Martin Acoustic Guitar Neck Reset or Saddle Adjustment

[mick999]

Hi guys!

I just purchased a Martin D-35 from a seller online.

It was described as like new and only played for a few weeks and then stored in the closet for 35 years.

I was concerned that the neck might need a reset for sitting so long and asked if the action was high at the 12th fret. He responded back that it had low action at the 12th fret.

When it arrived yesterday, the action was high at the 12th of course! Do'h!

I asked the seller to provide a partial refund and he refused any sort of refund and said its as is.

Also I noticed some scratches around where the neck meets the body only on one side.

Wondering what you guys think? Maybe I can tweak the truss rod a bit and get it

[Brucebubs]

Originally Posted by mick999

Hi guys!

I just purchased a Martin D-35 from a seller online.

It was described as like new and only played for a few weeks and then stored in the closet for 35 years.

I was concerned that the neck might need a reset for sitting so long and asked if the action was high at the 12th fret. He responded back that it had low action at the 12th fret.

Welcome to the AGF.

The way I see it you should have asked for a simple picture of the string height at the 12th fret with a ruler for reference - like this.

[Scott of the Sa]

There is a sequence for setting up a guitar. It does not look like the neck has been reset. You need to set the relief first. Truss Rod Adjustment. Then measure the action and if need be lower the saddle. It would not be to expensive to get a guitar tech to do it for you.
You also need to remove that strap button, it is in the wrong place. (ask me how I know)
Good luck, you got a great guitar, it just needs some love.

[Boozehound]

That action looks pretty high - unless you have a lot of saddle to work with it might need a neck reset. If you measure the action at the 12th fret and post a picture of the saddle we can probably confirm that.

If he misrepresented the condition (intentionally or not) I would think you are entitled to a refund.

[whvick]

You also need to remove that strap button, it is in the wrong place. (ask me how I know)

]



You got me. How do you know?

[pagedr]

What is the action height at the 12th fret and how much saddle is left? If neck relief is good and the saddle can just be sanded down to get action to where you like it, then it's an easy job that you could do yourself or have a tech handle for pretty cheap.

I've found that when buying online, asking a seller if the action is low won't really help as everyone has a different definition of low action. So he might've been BS'ing when he said action is low, but he also might've just genuinely considered the current height to be low. In the future ask for specific measurements, and know where you like your action as well so you can make a sound judgement.

[KevinH]

Welcome to the AGF!

If you haven't done so already and are inclined, get yourself a set of automotive feeler gauges and a string height gauge. Both inexpensive. It could be too much relief, but it could also be the nut slots aren't deep enough. Once you get those two things checked/set, then look to the saddle. Setup guides are plentiful online. Charles Tauber has one here. Bryan Kimsey has one here.

Or take it to a luthier/guitar tech. They could also look to see if the frets need any work.

[Scott of the Sa]

That is where I first put my strap button on my Martin. It never held the guitar right, I was always in danger of loosing the strap off the guitar. I relocated it to the heel halfway up on the passenger side.

[Iain1231]

What you can do aside from a neck reset
1. Sand the Saddle
2. Adjustment the truss rod
3. File the nut
4. Reduce to lighter strings
5. Slot the bridge

[guitargabor]

Sorry about your grief-I've encountered this on several occasions.

Take a long straight edge and place it perpendicular to the fretboard.If it pretty well clears the bridge (or close) the neck angle is OK.If it hits the brigge in the middle or lower your have a significant neck issue.In that case send the guitar back...

"checking neck angle" on frets.com shows an excellent visual of the above description...

It does not take much to screw up the neck angle.If the guitar is stored at a very warm temperature for even a couple of days that will do it.

[terken]

Yep, lay a straightedge of appropriate length along the frets tuned to pitch. If it clears or barely touches the bridge your neck angle is OK. If below that you are looking at a neck reset for optimal action and saddle height.

[TBman]

Humidify the guitar for a week before doing anything. Then I would take it to a luthier/tech for a set-up.

[JayBee1404]

Originally Posted by Iain1231

What you can do aside from a neck reset
1. Sand the Saddle
2. Adjustment the truss rod
3. File the nut
4. Reduce to lighter strings
5. Slot the bridge

The correct order would be...

1. check the neck relief and adjust the truss rod if out of range (0.005” - 0.010”).
2. Check the height of the nut slots, should be a couple of thou above fret height, lower the slots if necessary.
3. Check the 12th fret action height, adjust saddle height as required.
4. Reduce to lighter strings if required - may require a re-adjustment of neck relief.

Slotting the bridge is a good idea for bridgeplate-preservation purposes, but irrelevant as regards action height, it will have no effect on action.

If it were my guitar, rather than asking for opinions from enthusiastic amateurs here based on a couple of photos which don’t really show much, I would take it to a good luthier/tech for a proper assessment of its condition. It would be money well spent IMHO.

[Scotso]

Just looking at the pics, it appears to need a neck reset. If you bought it from Reverb, get them involved. If this condition was not disclosed you should be able to get a full refund.

[UncleJesse]

Originally Posted by Scotso

Just looking at the pics, it appears to need a neck reset. If you bought it from Reverb, get them involved. If this condition was not disclosed you should be able to get a full refund.

This! It doesn't matter if it was sold As-Is. If the description was falsified, contact Reverb and insist on a refund. You'll get it.