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  #16  
Old 02-23-2021, 02:28 PM
euraquilo euraquilo is offline
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Originally Posted by charles Tauber View Post
It depends upon what the problem is, what the appropriate fix is. Not all problems are fixed with a truss rod wrench.

The first things to check, in my opinion, is that the guitar isn't over-humidified, that the bridge isn't lifting/separating from the top and that the top, itself doesn't have excessive bulging between the bridge and the butt of the guitar. If those are fine, then, onto setup issues:

https://www.charlestauber.com/luthie...1-Sept2018.pdf
Thank you so much for providing this!
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  #17  
Old 02-23-2021, 02:32 PM
charles Tauber charles Tauber is offline
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Originally Posted by Mirosh View Post
Let me take this opportunity to thank Mr. Tauber...
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Originally Posted by cliff_the_stiff View Post
This- 100%.
Charles, thank you for your work on explaining the 4 steps in detail.
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Originally Posted by euraquilo View Post
Thank you so much for providing this!
You are welcome. I'm glad you find the article helpful.

Doing a quick read-through of some of it, I see there are a few things that need to be updated/corrected.
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  #18  
Old 02-23-2021, 03:12 PM
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Originally Posted by Arch Stanton View Post
All good responses, thanks. But I’ll probably go with what sprintbob stated. There happens to be an official Martin repair shop near me. Taking it there first thing in the morning. Sure I know how to turn the head of a truss rod and even file the bottom if a saddle, but I still don’t know what I’m doing, per say...

If it wasn’t a $3k guitar I’d mess with it. But whenever I mess with something and I don’t know what I’m doing, I always wreck it! But I will start educating myself on this stuff, and maybe even get a small workshop in the basement to eventually do it myself.
Wise move. When I got my first higher end guitar, a Taylor 814ce, I had my local Taylor dealer explain to me (with my guitar on the bench) how to check relief, measure action, and then what to do if you find either need attention. Doing this a couple of times gave me the confidence to invest in a good relief gauge, some nice straight edges, and a string action gauge. But I still take my guitars to a tech if I want a full setup. About all I do is check the relief periodically especially if I am changing string brand or gauge. At that point I might tweak the truss rod but again never more than an 1/8 to 1/4 of a turn. That's usually all it needs. Good luck in getting that pretty OM-28 sorted out.
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  #19  
Old 02-23-2021, 03:29 PM
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ArchtopLover ArchtopLover is offline
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The string action does seem to be on the high side, more than what a truss rod adjustment can correct. If you were to use your straight edge (with the truss rod nut fully loose, or in a neutral tension position), and it resting on the fretboard, slide it up to the bridge. Then, does the straight edge tip bump into and stop on the front edge of the bridge, or does it ride up and over the top of the bridge, without the straight edge lifting off the top of the fretboard?

Martin has specs on how much of a gap should exist between the bottom of the straight edge and the top of the bridge (I don't have these handy, sorry) using this measuring technique. By comparing your measurements to the Martin spec, this will give you a good, although rough, idea about how much the neck angle needs to adjusted, if at all.
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  #20  
Old 02-24-2021, 07:35 AM
Victory Pete Victory Pete is offline
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I adjust the relief on my guitars frequently, I keep my neck very straight so it doesn't take much for a buzz to appear. It would be great for you to learn how to do this yourself. Do you have the proper wrench?
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  #21  
Old 02-25-2021, 03:22 PM
merlin666 merlin666 is offline
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So I checked relief and on low E I was able to tap on 7th fret and fit a thick piece of paper under it, while on plain E I didn't feel a tap but paper didn't appear to lift the string, so I guess is ok. I checked action with a "Fritz" ruler and for low E shows good and high E just a bit over the line, but I think the ruler is fake as it has a typo. Baroque ruler shows around 0.13 or 2.75mm for low E and around 2.2mm for plain E, so not dramatically high but some chords around fret 7 are painful. I don't think this is worth bringing in to luthier for setup yet, but I am not sure if a truss rod adjustment would even be beneficial?
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  #22  
Old 02-25-2021, 03:26 PM
Victory Pete Victory Pete is offline
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Originally Posted by merlin666 View Post
So I checked relief and on low E I was able to tap on 7th fret and fit a thick piece of paper under it, while on plain E I didn't feel a tap but paper didn't appear to lift the string, so I guess is ok. I checked action with a "Fritz" ruler and for low E shows good and high E just a bit over the line, but I think the ruler is fake as it has a typo. Baroque ruler shows around 0.13 or 2.75mm for low E and around 2.2mm for plain E, so not dramatically high but some chords around fret 7 are painful. I don't think this is worth bringing in to luthier for setup yet, but I am not sure if a truss rod adjustment would even be beneficial?
I keep my neck almost perfectly straight, with very little relief at all, to get low action.
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  #23  
Old 02-25-2021, 04:28 PM
Mirosh Mirosh is offline
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"I am not sure if a truss rod adjustment would even be beneficial?"

No. The relief is pretty good now. To lower the action, you need to lower the saddle a bit - maybe 0.7mm or so. But look under it. There may be shim about that thick, and you can remove it.

Otherwise, sand the saddle. If it's the original saddle, some say it's wise to keep it unchanged and get a new saddle, and experiment on that one. Good luck!

Last edited by Mirosh; 02-25-2021 at 05:29 PM.
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  #24  
Old 02-25-2021, 05:25 PM
merlin666 merlin666 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mirosh View Post
I am not sure if a truss rod adjustment would even be beneficial?

No. The relief is pretty good now. To lower the action, you need to lower the saddle a bit - maybe 0.7mm or so. But look under it. There may be shim about that thick, and you can remove it.

Otherwise, sand the saddle. If it's the original saddle, some say it's wise to keep it unchanged and get a new saddle, and experiment on that one. Good luck!
Thanks. I was able to get a replacement saddle which was already lowered about two years ago when it had the last setup. I may try to do that when the next string change is coming up and try not to take off too much.
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  #25  
Old 02-26-2021, 10:40 PM
Arch Stanton Arch Stanton is offline
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Ok, to all who are wondering..I did visit a local repair shop and turns out I was in good shape. Just a little relief adjustment is all I needed. I had plenty of room in the direction I needed to go. He tightened the truss rod a couple of very short turns and what a difference. He said the rod was in a loose position to start. He also stated I have a very good set up, plenty of room on my saddle should I ever need to lower. Since then I purchased a 5mm hex key and a string action guage. I even turned the rod a couple more tweaks, I got it right where I want it, a nice straight neck (but not totally straight) without a single buzz. Much easier playing. I was pleased with this shop, we spoke for about 2 hours going over everything, a $29 visit. I gained a ton of knowledge.
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