Here is a progress report on builds #5 (Chris Letchford) and #6. First of all, here is an experimental truss-rod arrangement. On #3, there is a 15 mm diameter carbon fiber tube with a custom single truss-rod. This works like a dream and reduced weight from the neck. #3 is also completely free of dead spots, which I attribute to the use of carbon fiber. Here, I am enclosing a double-expanding truss rod inside the carbon fiber tube. I weighed the neck after having routed a normal 6 mm channel and then after enlarging the channel to accommodate the tube. The removed weight was almost to the gram the same as the weight of the carbon fiber tube, which means that this solution is weight neutral, but I expect it to have the same sonic properties as on #3.

On Chris’ guitar, I am not taking any chances. He will have a quite thin ‘C’ shaped neck profile, so I am not including any sound channels in it. His rosewood fingerboard is also incredibly light-weight.

In this picture, you can see the access to the truss-rod adjustment. I have made sure to leave sufficient material below the fretboard to support fastening my string locks directly into the wood.

#6 with fingerboard glued on – note new shape of heel of fingerboard.

#5, Chris’ guitar:

Lastly, I have some shop improvements a new gadgets: I bought this in order to accurately create the angle for the set neck (which I am taking out of the body end of the neck blank). It works like a dream, and leaves a very even surface on the workpiece.

And, an old East German construction – a nice little planer/jointer that I found at a good price.