Guitar necks, double expanding truss rod or traditional? Discuss...

[Xeromus]

This is one thing I don't get. I hear different things about the two all of the time. I'm considering buying a warmoth body and was going to have a neck made to go with it, but I've heard the double expanding truss rod is a cheap way to manufacture and sounds awful. But I've heard that it's more stable than a traditional truss rod. I've also heard it adds more sustain. I know USACG doesn't use them.

what's the way to go when it comes to this?

 

[Cory_Dylan]

Re: Guitar necks, double expanding truss rod or traditional? Discuss...

I wonder the same thing myself. I remember reading on the warmoth site that the DE Truss rod is MORE expensive to manufacture. I really don't know what to think about them...
1 They claim you don't nead "seasonal adjustments", but how much of a problem do you have with seasonal adjustments? I only need an adjustment once a year or less... but I play lightly with 10 guage strings and my guitars rarely leave the house.
2 I always thought necks were supposed to have a TINY bit of relief somewhere in the middle... but with a double expanding truss rod I don't think you can do that.
3 It makes the neck heavier... but it can't make it worse than a neck heavy LP. That can be a pain... Though, I bet the added neck mass would help sustain.
But, if they aren't "better", why would warmoth use them in they're "Warmoth Pro" necks? I just don't know... If/when I'm buying a warmoth neck, I'll probably go vintage-modern.

 

[Xeromus]

Re: Guitar necks, double expanding truss rod or traditional? Discuss...

bump

 

[badco33]

Re: Guitar necks, double expanding truss rod or traditional? Discuss...

I have wondered this myself and asked around about it. The feedback that I got was the double expanding rod adds more metal inside the neck which not only makes it heavier but also ads to the brightness of the neck. Some people say it causes it to sound too bright. I have both a Warmoth neck with the double expanding truss rod and a USACG neck with a traditional rod and I do like USACG neck better. The Warmoth neck is a lot brighter which is odd cause it is a 24 3/4 conversion neck. It has a Pau Ferro board compared to a rosewood on the USA but it is a lot brighter.

I think it all depends on your taste in tone. They are both great sturdy necks it just depends on what you like and my experience is standard contruction with a traditional truss rod.

 

[rspst14]

Re: Guitar necks, double expanding truss rod or traditional? Discuss...

2 I always thought necks were supposed to have a TINY bit of relief somewhere in the middle... but with a double expanding truss rod I don't think you can do that.

Yes you can. A double expanding rod just means that it can be used to correct both forward and back bow. I have them in two of my guitars, which is important because both necks are oil finished only. I don't notice any negative effect on the tone compared with a vintage style truss rod. Personally, I think Hamer's system is the best. They use a traditional truss rod design, but they build their guitars with a special stressed neck system. As a result, the neck stays put without any need for seasonal adjustment or a double expanding truss rod.

Ryan

 

[MikeS]

Re: Guitar necks, double expanding truss rod or traditional? Discuss...

1 They claim you don't nead "seasonal adjustments", but how much of a problem do you have with seasonal adjustments? I only need an adjustment once a year or less... but I play lightly with 10 guage strings and my guitars rarely leave the house.

The double expanding truss rod is a more stable design than the traditional design. It's much more moticable in other parts of the world. Given the weather patterns here in Cincinnati, I'm constantly adjusting necks, especially my Tele, which requires mild neck adjustments on a monthly basis.