question for the experts about neck reset
 

hello all, I recently purchased a 2013 HD28, looks like its hardly ever been played.mint condition. Bought it used so no Martin warranty.

Action on the nut end of the neck is fine, but the farther up you go, the higher the action is. The neck is straight and no buzzes. I tried the old trick of putting a quarter under the string at the 12th fret well I could almost fit 2 quarters

Doing the straight edge trick from the neck to the bridge, the straight edge ends up just a little above the bridge. Everyone says I need a reset to get it right.

My question is how far off can the straight edge be without needing a reset.
I dont think there is enough saddle sitting above the bridge to even come close to the right action by shaving it.

BTW, I'm in the Phoenix area, are you, or any recommendation on a pro around here? Thanks

Did you mean the straight edge lands a little below the bridge?

The neck shooting a little over the bridge is okay, but no more than 40 thou. This is provided the neck was straight when using it as your reference line

Beyond 40 thou you start having saddle issues.

But this would not fit the issues you are having, it would lead more to action too low.

Steve

Neck is straight, action is high, not enough saddle protruding from the top of the saddle to lower the action sufficiently, not excessively thick bridge. That's the definition of the need for a neck reset.

Measure the thickness of the bridge. If it is a thick bridge, one option might be to shave the bridge. Otherwise, neck reset.

yep...my bad. It lands just below the bridge

My HD28 (2011 I think) just needed a neck reset. What a difference, fortunately it was under warranty. I got the work done at Dave's Guitar Shop in LaCrosse WI, even though I live in Los Angeles. Great job by Carl in the service department.

The guitar had become work to play, even though the action measured fine. It just sounded and felt constipated, like it wasn't all working together. Now it feels like a strung bow. Much more fun to play.

Last year a Martin service center did a little bit of work to put off the neck reset - they removed the bridge and lowered it. This was only a temporary fix.

So, if your tech suggests it, consider the neck reset.

Best...H

Hank, just wondering if the action measured fine, what was the cause of it needing the reset? was it just the not sounding right?

Like your guitar, the neck geometry was less than optimal - straight edge wound up below the bridge, very little saddle left so all of the break angles to the pins were more shallow. When the neck is off like this it feels like all of the parts of the guitar are fighting each other.

It measured ok, but it was kind of boring to play, no life. Now I have plenty of saddle left to adjust and the guitar just sings.

Best...H

IMHO, the straightedge test is most useful when you don't have strings on the guitar.
If the action is too high and the saddle too low, you need a reset....provided the neck is straight.
You don't need a straightedge to determine that.
I average about two neck resets a week in my shop.

Exactly!

The important measurement is the height of the strings above the top, and that should be between 7/16" and 9/16", that gives you an idea of how thick your bridge should be.

There seems to be a "threshold effect" with some guitars, where very small reductions of string height above the top results in significant loss of tone. Sometimes lowering the action by shaving the saddle crosses that threshold, sometimes it does not. That's why some people believe that lower action results in loss of tone, and others do not.

Resetting the neck gets the height of the strings back above the threshold. While raising the action across the threshold makes a significant difference, continuing to raise the action has very little effect.

This is pure speculation on my part, I have no technical data to back this up. It's based largely on the various posts here about members experiences.

So far, it is not possible to tell whether you simply need a truss rod adjustment. Do you know how to measure relief?

Provided the neck is set straight, eye ball it again.

How much under the bridge crown does the straight neck shoot

What is the thickness of the bridge,

Steve

first of all thanks for all the replies guys.

second, let me say I'm no expert at getting these measurements, that being said.....I believe the bridge in the middle of it has to be close to 1/4 inch.

Planning neck to the bridge, the nearest I can tell is approx. 3/32 of a inch. below the bridge

approx 1/8 inch saddle showing.

Thats not a thick bridge, so I suspect, people previously have been thinning the bridge down to try and keep the guitar playable.

If its a bridge that thin, with a straight neck and shooting under the bridge crown, then yes unfortunatley you need a neck reset to rectify.

Steve

There's just not enough information to offer solid advice. We don't know the action height or the relief. If 2 quarters fit, then the action is very high. However, I don't know how to interpret "almost" fitting.

Martin doesn't make a bridge as thin as 1/4", so either that is an incorrect measurement or the bridge has been modified. If so, then you need a neck reset and a new bridge.

If the saddle is really 1/8" that is plenty, IF the action is acceptable. Apparently it is not though.