|
|
Post by budg on Dec 27, 2020 14:00:20 GMT -5
I check my action and relief every time I change strings. When I bought it summer of 13. Action was a little high, but not enough to mess with. It was squarely between 6/64 and 7/64ths . Checked it today and it is right at 7/64ths. I felt that is pretty good result as it means the neck has hardly moved at all. Relief is still the same. Frets don’t look bad but 2 of the frets have small divots in them if you look close, but plays great. I treated the fretboard and polished the frets while I was at it.
|
|
|
|
Post by jefe46 on Dec 28, 2020 9:57:22 GMT -5
Which Martin Model ?
Martins are notorious for the neck coming up requiring attention to saddle height and eventually neck reset.
Failure rate is quite high historically.
I learned this after owning 14 Martin guitars.
De-tuned when stored for more than two weeks.
|
|
|
|
Post by budg on Dec 28, 2020 10:10:18 GMT -5
D18. It has been rock solid so far. I am kind of anal about humidity though.
|
|
|
|
Post by Lefty Rev on Dec 28, 2020 12:33:32 GMT -5
D18. It has been rock solid so far. I am kind of anal about humidity though. Depending on where you live, being anal about humidity this time of year is a good thing (I am, as I live in southern MN). I'd say your guitar sounds pretty stable. Some guitars need neck sets early, some go for decades without needing one. You could probably lower your saddle a little if you'd prefer a lower action, and it should continue to be fine for years to come. You didn't say; are you using light or medium gauge strings? |
|
|
|
Post by Peegoo 🏁 on Dec 28, 2020 13:04:06 GMT -5
D18. It has been rock solid so far. I am kind of anal about humidity though. That is the secret to a stable acoustic guitar. Control the humidity and the guitar will stay right where you set it. This works well for most guitars, but some are problematic even when you do everything right. On most acoustics with the dovetail neck attachment, the spot where the neck connects to the body has around 10 different glue joints in the structure. These all work against each other as humidity levels change because of the various wood grain orientations in this relatively small area. Every time the wood contracts when it's dry and expands when it's not so dry destroys a little structural integrity of the construction. Add 130 lbs of string tension to the recipe and you end up with a thing that slowly disassembles itself. |
|
|
|
Post by budg on Dec 28, 2020 13:27:17 GMT -5
Thanks guys . I learned my lesson early on with my first acoustic. I usually have 45-54 percent humidity in the room at all times. Humidifier in October- usually March or April. Dehumidifier the rest of the time . Saves a lot of grief for not only my acoustics, but my electrics and amps as well.
|
|
|
|
Post by FlyonNylon on Dec 28, 2020 17:16:27 GMT -5
I’ve adjusted the truss rod in my D18 twice in the past 2.5 years. I tune to Eb so first was about 1/4 turn to compensate for the reduced string tension. Then yesterday noticed after the weather turned cold had a bit of string buzz during loud playing, so loosened back another 1/4 or so to maintain about 15 thousandths. I like the action a little higher than some to allow strong attack with no string buzz.
It hangs on the wall of my studio so is subject to some humidity changes. I keep a hygrometer in the room; typically mid summer its about 40-45% and winter 35%.
|
|
|
|
Post by jefe46 on Dec 30, 2020 18:52:33 GMT -5
Humidity is a minor factor. The engineering of the dovetail neck joint and the length of the neck with high string tension is a formula for failure.
Martin no longer warranties neck resets after their own whimsical judgement.
I got two new very expensive custom guitars from them one in 2010 the other in 2011. Brand new they needed neck resets. Never played either on. One of them was destroyed by Martin as unrepairable..
The other they agreed to reset and lost the guitar for over a year. Fact. Agreed to make a replacement when received after 11 months.. the neck was off center to the top and not built to the original specifications. They had the dealer refund my money.
I never played either guitar. They were visibly, obviously, defective right out of the case.
If your Martin has not experienced a neck failure, you are in the minority.
Why does Taylor make a detachable neck.. bad engineering of the Martin dovetail style where an inevitable neck rest is hampered by the dovetail, and expensive. Taylor's acoustic appliance necks can be adjusted/repaired/fixed in less than 2 hours.
Collings adressed the problem with a bolt on neck knowing the guitar will eventually fail at no fault of the owner or normal changes in temperature and humidity.
Faulty engineering is the culprit.
I solved the problem by detuning when not in use for any prolonged ( over 30 days) period.
|
|
|
|
Post by budg on Dec 31, 2020 7:15:52 GMT -5
I always detune when it sits for an extended period of time. My understanding of Martin neck resets are covered under some circumstances, but not on a 50 year old guitar like before. Martin didn’t even cover neck resets in the 70s. I have a 48 year old Martin that hasn’t moved in over a year that I’ve had it, so I’m going to do what I’ve been doing
|
|
|
|
Post by funkykikuchiyo on Jan 1, 2021 12:45:10 GMT -5
Neck resets are much less necessary when truss rods are in play. If the neck is bowed, then the torque on the neck joint is less directly into the joint and along the long grain of the top, and more bending the whole guitar up, as Peegoo likes to say, "trying to become a taco". When neck angles change, it is usually the entire structure north of the upper transverse brace bending in, the neck block, the sides, the neck, all of it. On some guitars you can even see a bit of an indentation from side to side along the lateral brace which is the neck angle slowly changing. This is why neck resets are more common on the older non-truss rod instruments and some instruments experiencing less meticulous maintenance.
The problem with the Taylor system is that it also necessitates neck resets far, far more often. To create that system they remove a lot more material from that neck block area of the top and give it a lot less strength. It is less stable and many need neck resets as often as some other guitars might need neck tweaks. Not a big deal if you have a collection of shims lying around, but a pain if you don't.
Martin neck resets actually aren't all that bad to do. It isn't amateur work and it is time consuming, but it isn't that bad. The glues come loose easily enough, and since the neck and body are finished independently it is almost a non issue on figuring out touch up after. The wide heels on Gibsons and Guilds are a bigger pain, and many import instruments leave you guessing how they got it in there, and with what glue, and those can be a nightmare. Coming up with strange new ideas is rarely good, either. Some Seagulls have a scarf jointed piece at the end of the neck that extends under the fingerboard. I went to remove one of these assuming it was a normal bolt on, and it was an utter and complete nightmare. It also explained why the neck angle went south to begin with... the neck block was only about 60% of the size it should have been because of that stupid extension. The block was probably put in to make fretting at the factory easier.
The old style Taylor joint that has two bolts on the heel with the fingerboard extension glued are relatively easy to work on, as well. Many other manufacturers adopted this style. Ungluing the fingerboard isn't bad as long as no one used a mystery glue, and the rest just unbolts. On occasion you can kick back the neck angle on these without ungluing the fingerboard, but it relies on many stars lining up properly first.
Humidity is big, too. The top and back are very slightly arched, if not by design then by how string tension and the braces end up making it. Higher humidity tends to make it puff up and lower humidity tends to make it sink down. This is also one of the best visual references as to whether a guitar is humidified properly or not. You can have enough movement to change it from low action to high action before you have structural issues. Don't let anyone tell you that humidity isn't an issue if the woods are properly "seasoned". All wood moves with humidity. I've worked on 19th century and early 20th century instruments that were definitely air dried before building and then had decades as an instrument to stabilize, and I can still get cracks to open and close with simple humidity control. If someone was genuinely making guitars with green wood that wasn't properly dried the thing would be so unstable it probably wouldn't even make it out the factory door.
Martin used to warranty all neck resets for original owners. Now is it all neck resets for original owners in the case of a neck coming loose, and 5 years for neck angle for original owners.
Congrats on good instrument care and feeding!
|
|
