rod, and I have also used really great necks that were hollow graphite but very stable (and no truss rod).

So where did this come from? Was there a great neck twist-a-thon of the early 80s?

[GuitarDoc]

Mostly marketing. So they can say, "Buy our guitars. They have titanium rods, or carbon rod or (etc.) so they are better".

[ehdwuld]

Carvin had some trouble back in the 80s with necks warping on their basses
and Leo used Pine necks for the the first esquires, those warped

Warped necks were a thing until truss rods and carbon fiber rods

the graphite rods allowed for the slimmer necks that we love
and you dont need to use the quarter sawn maple neck
you can manufacture with less expensive woods and get good results

[GuitarStv]

I actively avoid everything mass inside the neck, including double truss rods.

Have played too many dead necks. Don't want more.

The nicest sounding neck that I've ever played had a double truss rod.