Using a truss rod to lower action?

[sgfoutz]

I am the proud new owner of a D-18GE. I’m in the Roanoke, VA area and it’s taking months to get into a trusted luthier. I plan to have the bridge slotted and unslotted pins fitted. Also I believe the saddle on the bass side needs to come down a bit. I’m not comfortable messing with the saddle since it’s glued in. So, is it safe to use little to no neck relief to lower the action if it doesn’t cause buzzing until a professional setup can be done? Thanks for the insight!

[mr. beaumont]

So, the truss rod is used to straighten the neck.

If the neck is not straight, has too much relief, yes, a tweak of truss rod can also correct some action issues. If the neck is straight and the action is still high, then take it to someone with the know-how to get it right for you.

[1neeto]

Originally Posted by sgfoutz

I am the proud new owner of a D-18GE. I’m in the Roanoke, VA area and it’s taking months to get into a trusted luthier. I plan to have the bridge slotted and unslotted pins fitted. Also I believe the saddle on the bass side needs to come down a bit. I’m not comfortable messing with the saddle since it’s glued in. So, is it safe to use little to no neck relief to lower the action if it doesn’t cause buzzing until a professional setup can be done? Thanks for the insight!

You gotta have some neck relief. A fully straight neck will buzz. Action adjustments are made at the saddle and nut. Your saddle shouldn’t be glued, that’s quite odd. Lower action on the higher frets is a by-product of tightening your truss rod, but you should never adjust the truss rod to lower your action.

[Silly Moustache]

fwiw,
Collings set up their necks with an approx .005" relief.

Of course it has to be measured from between the correct two points.

I commend this to the house: http://www.bryankimsey.com/setup/actions.htm

[Fishermike]

Originally Posted by 1neeto

You gotta have some neck relief. A fully straight neck will buzz. Action adjustments are made at the saddle and nut. Your saddle shouldn’t be glued, that’s quite odd. Lower action on the higher frets is a by-product of tightening your truss rod, but you should never adjust the truss rod to lower your action.

The Martin D-18GE does indeed have a long, glued in saddle, as was typical of vintage (i.e., "Golden Era", in this case 1934) Martins. It's a vintage reproduction, hence vintage features.

[John Arnold]

Martins had glued through saddles until 1965. A lesser known fact is that Gibson also glued many saddles before the 1960's. In both cases, hot hide glue was used, and that allows for easy removal with a bit of heat.
A glued saddle is more stable. It is much less likely to lean, risking a cracked bridge.
Modern Martin glued saddles are installed with super glue, which ranges from difficult to impossible to remove intact. In my shop, they generally get routed out. In the Martin factory, they prefer replacing the whole bridge.