Let's compare carbon fiber and titanium as a way to reinforce a guitar neck. If you would like to help support my channel and get something cool in return, please consider the following: www.eguitarplans.com/ / highlineguitars
Steve from Maximum Guitar Works did a pretty in-depth video talking about the differences and he agreed with you on carbon fiber. It's a stiffening rod, so best to use the material that does the best stiffening at the best price I think. Everyone knows unicorn bones sound the best but who can afford those?
My opinion is that sustain is one of those weird things we focus on for no reason. Whether a guitar sustains a note loud enough to hear for 15s or 20s, what difference does it make? If you want a note to ring out at a constant volume for several seconds, thats what compression/sustainer pedals are for. Or a loud amp and feedback. Or a sustainiac/ebow. Verifiable, consistent options.
That was very interesting about the use of carbon fibre stiffing rods. My last telecaster build, I put two carbon rods in the neck, but I haven't put any strings on it just yet, so hopefully, these two rods will work well. Thanks for your videos too.
really good video, I agree with you about CF. I've also recently added a CF bar into the back of a guitar headstock because it's a part of the guitar that can bend under string tension too, and it's hidden under a veneer. Thanks for the great content you're offering
Hi there. You may not be directly answering my question, which you answered to my satisfaction a few days ago. Regardless, thank you. This is exactly the in-depth analysis I could have hoped for. As for resonance and sustain, there are far too many variables that, collectively, would affect the outcome - wood type, construction (bolt-on vs set neck vs neck-thru), pickups etc. ad infinitum. Even string brand and type, string-thru or top mount, and so on and so on. I use a zero fret on all my builds so control of relief is critical. Probably Titanium is better for me. Anyway, I've been watching you for some time now and have come to rely on you and Texas Toast (your friends I believe) for definitive advice and example. Thanks a lot.
How difficult of a job would it be if someone wanted to completely hot rod their 20 year old Fender P Bass with Carbon Fiber Rods and a new two way truss rod? Is that an impossible job consodering that the luthier would have to take off the fretboard or are there luthiers who have the right technique and experience to do that?
Great video. Thank you for putting these together. Do you have a preference for which glue to use when installing the carbon fiber rods? From other resources I have seen either fish glue, cold hide glue, or epoxy.
It makes sense as Carbon fiber rods are carbon fibers impregned with epoxy resin. This choice of glue will create a seamless integration. I have a neck reset on a Kay 39 archtop, but want to straiten the neck and reinforce it while I have the neck off and the fretboard lifted. Thank you for helping me formulate my plan.
Can you make a video on how to do the fretting and gluing of a fretboard while ensuring that the neck will not backbow ? I had that problem with a bass neck (wenge purpleheart laminate and ebony fretboard). I need to remove that fretboard and make a new one 😢
Really great topic and subject. I love CF necks like my trusty Steinberger. I've never used titanium because without knowing the alloy and temper it may not be the right choice. Carbon fiber works nicely in my experience. Saying that, I generally use hardened steel as it is stiffer than any of the CF stiffening rods I've tried of the same size, and yes the hardened steel weights more. I do want to find CF of a similar stiffen to the steel I use as I don't have much more of it. What CF rods are you using?
@@HighlineGuitars Thanks. I need to try Dragonplate. I mainly do bass necks and really prefer really stiff neck for those, especially fretless. Thanks again.
@@themechanix393 I have some hardened steel available from years back that was 1/4" x 1/8". Not sure of a similar grade as it was one of several experimental runs of tool steel we did at my old job. Super stiff and bends less than mild steel or stainless. Same size as the Warmoth stiffening bars with less flex.
@@sunn_bass The Youngs Modulus/Material Stiffness of different steel alloys doesnt differ noticeably. Thus, Hardened steel is just as stiff as mild steel of a similar dimension.
My Titanium bike with Titanium cranks and fork was tooo flexy and springy. 3 inches of flex side to side. Switched cranks to aluminum. Forks to carbon. Rides like stiff lightning :)
I had the same experience with a titanium bike. The frame was way too wobbly. I went with all carbon fiber and was blown away by how light and stiff the bike was. That's probably why there are hardly any bikes made from titanium anymore.
I would have thought that Titanium would be less effective. Given that the polished surface of Titanium would not bond as well to an Epoxy like Carbon Fiber would ??
If the reinforcement is such that it becomes very difficult to even induce relief, and you (as a player) don't want relief, is there an argument to say in that case that the truss rod is unnecessary? I think I've seen somewhere an old guitar without a truss rod being fixed by removing the fretboard, getting the neck straight and inserting carbon fiber, but no truss rod, and putting the face on. Would it be reasonable to build a guitar that way from the start?
Ruf guitars uses an engineered urethane(?) compound which is supposed to have similar resonant characteristics to traditional "tone woods" to build their bodies and necks. So it would be possible to use three necks to see if either stiffening rod material had any noticeable effect vs one without. Since all of the necks used would be materially/dimensionally identical, any results would be valid... for their compound at least.
HIGHLINE, I think EVH used 2 carbon fiber reinforcement rods in his necks and the baking progress was an art & science he said which took many years to get done correctly. You didn't mention or explaining in this video lesson about using 2 carbon fiber rods instead of only using 1 carbon fiber rod and what the advantages are. Try making another video part#2 but I think it has something to do with the baking processes and the strength of materials used of the carbon fiber. EVH guitars kept changing the neck production each year because they were experimenting with the baking processes and strength of materials used and use 2 carbon fiber reinforcement rods.
As I have shown in past videos, I use 2 rods, one on each side of the truss rod. In my next build, I will use 3 carbon fiber rods and no truss rod. I don't make my own carbon fiber rods so I don't know anything about the baking process whatever that is.
@@HighlineGuitars I thought you said that you're using NO truss Rod and only use 1 carbon fiber or you're using what type of Truss Rod and the Truss Rod material? and only using 1 carbon fiber reinforcement rob on the upper strings part G-B-E or using the carbon fiber reinforcement rob on the lower strings part D-A-E?
in my opinion mass density will inevitably have an effect on resonance and tone, but thats not to say its a negative effect, or an audible particularly noticeable difference, like you said. tho i remember seeing some carbon fiber tone rods made by a european company ( i can drop the name if anyone wants it ) that DING when you drop em cos they were naturally resonant, which intrigued me
Counterpoint: It's an electric guitar, not an acoustic. The only thing that affects tone is the interaction between the strings and the pickups, which is affected by how the player frets and and picks the strings. The idea of "tone wood" seems insane in an electric guitar.
My channel is for people who want to make their own guitars as a hobby project or as a small business. Most of my viewers can't make a neck out of a block of aluminum. Even though I could make my own aluminum necks, I still prefer wood as it is lighter, easier to machine, better looking, and more serviceable.
