Martin Acoustic Guitar Neck Reset or Saddle Adjustment - Page 2

Parlorman · #16 09-30-2020, 06:41 AM

If this guitar is around 35 years old, it may not have an adjustable truss rod. They introduced them in 1985.

JayBee1404 · #17 09-30-2020, 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Parlorman

If this guitar is around 35 years old, it may not have an adjustable truss rod. They introduced them in 1985.

Good point, never thought about that!

mick999 · #18 09-30-2020, 08:47 AM

Appreciate all the feedback from everyone!

This one was built in 1985 and appears to have the adjustable truss rod.

I'm still irritated by the dishonest seller. I told him I was uneasy about purchasing an acoustic online and asked him to send pics but it was hard to tell from that and with his response stating to me me that the guitar has low action at the 12th fret, I stupidly accepted that as the truth. But at the same time, it's such a hassle to go back and forth. I offered the guy the opportunity to split the cost of the neck rest with me and he said - Nope!

If it ends up needing a reset I will continue to fight it out with Reverb and get my money back, but if I can somehow have it setup to play right, I'm cool with keeping it. I do like it otherwise.

I purchased a guitar humidifier, truss rod wrench and new strings. Figured I will continue to research but get that stuff on-hand should it be fixable without a reset.

pagedr · #19 09-30-2020, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mick999

Appreciate all the feedback from everyone!

This one was built in 1985 and appears to have the adjustable truss rod.

I'm still irritated by the dishonest seller. I told him I was uneasy about purchasing an acoustic online and asked him to send pics but it was hard to tell from that and with his response stating to me me that the guitar has low action at the 12th fret, I stupidly accepted that as the truth. But at the same time, it's such a hassle to go back and forth. I offered the guy the opportunity to split the cost of the neck rest with me and he said - Nope!

If it ends up needing a reset I will continue to fight it out with Reverb and get my money back, but if I can somehow have it setup to play right, I'm cool with keeping it. I do like it otherwise.

I purchased a guitar humidifier, truss rod wrench and new strings. Figured I will continue to research but get that stuff on-hand should it be fixable without a reset.

I guess I'm not sure why you'd ask for a partial refund before you know if the guitar actually needs a neck reset or not. If all it needs is a setup then you would've been given a bunch of money you didn't actually need. You should get it into a shop ASAP to find out whether it needs that sort of work or not and also should contact Reverb today just to let them know what's going on. If you wait too long, there's a certain point where Reverb can't step in anymore.

mick999 · #20 09-30-2020, 10:22 AM

True - I had to assume the worst in that it needs a neck reset. He lied to me about the string height at the 12th fret (in my opinion). But I'm not a luthier and not sure if it can be tweaked to play right without busting the neck off the guitar? I've read that it can kill the sound of a Martin. Again, I'm basing this stuff off of things I've read. Hoping I'm wrong and it just needs a setup but some people's feedback has me worried based on the pics.

JayBee1404 · #21 09-30-2020, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JayBee1404

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.

Said it once, and I re-iterate it now. Then you’ll be in a position to make an informed decision on your next step.

Earl49 · #22 09-30-2020, 10:35 AM

I applaud that you bought some tools and gauges, but do not touch the instrument yourself until a qualified tech or luthier has looked it over. Once you modify it, you'll likely forfeit your claim for "not as advertised". Or at least dilute your argument. If there is a hex nut visible inside the sound hole at top of the neck block, the truss rod is adjustable. We can only speculate about setup or neck reset without the dimensions that others have mentioned.

I had neck resets done on two Martin guitars. There was no negative change in tone, but playability and intonation improved hugely -- he corrected manufacturing errors while fixing the neck angle.

KevinH · #23 09-30-2020, 11:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Earl49

I applaud that you bought some tools and gauges, but do not touch the instrument yourself until a qualified tech or luthier has looked it over. Once you modify it, you'll likely forfeit your claim for "not as advertised"...

Very good point.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Parlorman

If this guitar is around 35 years old, it may not have an adjustable truss rod. They introduced them in 1985.

Interesting. I was just looking through the 1937-ish Gibson catalog this morning and they were describing their latest innovation - the adjustable truss rod. Why did it take Martin so long to get on board?

mick999 · #24 09-30-2020, 11:36 AM

I really appreciate the responses guys! I will do as you say. I will not touch the guitar and get it to a qualified luthier. I actually live about an hour away from the Martin factory. Maybe I'll show up at their doors with the guitar and ask them to fix it... j/k!

Br1ck · #25 09-30-2020, 03:30 PM

The truss rod and what it does is the most misunderstood part of a guitar. There are plenty of good videos explaining this, and countless threads. I would also assume a 35 year old guitar needed a neck reset unless it had one already. I'll bet the seller didn't have a picture of the bridge either.

Please refrain from shaving the bridge. It just kicks the problem down the road.

Martin has always had truss rods, just not adjustable ones. I had an older Martin that was trouble free for decades. I did have the frets leveled once.