Pawn shop disaster

[bufflehead]

Originally Posted by welshr

Or should I just stop going to pawn shops?

That would probably be the most straightforward solution.

[guitar george]

Originally Posted by welshr

I thought, “It’s a Martin, and it’s only $160!” I know that these guitars in “mint” condition sell online for between $450 and $600.

"The truss rod is broken". What does that mean? Does it mean the truss rod has snapped (very unlikely) or the nut has seized or is stripped?

Maybe put it up for sale and describe the problem with the truss rod. A buyer might think, “It’s a Martin, and it’s only $310!” I know that these guitars in “mint” condition sell online for between $450 and $600.

[bluesfreek]

Originally Posted by welshr

bluesfreek,
“The Guitar Song” made me laugh; it really did cheer me up. What a cool song. Thanks for that.
And here's one for you. If you like the blues, you will like this.
SmokeHouse, “Cadillac in the Swamp” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjPEuDtocOQ

Good stuff! Thanks!

[welshr]

musicman1951, Black Squirrel, ohiopicker, Steadfastly, tippy5, Willie Voltaire, ManyMartinMan, Charles Tauber, terken, Dreadfulnaught, bluesfreek, Edgar Poe, zmf, lar, harpspitfire, bufflehead, guitar george . . .
Many thanks to all of you for your postings to my “pawn shop disaster/broken truss rod” thread. I learned a lot from you about: 1) shopping for guitars in pawn shops; 2) dealing with luthiers; 3) truss rod problems and fixes.
Pawn shops: Not really the best place to look for good used instruments. If you find something that looks good, have it checked out by a luthier before you buy it.
Dealing with luthiers: If you take a guitar in for a setup, have him test the truss rod right there before you leave it with him. Also it never hurts to get a second opinion before you have the work done.
Truss rod issues: This is the best part. I now have a much better understanding of the options for addressing truss rod issues. Replacing the truss rod is not the only fix.
This forum is absolutely awesome. I just joined a few days ago, and I’m already learning all kinds of things from the fine people contributing to the forum.
By way of thanks, I want to share with you some excellent music by some of my favorite recent artists. If any of these artists are new to you, you’re in for a treat. The bluesmen among you will certainly enjoy this short playlist.
Thanks again everybody!
Robert
Gary Clark Jr., “12 Bar Blues-Jam” (playing an Epiphone Masterbilt) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqWl2Zxs2es
SmokeHouse, “Cadillac in the Swamp” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjPEuDtocOQ
Kaleo, “Way Down We Go” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZ5SI6n1Ljs
Kaleo, “I Can't Go on Without You” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcXsK_u4ixI

[welshr]

Originally Posted by guitar george

"The truss rod is broken". What does that mean? Does it mean the truss rod has snapped (very unlikely) or the nut has seized or is stripped?

Maybe put it up for sale and describe the problem with the truss rod. A buyer might think, “It’s a Martin, and it’s only $310!” I know that these guitars in “mint” condition sell online for between $450 and $600.

guitar george,
That's a good suggestion. I just got it back and for now it plays and sounds great. So I'm going to keep it for a while and see if it grows on me before I decide to do anything else with it.
Robert

[chistrummer]

Originally Posted by charles Tauber

First, you are right that you shouldn't have bought it just because it said "Martin" on the headstock. Each individual instrument should be adjudicated on its own merits.

Second, I'm not sure what, "eventually the neck is going to fail" means. A neck can, under prolonged string tension, bow more than would like. Many Martin guitars were made without adjustable truss rods. If necessary, one approach is to adjust the bow using compressing fretting. It is very unlikely the neck is going to break ("fail"), even without additional reinforcement.

Third, depending upon the mechanical arrangement, and what about the rod is "broken", it might be possible to repair the necessary parts.

Last, ideally, the luthier would inform you that the truss rod isn't working before undertaking - and charging you for - a full setup, since the first step in any setup of a guitar with an adjustable truss rod is to adjust the amount of neck relief. If you knew before his or her completion of the work, you could then decide whether or not you wanted to sink the cost of a setup into that guitar.

Yep the luthier should have never started $160 worth of work on a Formica special regardless of the name on the headstock and he definitely should have checked the truss rod before any estimate.

[hailwood]

That necks not going to move much. With the rigidity of the neck and the fundamental rich sound driven by the laminated body, probably a great guitar for slide. Add a sound hole pickup and your in business.

[charles Tauber]

Originally Posted by welshr

Dealing with luthiers: If you take a guitar in for a setup, have him test the truss rod right there before you leave it with him. Also it never hurts to get a second opinion before you have the work done.

Originally Posted by chistrummer

he definitely should have checked the truss rod before any estimate.

A non-functioning truss rod is a relatively rare thing, in my experience. It isn't necessary, or practical, to have a repair person check the truss rod before you leave it with him or her, or before he or she can give you an estimate for a setup.

What is reasonable - and should be the norm - is that if the repair person, in the course of performing the setup, finds something out of the norm that prevents or impedes the setup, he or she should stop work and inform you of the situation and provide options and costs for the altered scope of work. It's not different than taking your car in for an oil change and having the shop call you with an estimate for your approval on additional work that is required found while performing the oil change.

As for getting additional opinions/estimates, that is warranted if you feel there is something questionable about the opinion and estimate provided by the first repair person. Otherwise, you waste people's time: either the person who provided the original estimate, or the person(s) who provided the subsequent estimates.

A friend of mine had an arch top guitar that was buzzing. He took it to the largest, best-known repair shop in town. He was told the buzzing was due to a loose brace and, due to the lack of access from the F holes, the back would have to be removed to reglue the brace. The cost would be about $400. He brought the guitar to me for a second opinion. My interest is in acoustic instruments and I'm well-familiar with the buzzing sound of a loose brace, and that was not it. After 15 minutes of searching, we found it was a loose washer under one of the tuning machines: $15 and he was out the door. That's a good example of where a second opinion is warranted.

[zombywoof]

Originally Posted by charles Tauber

Many Martin guitars were made without adjustable truss rods. If necessary, one approach is to adjust the bow using compressing fretting. It is very unlikely the neck is going to break ("fail"), even without additional reinforcement.

I recently had a severely cupped neck on an old guitar which had no truss rod fixed using compression frets. Worked like a charm.

[PiousDevil]

Originally Posted by zmf

"The Guitar". He wrote it with Verlon Thompson.



Here's Verlon's version. Love his flatpicking.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_Lkg7GsKQQ

You chose the wrong version of the song, imo.

https://youtu.be/9f0AgUFDg1k

[zmf]

Originally Posted by PiousDevil

You chose the wrong version of the song, imo.

https://youtu.be/9f0AgUFDg1k

That's a good one.

But I was trying to find one without a long preface.

[guitar george]

Originally Posted by zombywoof

I recently had a severely cupped neck on an old guitar which had no truss rod fixed using compression frets. Worked like a charm.

Here's an interesting article on Fingerboard Levelling and Compression Fretting. It all sounds a bit iffy to me, but, zombywoof says it worked well for him.

https://hazeguitars.com/blog/saving-...ret-techniques

[welshr]

Originally Posted by PiousDevil

You chose the wrong version of the song, imo.

https://youtu.be/9f0AgUFDg1k

OMG, that guy is one helluva guitar player. Thanks for shring that!

[welshr]

Originally Posted by zmf

"The Guitar". He wrote it with Verlon Thompson.

Here's Verlon's version. Love his flatpicking.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_Lkg7GsKQQ

OMG, that guy is one helluva guitar player. Thanks for shring that!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PW4W3LbJUk0

[Texsunburst59]

Originally Posted by bufflehead

That would probably be the most straightforward solution.

Pawnshops are GOLDMINE'S in my area.

In the last 15+ yrs., I've found a lot of "STEALS" on good used quality guitars.

There's no where in the world I can score deals like this at ANY online or B & M shop.

Here's are some of my killer "STEALS" in the last 10 yrs.


$59.95 - '74 Fender Jazz Bass
$125 - '90 MIJ Fender '57RI P-Bass
$180 - '79 Fender P-Bass
$180 - '98 USA Parker Nitefly
$149 - '98 Yamaha LL-11
$180 - '78 Hamer Black Bound & Crowned Sunburst
$202 - '94 Fender Jazz V Bass 5 string bass
$212 - '85 USA Kramer Baretta 1
$230 - '00 Gibson LP Special
$270 - '03 Taylor Jumbo Custom (Custom ordered Jumbo)
$300 - '03 Epiphone "Elite" Les Paul Custom
$315 - '89 Fender Jazz Bass
$325 - '90 Fender Strat Plus
$400 - '07 Fender '57 American Vintage Reissue AVRI Strat
$400 - '78 Fender P-Bass
$500 - '75 Fender Strat



Here are my "Almost Steal" scores that are at or below wholesale prices:

$425 - '01 Gibson LP Jr.
$500 - '11 Fender Telebration 60th Anniversary Tele
$600 - '86 MIJ Fender '69RI Pink Paisley Tele
$600 - '07 Gibson SG-3 LE #006 SG
$600 - '78 Fender P-Bass
$625 - '00 Gibson SG Supreme
$646 - '05 Taylor 414-CE Fall Limited
$750 - '77 Gibson LP Deluxe
$756 - '08 Gibson LP Standard Plus
$1000 - '95 PRS Custom 24 10-Top
$1075 - '89 Gibson LP Standard
$1200 - '03 Tom Anderson Hollow T Drop Top HSH
$1340 - '15 Suhr Classic Pro SSH
$1400 - '83 Gibson ES-335 Dot
$2400 - '63 Gibson ES-330 w/ Bigsby