How much carbon fiber reinforcement in a butternut neck

What're You Doing?
Post Reply
MaineGeezer
Posts: 1711
Joined: Wed Aug 13, 2014 12:14 pm

How much carbon fiber reinforcement in a butternut neck

Post by MaineGeezer »

I've bought a butternut neck blank from Tom Thiel of Northwind Tonewoods. When I got it, Tom told me I would need to add some sort of reinforcement -- steel, aluminum, or carbon fiber rods -- because butternut has low compression strength and would compress (and therefore warp) from the load of the strings over time. Tom suggested two 1/8" x 1/2" carbon fiber rods embedded in the neck, on each side of the truss rod.

Casting about for more information, I came across this gorgeous guitar by Bruce Petros: http://petrosguitars.com/gallery/Petros ... el_13.html
It has a butternut neck. I wrote to Bruce, and he replied that he uses two 1/16" x 1/4" carbon fiber rods in his necks. Quite a lot smaller than Tom's suggestion.

I think I'll go with Tom's suggestion, using the same philosophy as sabotage demolitionists do with the quantity of explosive: better a pound too much than an ounce too little. Is there any reason why excessively large reinforcing rods would be bad?

With all that carbon fiber in there, will the truss rod have any effect?
Don't believe everything you know.
Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
When things are bad, try not to make them any worse, because it is quite likely they are bad enough already. - French Foreign Legion
tippie53
Posts: 7011
Joined: Fri Mar 03, 2006 7:09 pm
Location: Hegins, Pa
Contact:

Re: How much carbon fiber reinforcement in a butternut neck

Post by tippie53 »

I used the same thing and laid it out following the neck taper. Worked like a charm.
John Hall
Blues Creek Guitars Inc
Authorized CF Martin Repair Center
president of Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans
http://www.bluescreekguitars.com
johnnparchem
Posts: 2354
Joined: Sat Apr 10, 2010 10:50 pm
Location: Seattle
Contact:

Re: How much carbon fiber reinforcement in a butternut neck

Post by johnnparchem »

You can still use the truss rod to set relief with a couple carbon fiber rods.
Post Reply