classical guitar - no truss rod

[Etienne Rambert]

I have a classical I've owned several years now, Cedar top, VN Rosewood B and S. Love the guitar, sounds fantastic like every Binh guitar I've bought, but no truss rod.

I'd like to take it back to the US one day. But what if the neck warps or the action goes bad. My basic question is - how can you fix the neck on a guitar w/no truss rod?

Is it a fatal problem?

 

[Freeman Keller]

Classical guitars do not have truss rods (traditionally) because they have roughly 100 - 110 pounds of tension as compared with 170 - 180 on a steel string. That is not to say they don't have relief - they do and often more than a steel string. The relief is planed into the neck when the guitar is built - either the neck itself or the fretboard.

 

Some modern classicals, particularly what I call the "hybrid" models such as Yamaha and Cordoba do have truss rods - almost always adjusted thru the sound hole. Many classical builders install a non adjustable support - you could call it a rod - carbon fiber bar is fairly common. Necks on classicals are wider which increases their strength and the Spanish heel joint is not as prone to rotation because of the larger "foot" inside the guitar.

 

If a classical needs more or less relief (seldom a problem) the fix is to pull the frets and plane the board. A well built neck should not "warp" - that is not what the truss rod is there for and of course, relief is only one part of adjusting the action if it should change.

 

My humble suggestion is to measure all of the action parameters now (relief, nut clearance and action at the 12th fret as well as checking the neck angle and condition of bridge (I have seen one come loose)). Write all that down, maybe in the case, check from time to time and see if its changing. A good setup tech will know how to help you if it does.

[bigald18]

If you want a truss rod on a classical you need to buy a Seagull. They put truss rods in theirs. Some others do do. The force of nylon is much lighter on the neck so warpage is extremely rare on a classical neck. As Freeman says, will reinforce their necks with a carbon strip or even ebony to make them stiffer, but it's rarely necessary.

 

BigAl