Martin Guitars??

**Willie** · Jul-19-2011, 1:36pm

Sorry but this doesn`t have any mandolin content...

Does anyone know the exact year that Martin started installing an adjustable truss rod in the necks of the D-28`s? It can be adjusted by inserting an Allen wrench in through the sound hole....I took in a `73 for some small repairs and it doesn`t have one and it sure needs the neck adjusted somehow, more than I care to undertake, BTW...This fellow says he is the original owner so I will suggest to him that he contact the factory for these repairs....

Willie

**Jim Garber** · Jul-19-2011, 1:54pm

A quick search says 1984 was the first year for adjustable truss rods.

**Rodney Riley** · Jul-19-2011, 1:57pm

Or at least have him check online for a Martin certified repair tech. Took mine to have action lowered and new instrument set-up to the person listed by them at no charge. (Bought the guitar at a GC... unpack, string it, hang on the wall and sell... long before reading the merits here of buying from a dealer that actually does set-up work.)

**jim simpson** · Jul-19-2011, 2:17pm

I had a 1984 D-28 with non-adj. truss rod, sold it and the buyer eventually had it's neck re-set. He said it remained his favorite Martin. I also had a 1985 HD28, it had an adjustable neck.

**sunburst** · Jul-19-2011, 2:22pm

Early 70s Martin dreadnoughts either need a neck re-set or have had a neck reset. As with any "rule", there are exceptions, but if it needs a neck re-set as well as a neck adjustment, a piece of carbon fiber rod can be inserted into the square steel tube used in the 70s to add stiffness to the neck. That, along with a re-fret including planing the fingerboard, can make those guitars very playable again. A Martin-authorized repair center can do all that, and Martin will pay for most of it under warranty to the original owner.

**allenhopkins** · Jul-19-2011, 4:13pm

When I traded in my 1977 HD-28 in 2004, I was informed by Dave Stutzman that it was due a neck re-set; my 1970 D-41 is limping along with a barely visible bridge saddle, to salvage playable action for a bit longer before it gets its trip to the guitar hospital. Martin's stubbornness in refusing to install an adjustable truss rod for 150 years (well, at least for 60 years after truss rods became common in the mid-1920's) is one of the fascinating quirks of our #1 guitar company.

When my 00-28G nylon-string was re-made into a 00-42 in the 1980's, the luthier who did the rebuild installed a soundhole-adjustable truss rod; there's a "tunnel" right through the brace above the soundhole to accommodate the Allen wrench. Better late than never, I guess, though I imagine Martin-licensed repair shops have been making good buxx doing re-sets for the past century...

**almeriastrings** · Jul-19-2011, 4:27pm

Truss rods (present or not) have nothing to do with the need for neck resets. All they do is control relief, the 'bow' along the neck. The need for a neck reset is due to changes in overall geometry of the body and neck joint area. Incidentally, I have an early '39 D-18 (1 3/4" nut) with a 'T' bar, a 1950 D-28, and also a wartime '45 D-18 with an ebony reinforcement rod. Neck relief on all three remains perfect, though they have had neck-resets in the past. Modern guitars with adjustable truss rods also require neck resets in due course. The older examples, assembled with a dovetail joint, and hide glue are actually easier and quicker to reset than many modern guitars.....on a lot of Pac Rim instruments, it can be economically non-viable to even bother. They are stuck together with all kinds of stuff and then lacquered over in one go. The old ones are built for ease of maintenance from the outset.

**Big Joe** · Jul-19-2011, 6:42pm

We do a LOT of Martin neck resets. It is just part of being a Martin owner. Once the neck is set properly, the fingerboard is planed and refretted, and any bridge / bridge plate work is done, they are incredible instruments. If you have a Martin and it is hard to play it is because it needs work, not because Martins are hard to play. I have had my Martin for 25 years. I bought it new. It is a great guitar and it has been played a lot. I had to reset the neck earlier this year. It's not a big deal for luthiers who do enough of them to keep their chops up. Like anything else, it is not brain surgery or rocket science but it is to those who don't do them regularly.
Martin will pay for certain aspects of the repair and others they will not cover because it is considered normal wear. They will usually pay for the neck reset, but not a plane and refret, saddles, nuts, strings, or bridge plates. These are wear items and they are not normally covered. Also, in order for the warranty to apply you must have bought the guitar new and have registered it with Martin or have proof of purchase from an authorized dealer. If you are not the original owner you are out of pocket for the whole thing. One last caution, we see a fair number of poor resets every year that need redoing. Just pick your luthier carefully and not because he is a nice guy or works in the music store or did a good setup for you. This is structural and if not done right can be a real problem visually, playability, and several other ways. The last thing you want is to have to pay for the repair the first time only to have to have it redone and pay again. There are a good number of people who are capable, but experience is the key to a good neck reset.

**f5loar** · Jul-19-2011, 7:41pm

How much does a Martin neck reset cost these days?

**sunburst** · Jul-19-2011, 7:46pm

$350 and up.

**Bill Van Liere** · Jul-19-2011, 7:52pm

Joe Konkoly (Elderly) did a reset for me for about $35.00 on a Martin I registered in 1979, but the usual going rate is about 500+ in this area.

**Willie** · Jul-19-2011, 8:17pm

Hey folks...Thanks for all of that info...I will surely pass it along to the owner and he has registered it I`m sure he will get it repaired by a Martin approved repairman....if

**Jimmy Kittle** · Jul-19-2011, 9:50pm

I just had the neck reset on my D76 at Elderlys, I was told about the same price as Bill. They also changed the bridge under warranty as many of them in the 70 were mislocated. It plays like a dream now, and the intonation is much better.

**rf37** · Jul-20-2011, 3:34am

Originally Posted by f5loar

How much does a Martin neck reset cost these days?

The last reset I had done was on a 1968 D18. It cost me 400 but that was back in 2003. As was saide earlier, truss rods are for relief adj. Martins especialy those with forward shifted bracing tend to belly up (top areea around bridge) and the end result means shaving down the saddle but after so much shaving over years the top stops bellying and then there is cause for neck reset. It is a very presice operation and if needed I would suggest a very trustworthy luthier. It is all just part of owning a great guitar and well woth the mony when done properly. Usualy a reset is needed after about ten to 15 years depending on guitar and climate. I am not a pro but I have agreat Luthier(Mark Kaiseri in Dayton Ohio) that really is great aboout sharing the secrets of his trade

rf37

**Ray(T)** · Jul-20-2011, 8:41am

I have a 1974 D18 and its never had its neck re-set! I bought it new (£190 it says on the tag) and recall that Martin's reason for not installing an adjustable rod was that they didn't need one 'cos their necks didn't bend - quite a claim. I also recall that in those days they warranted the guitar to the original owner for life, so, put these two together and it may add up to a free repair. Let us know how you get on.

**Willie** · Jul-20-2011, 10:56am

Another interesting thing about Martin being "hard headed" at times is why did they wait so long to make a compensated bridge and/or nut to allow the B string to note correctly for all chords.....Everyone I have seen needs to have the B string flattened a tad to make a D chord sound right....

When you say "neck reset" are you talking about removing the neck from the body and re installing it? I would never attempt that, I am just curious as to what the term means....I have an Asian made guitar made in 1970 and it has never had any neck work done to it and it plays great and has perfect intonation something that this `73 Martin doesn`t have....It notes sharp at the 12th fret on all strings, the bridge saddle looks to be straight and fitted correctly....The nut slots appear to be a little high which I guess could cause the intonation....But I won`t even attenpt to do anything to it....

I called the fellow up and told him to come pick the guitar up and contact Martin to see what his options are....

Thanks for all of the fine info, you guys are the best....

Willie

**sunburst** · Jul-20-2011, 11:16am

Yep, a neck re-set means removing the neck from the guitar, correcting the angle and putting the neck back in. The trick is to get the angle right and make it look like nothing happened when it's done. It does take some experience to get it right.
Some Martins from those years have the bridge in the wrong position and intonation is poor. If an authorized Martin repair center tells the Martin factory that that is the case, Martin will pay for correcting that, either through replacing the bridge or filling the saddle slot and re-slotting. The Martin company understands customer relations and stands behind it's warranty!

**Chip Booth** · Jul-20-2011, 2:53pm

I recently had the neck of my '67 D21 reset, and wow what a difference! The guitar always sounded good, but it really woke up and now has a lot of power and projection while still retaining all of it's broken in character.

**Fstpicker** · Jul-20-2011, 4:39pm

My understanding from being a long-time member of the Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum, is that the first year was 1986 when Martin started installing adjustable trussrods on all of their guitars.

Jeff

**Nick Triesch** · Jul-20-2011, 7:35pm

Taylor guitars have been around for 30 years plus now. I never hear about a lot of neck resets with these guitars. I wonder if it is because of different construction methods? Nick

**Fstpicker** · Jul-20-2011, 7:41pm

Part of the reason is that a neck reset on a Taylor takes about an hour or two due to their bolt-on necks. So, it is not the expensive, time consuming/labor intensive production that a dove-tail neck joint is when a neck reset is in order.

One thing I have to say is that Taylor has got one thing right...that is in their neck geometry. Some may not care for their sound, but they can't fault their necks.

Jeff

**Big Joe** · Jul-20-2011, 9:49pm

Yes, even Taylor's need neck resets as do Gibson's and Martin's and Santa Cruz and Bourgeios and Huss and Dalton and .... etc, etc.
A neck reset is not an unusual process on guitars. We also do a good number of mandolin neck resets every year as well. It is not about the brand, but the particular instrument. My Martin had one this past winter. I'd had it 25 years and it finally needed one. It plays and sounds better now than it ever did.

A properly done neck reset with plane and refret and bridge and nut work as needed can make a guitar play better and sound better than it ever did at any time in its life. We see it all the time. While it is not a cheap repair, and should only be done by qualified people, it can really make a difference on your guitar. On the other hand, if it does not need it then don't have it done.

One of the things that really irritates me is when someone takes their guitar to a repair person and instead of having the neck set the repair guy sells him a bridge shave to save a few bucks. It may make the action easier, but it does not resolve the situation. If it needs a neck reset it needs a neck reset and not a bridge shave. If you have the bridge shaved you still need the neck reset and then you will likely have to have a new bridge installed as well. That only increases the cost of the repair and you end up paying quite a bit more than if the repair guy just sold you the right job to begin with. We see this a lot and have to undo what the other guy did before we can do what needs to be done and do it right. One of my pet peeves .

**MikeEdgerton** · Jul-20-2011, 10:50pm

I can attest to that, I'm about to send my '89 Taylor back for a neck reset.

**Jacob** · Jul-21-2011, 2:56am

My two '78 Taylors got factory resets around 1984 and haven't needed another.

**almeriastrings** · Jul-21-2011, 3:21am

Originally Posted by Big Joe

One of the things that really irritates me is when someone takes their guitar to a repair person and instead of having the neck set the repair guy sells him a bridge shave to save a few bucks.

Dead right... I have a '62 D-18 sitting here right now that some idiot did that to.

I think the only possible time this could be justified would be on a cheap import guitar which is not viable to reset for economic or technical reasons... even then, it is not a great solution. I've used the "Bridge Doctor" on a few of those... again not with universal success either. On a good guitar, though - never.