Re: First Post: Truss rods in Martin Mandolins?
Truss rods in Martin Mandolins?
No. As stated above, Martin was "late to the party" in installing adjustable truss rods in its instruments. Their first neck reinforcement, when they conceded that steel strings required a strengthened neck, was an ebony bar. Longworth's Martin Guitars: A History states (p. 31):
Ebony reinforcement of Martin guitar necks occurred as the guitars were changed over for use with steel strings. This was replaced by a steel T-bar about 1934...There was a period during World War II when steel was not available, and guitars of this period would have ebony reinforcement. The T-bar was discontinued in favor of the square steel tube in 1967...
The "steel tube" was a square, hollow box-shape extending the length of the neck -- non-adjustable. Warped necks were "corrected" by pulling all the frets, planing down the fingerboard, and re-fretting. Martin finally saw the light and went to adjustable truss rods for acoustic guitars in 1985 -- though, oddly enough, their short-lived "E" series solid-body electrics, introduced in the late 1970's, had adjustable truss rods.
Specs for all the Martin flat-top and carved-top mandolins, as published in Longworth's book, do not include adjustable truss rods. IMHO Martin did not make a model with a truss rod. And, since Martin was pretty much out of the mandolin biz by 1985, it's unlikely that the "innovative" Martin adjustable truss rod, would "filter down" to their mandolin designs.
Martin mandolins are, at least in my experience, very well-made, and probably designed to take lighter strings. While I'm sure some Martin mandolin necks have warped, I wouldn't see lack of truss rod as a major deterrent to owning one. Martin necks, while not "beefy," are not slim, and their shorter length also probably adds to their stability.
Allen Hopkins
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