changeing rods

Dave Frye · Post by **Dave Frye** » 14 May 2003 8:49 am

I am thinking about changing my tuning rods from the 1/8 in. aluminum to stainless steel ones. What do you think? Sure would save a lot of room underneath! Ole Dave

Jim Eaton · Post by **Jim Eaton** » 14 May 2003 9:00 am

Why? It can't be that tight with what you have now. Would you go to a thinner rod?
Would your tuning nuts fit on smaller rods?
Would the bellcrank collar's fit on smaller rods? IMHO this is not needed.
JE:-)>

Dave Frye · Post by **Dave Frye** » 14 May 2003 1:01 pm

Well i was just wonderin, just a thought you know? My rods i have on now are all shabby lookin. Wanted to keep it lookin good! It was in a fire before i got it and it was a mess! Thanks Ole Dave

Jim Eaton · Post by **Jim Eaton** » 14 May 2003 1:27 pm

Dave, I just was trying to point out some possible problems with doing it. If you want to, by all means go for it. Have you tried to clean up the existing one's? They might look fine with some buffing.
JE:-)>

Jim Palenscar · Post by **Jim Palenscar** » 15 May 2003 5:14 am

A way easier solution would be to simply add a sleeve of shrink wrap-like tubing over the existing rods. This would give you the project that you're looking for (I know all about those), quiet down the undercarriage, and make it look better.

Dave Frye · Post by **Dave Frye** » 15 May 2003 8:40 am

Hey guys, I haven,t made up my mind yet but ANY ideas will be listened to before i do the job. The shrink wrap sounds like a good idea but there isn,t enough room under there for it! It,s really tight! Thanks for the ideas. Ole Dave

Russ Wever · Post by **Russ Wever** » 15 May 2003 8:47 am

Ole Dave,
A potential benefit of having steel rods rather than aluminum is that steel presents less of a problem when it comes to temperature changes affecting the tuning of the changer pulls. The coefficient of thermal linear expansion/contraction is, in general, about twice for aluminum than for steel.
~ Russ

Jim Eaton · Post by **Jim Eaton** » 15 May 2003 9:43 am

I should have ask before, but what brand and model of guitar are we dealing with here?
D-10? S-10? 12 string?
JE:-)>

Bill Moore · Post by **Bill Moore** » 15 May 2003 12:54 pm

Dave, I made a few rods for a Zumsteel from 1/8" aluminum welding rods. A welders supply store will have them. They are really inexpensive, I think the cost was $4.00 per pound, which would be about 25 rods.

Dave Robbins · Post by **Dave Robbins** » 15 May 2003 9:54 pm

Dave,
stainless is way better when it comes to temperature changes than aluminum. Especially noticeable on "all-pull" guitars. You can tell by tuning your guitar to it's open pitch and then apply the pedals. Check where the pulls go in different environments/temperatures. Check how cold the rods get sometime by feeling underneath the guitar. The rods "contract" (or shorten) when they are cold, pulling the raised pitch sharp and lowers flat. When the rods are warm they expand (or lengthen), creating more slack, which causes it not to pull far enough or flat for raises and not flat enough for lowers.
Stainless and aluminum have different expansion rates with stainless having the less of the two.
The strings can stabilize from the touch (or warmth) of your hands, however, the temperature of the rods is more affected by ambient temperature.
"Any" guitar I play that has aluminum rods I change for stainless rods, if I plan on "keeping it!"

Dave